2011 Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Troy Tulowitzki, Adrian Beltre & More

Posted by Howard Bender on 09/01/2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: fantasy baseball, MLB injuries, fantasy baseball injury report, Troy Tulowitzki, Adrian Beltre, Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz, Jhoulys Chacin, Russell Martin Shin Soo Choo, Hanley Ramirez

Absolutely astounding how much injury news can accumulate over just a few days, but here we are, just four days removed from the last injury report and the list of players hurt is longer than my…well, it’s pretty long.  With some head to head playoffs already begun and more coming up this week, it’s imperative to stay on top of all the action.  Roto leagues too, as every little bit of help can be the difference between a top finish and pathetic mediocrity (read: 6^th place).  No sense in wasting time with more introductory words…let’s get to the infirmary!

Banged Up

Owners of Troy Tulowitzki that are banking on an encore performance of last season’s September may have to pump the brakes a little right now.  The prized shortstop and all-around fantasy stud was out of the lineup Wednesday as he nurses a wrist injury.  He’s listed as day to day, but he actually entered the game late as a pinch hitter, so with an off day Thursday, Tulo should be back for the weekend.

It’s now been a week since Brennan Boesch owners have seen their guy roaming the outfield for Detroit.  He is still dealing with his sore thumb and reports are now in that he has torn ligaments and will definitely need surgery during the offseason.  The team is holding back putting him on the DL while they are in a race for the AL Central, on the chance that he may still be able to play through it, but it looks more and more like his season could be over.

Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin has officially been ruled out for his September 3^rd start due to an illness that no seems to want to name.  They’ve cited a sore throat and said he will be back for his next start on the 9^th, but that doesn’t really help you much right now, does it?  Hopefully the extended time off doesn’t disrupt him too much.

Sudden fantasy owner favorite Salvador Perez is day to day with a sprained finger, an injury he received from a home plate collision Wednesday.  No one seems to think it’s anything serious, so while he is out of the lineup Thursday, you can expect him to return for the weekend.  He just had an 8-game hit streak come to an end, but perhaps he starts another one back up in a day or two.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia missed Wednesday’s game after being hit on the wrist by Mariano Rivera the night before and the injury could keep him out for the rest of the weekend.  He says it’s both stiff and sore and although they have a viable replacement in Jason Varitek, the Red Sox would be wise not to rush him back.  With the playoffs looming, they’re going to need him back behind the dish.

You can probably start crossing off Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s name for potential help in the middle infield as he missed yet another game with soreness in his side and back.  Given the Twins current situation, the need for Nishioka is not high.  He’ll continue to nurse his injuries, maybe get some playing time here and there, but overall, you can write him off for this year.

While Russell Martin has missed the last two games due to thumb and toe injuries, manager Joe Girardi thinks he’ll be ready to go Thursday, Friday at the latest.  Francisco Cervelli has been playing reasonably well in Martin’s absence, so the Yankees probably don’t need to rush him back.  It’d be nice to have him back in the lineup Thursday, but check it out before the game to make sure he’s active.

Cameron Maybin missed his fifth straight game Wednesday with lingering soreness in his wrist.  There’s been some inflammation that Maybin has apparently been dealing with for some time, but the Padres seem to think that he’ll be able to return at some point over the weekend.  Will Venable will continue to see starts in center field in the meantime.

Nationals backstop Wilson Ramos, who missed Tuesday’s game with food poisoning, also missed Wednesday.  Chances are it was due to dehydration and the humility that often comes when you’re perpetually sitting on a toilet with a bucket between your legs.  The team will continue to run Jesus Flores out there until Ramos is ready again – probably just a day or two.

He hasn’t been put on the DL again just yet, but Justin Morneau is experiencing headaches again and has been shut down from all baseball activities until he completes another round of concussion tests.  You can probably give up on him for this season as he probably won’t be of much help even if he does return, but keeper league owners may want to just stash him away before making any concrete decisions about him for next year.

Alex Rodriguez received a cortisone shot to help with this lingering thumb issue, but he was still unable to swing the bat properly and missed another game on Wednesday.  He’ll test it out again on Thursday, but chances are he’ll be out of the lineup again with the hopes of a return sometime over the weekend.

Out of Commission

The Indians officially put Shin-Soo Choo back on the DL Thursday, retroactive to August 28^th, with a strained oblique.  Talk about a bust of a season!  Choo is eligible to return on September 13^th, but there’s no guarantee that he makes it back then.  He will continue to be evaluated as the week goes on and Choo owners are stuck looking for more outfield help…again.

Nelson Cruz landed on the disabled list this week with yet another hamstring injury, something that has plagued him his entire career.  The team seems to think this one is minor, but a DL stint until mid-September was the call as they do not want to risk not having him for the playoffs.

On the Mend

The long anticipated return of Adrian Beltre is finally here.  After missing the final week of July and the entire month of August with a hamstring injury, Beltre will be activated Thursday and could be a huge boost to fantasy owners if he starts hitting immediately.  Ron Washington said that he will likely DH Beltre a lot more than before in an effort to keep him a little more fresh, but that shouldn’t have any kind of major impact one way or the other.  It’s time to manage your DL and get him back in your active lineup.

You can cue the angelic chorus right now as everyone’s favorite shortstop, Jack Wilson, will be coming off the DL this weekend.  Funny enough, he’ll be coming back as an Atlanta Brave now as he was dealt from Seattle Wednesday night.  The move pretty much dampens any shred of fantasy contribution Wilson could have made as he will be relegated to back-up duty from here on out. 

Still no exact word on when Rajai Davis is coming back, but it could be within a week now.  He’s been pushed out of a starting job, but even as a 4^th outfielder/pinch runner, Davis could provide you with a nice SB boost when he returns.

The Tigers activated Carlos Guillen from the DL Thursday, although there’s no real word on how much playing time he’ll receive.  There’s a chance that the team moves Ryan Raburn to the outfield to replace Boesch which would open up some playing time for Guillen, but nothing is guaranteed.  Consider using him if the club finds a regular spot for him.  If they don’t, then he’s strictly a bench stash until he can do something more.

The Rockies are planning on activating Ryan Spilborghs from the DL this weekend, but don’t really have a home for him in the field.  There’s a chance he could garner a start or two, but he’s going to be used sporadically from this point moving forward.  He’s looked very good in his rehab stint, so perhaps that is working in his favor, but he hasn’t done much this season to genuinely push anyone for real playing time.

Take two for Chris Denorfia’s rehab assignment!  After being shut down due to a setback in rehab, Denorfia is starting up again in Class-A and hoping to make it back to the Padres by the middle of September.  He’ll rejoin a crowded outfield and may actually stay on the bench if Jesus Guzman can keep producing.

The Red Sox were all set to activate J.D. Drew Thursday once rosters officially expanded, but after spraining a finger during his last rehab game, it appears that he’ll be out for a little while longer.  Not much, but given the fact that he’ll mostly serve as outfield depth, the Sox aren’t going to rush him back before he’s ready.  Josh Reddick should continue to see time in right field.

Also for the Sox, fantasy owners can expect Kevin Youkilis back in the lineup this weekend as he seems to be fully recovered from the back injury that has plagued him lately.  He is currently on Triple-A rehab assignment and could be activated as early as Friday.

Other players rumored to be back from the DL come early September include:  Carlos Quentin, Xavier Nady, Scott Baker, Cesar Izturis, Barry Zito, Carlos Carrasco, Nick Punto, Geoff Blum, Bobby Jenks, Derrek Lee, Chone Figgins, Justin Smoak and Hanley Ramirez.

Players that may need an additional week and could be back by the middle of the month include:  Jonathan Broxton, Juan Uribe and Nate Schierholtz.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard Bender is the founder of The Fantasy Baseball Buzz and SF Giants Report.  You can also find his work at FanGraphs and RotoWire.  For questions, thoughts and comments, you can email Howard at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter - @rotobuzzguy and @SFGiantsReport.