It is officially September, and we are down to the last month of the season. Injuries now run the risk of being season ending or at least keeping a guy out for enough time that they won’t be able to contribute much for the rest of the year. With the start of a new week, we have you covered whether you need a hitter or pitcher to fill out your roster. The waiver wire piece by Ray Kuhn is here and the two start and streaming pitcher article by Ivar Anderson is also live to help. It is the last month of the season and setting your fantasy baseball lineups has never been more important. Let’s take a look at the players that are out or are on the mend. 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball MLB Injury Report September 5

Max Scherzer – He left Saturday’s start after five innings and the only real report we have gotten since then is that his left side felt fatigued. Was this a precautionary move to keep him healthy for the playoffs? Is there something bigger here considering he missed time with an oblique injury on his left side? The team hasn’t put him on the injured list, so it stands to reason that this isn’t serious, but continue to watch the news to see if Scherzer is set to make his next start. However, don’t be surprised if that gets pushed back. 

Ozzie Albies – The Braves second baseman has been on a rehab assignment since Thursday, and he has to be nearing the end as we flip to a new week. There have been no reports of setbacks from his foot injury as of now, and you have to think that he will be back with the Braves in a few more days. If you are in a league with weekly roster moves, you might want to get him back in your starting lineup now figuring he should be activated by mid-week at the latest. 

Zack Wheeler – This one is not good. Wheeler was set to return to the mound on Tuesday for the Phillies, but that plan has been scrapped as the pitcher has reported continued soreness in his forearm. I said the first time that I mentioned Wheeler’s injury that forearm problems are never good for pitchers. The manager has said that the team isn’t concerned and an MRI he had on Thursday showed only inflammation. So, the hope is that he can return very soon, but this one certainly has my red flag flying. 

Mike Soroka – The long road back to the Majors appears to be completed for Soroka as he threw four shutout innings with five strikeouts in his final rehab start on Friday. He threw 61 pitches, which you wish he went a bit more, but the weather shortened his outing. He hasn’t pitched in a long time for Atlanta, but it appears his next start will be for the Braves. He comes with a bunch of risk considering how long it has been since he has toed a Major League rubber, but the talent is undeniable, and you should add him for a stretch run. 

Wander Franco – Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Franco says his wrist is doing better and he is getting back on the rehab track on Sunday. The Rays could certainly use their young phenom as they are trying to complete a comeback for a division title or perhaps a wild card spot, and fantasy players certainly could as well. Everyone cross your fingers and toes that he will be back in the Majors soon.  

Luis Severino – The Yankees pitcher had his first rehab start on Friday where he threw two innings without giving up a run and struck out three. He only threw 22 pitches, but we also knew it would be more than one rehab start before he returned. He surely will make two more rehab starts before coming back to the Yankees rotation, so it will likely be two more weeks before he is a fantasy asset. 

Michael Lorenzen – The Angels starter was having a pretty decent season before going down in July with a shoulder problem. Well, it appears his rehab is just about over as he threw six innings on Friday in the Minor Leagues where he allowed two runs and struck out five. He threw 86 pitches, and to me, that says he is ready to rejoin the Angels rotation. There is a strong chance that you will see him back in the Majors this coming week. 

Vinnie Pasquantino – He hasn’t played since August 22nd, but Pasquantino has started a rehab assignment over the weekend and should be returning to the Royals lineup at some point this week. He has been off to a solid start with eight home runs in 49 games, and definitely could help you in the last month of the season when healthy. With a decent batting average and adequate power, you should be ready to activate him when the Royals bring him off the injured list. 

Nestor Cortes – One of the few bright spots for the Yankees has been out for about two weeks, but Cortes was able to throw a batting practice session on Saturday. He threw 45 pitches and reported no setbacks. You would think he would need a rehab start or two before coming back to the Bronx after his groin strain, but the way the Yankees are free falling, they might want him back as soon as possible. Be ready to activate Cortes when he is ready. 

Nick Castellanos – The Phillies slugger left the game Friday with an oblique strain, and the MRI results have not been made public, but the team went ahead and put him on the 10-day injured list on Sunday. It is always tough to figure oblique injuries, and the team did not put a timetable on his return, but this doesn’t seem to be season ending. Stash him if you can and hope that he is back in the ten days and can help you down the stretch on winning that league championship. 

Nelson Cruz- He fouled a ball off his knee back on Friday and Cruz hasn’t played since. The team hasn’t put him on the injured list so you’d think he should be back at any time, but also the Nats have nothing to play for so why would they rush him back? If you have weekly roster moves, you might want to sit him this week as they truly have nothing to play for so they could let him sit for an extended period, but you would also think they would use the injured list if they thought he was going to be out a while. 

Andrew Benintendi – He left the game after a weird swing on Friday and the x-rays came back negative, but the Yankees still placed their new outfielder on the 10-day injured list with a wrist injury. Manager Aaron Boone said the MRI was good, but Benintendi had to go under more testing to get to the root of where the actual injury is. This doesn’t sound overly awesome, and I get the feeling that he is dealing with more pain than we are getting word of. Hopefully this isn’t season ending, but we should get more of an update at some point during the week. 

Sonny Gray – The Twins starter left his outing on Friday after four innings with a hamstring issue. He is going to throw a bullpen session on Monday to see if he is able to make his scheduled start later in the week or if he potentially needs a trip to the injured list. It is encouraging that he wasn’t put on the shelf right away, but it isn’t all that great that the team doesn’t know if he will be ready or not for his next trip to the mound. Pay attention to the news to see how to handle him. 

Brandon Drury – He was hit in the head by a pitch on Friday, and Drury has not been back into the lineup since. The good news is that the team has not placed him on the injured list, so it has to be a short-term situation. It is always scary when a guy gets hit in the head by a pitch, but the Pads must feel good that Drury won’t miss much more time. 

Jorge Polanco – He hadn’t played since August 27th, and Polanco was finally placed on the injured list by the Twins. I did not see a report of this move being made retroactive to the last time he played. He injured the knee sliding into home a few weeks ago, and the Twins are hoping if they get him some rest he will be good to go down the last few weeks of the season. 

Zach Plesac – Not that he was having an awesome season but losing Plesac at this point of the year isn’t ideal for fantasy players. He was placed on the injured list with a fractured hand after punching the mound following giving up a home run in his previous start. Even with the Guardians in first place, I would be shocked if we saw Plesac before the end of season and it is time to cut bait and find a replacement. 

 

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