This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
The All-Star break is just around the corner with multiple teams in desperate need of a break. With the number of injuries steadily climbing, let's do an All Check Swings look around the league.
Yordan Alvarez: Alvarez finally appears to be on track for a return, perhaps by the weekend. The Astros slugger has not played since May 2 due to a fractured fourth metacarpal in his hand. However, Alvarez has resumed hitting in a cage and expects to face live hitting later this week. Even if a return against the Angels doesn't occur, look for Alvarez to return before the All-Star break.
Corbin Carroll: Shortly after last week's column went live, it was announced Carroll's wrist injury was in fact a fracture. The exact bone damaged was not revealed, but the good news is that it appears he will avoid surgery, at least for now. Occasionally surgery may be deemed necessary if the injured bone fails to heal appropriately in what is known as a nonunion. For now, the assumption is his chip fracture will adequately heal with immobilization, and Carroll should be able to return in six to eight weeks.
Bryce Harper: Like Alvarez, Harper is expected back soon as his ailing wrist appears to be improved. The former MVP has faced live pitching and is traveling with the team. The Phillies may opt to slowly work him back into the everyday lineup to see how the wrist responds to extended play, but it does
The All-Star break is just around the corner with multiple teams in desperate need of a break. With the number of injuries steadily climbing, let's do an All Check Swings look around the league.
Yordan Alvarez: Alvarez finally appears to be on track for a return, perhaps by the weekend. The Astros slugger has not played since May 2 due to a fractured fourth metacarpal in his hand. However, Alvarez has resumed hitting in a cage and expects to face live hitting later this week. Even if a return against the Angels doesn't occur, look for Alvarez to return before the All-Star break.
Corbin Carroll: Shortly after last week's column went live, it was announced Carroll's wrist injury was in fact a fracture. The exact bone damaged was not revealed, but the good news is that it appears he will avoid surgery, at least for now. Occasionally surgery may be deemed necessary if the injured bone fails to heal appropriately in what is known as a nonunion. For now, the assumption is his chip fracture will adequately heal with immobilization, and Carroll should be able to return in six to eight weeks.
Bryce Harper: Like Alvarez, Harper is expected back soon as his ailing wrist appears to be improved. The former MVP has faced live pitching and is traveling with the team. The Phillies may opt to slowly work him back into the everyday lineup to see how the wrist responds to extended play, but it does sound like Harper will avoid a rehab assignment. Fantasy managers will be eager to welcome him back to their lineups and should do so with cautious optimism.
Zach Eflin: The Orioles pitcher is headed back to the injured list for an all too familiar reason. Eflin left his most recent outing with lower back tightness in what appears to be a muscular-related injury. The veteran has spent time on the IL for back-related injuries four times throughout his career, including earlier this season and once in each of the past two seasons. His prior IL stints resulted in an average time lost of 18 days, and those invested in Eflin should be prepared for this recent issue to extend beyond that timeframe. Twenty-five-year-old Cade Povich is likely to slot into Eflin's spot after completing a rehab assignment for a hip injury sustained earlier in the month.
Griffin Canning: The Mets right-hander was in the middle of a breakout campaign but is done for the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. Canning tore his left Achilles when he pushed off the mound following a pitch. His left leg reaches behind him in a movement known as a false step. In a false step, the effected leg is placed behind their center mass of the body in a backward step with the ankle in dorsiflexion. This mechanism of injury was also seen in the NBA playoffs when All-Stars Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum suffered their Achilles ruptures. While not as common in the MLB, Achilles tendon tears in baseball still are accompanied by a lengthy rehab process. Canning has already undergone surgery, and it seems likely his recovery carries over into next season. Look elsewhere moving forward.
Hunter Goodman: Little has gone right for the struggling Rockies, but Goodman's performance this season has been a nice surprise. Unfortunately, tightness in his hamstring slowed him down last week, forcing him out of four straight games. While Colorado remains hopeful that a trip to the IL can be avoided, those invested here have to at least have a backup plan in place should Goodman continue to miss time. Hamstring injuries are notoriously fickle and can be particularly hard for catchers due to the demands of the position. Braxton Fulford has filled in with Goodman sidelined.
Wyatt Langford: The Rangers placed Langford on the IL late last week with a mild left oblique strain. The strain reportedly has been an issue for a while now, and the team opted to place him on the IL to buy him time to adequately recuperate. The injury is Langford's second oblique strain of the season after he suffered a similar injury on the opposite side in April. He returned after missing the minimum amount of time. There is optimism this will be a similar situation, but it wouldn't be shocking if Texas extended his recovery window this time around to reduce the chances of a future occurrence. Alejandro Osuna has taken over in left field in Langford's absence.
Zach Neto: Neto has not started in four straight games after suffering a right shoulder injury on an attempted steal. There was plenty of cause for concern considering this was the same shoulder that required offseason surgery. That injury also occurred on a failed headfirst slide. Fortunately, Neto has been able to appear as a pinch hitter in three of the four games and attempted to swipe a bag on Sunday. This is a strong indicator the shoulder is structurally sound, and the Angels are simply handling him a bit conservatively.
Jeremy Pena: The Astros shortstop did not play over the weekend after being struck in the side by a pitch. The team called his issue left rib soreness and hope the extended time off coupled with Monday's schedule off day will provide him ample time to return to action. However, as we have already seen multiple times this season, rib injuries can be difficult to manage and tough to properly diagnosis with initial X-rays. On Monday Houston announced Pena had suffered a left rib fracture and placed him on the IL. Mauricio Dubon will take over at shortstop.
Luis Robert: The White Sox placed Robert on the 10-day IL over the weekend due to a strained left hamstring. While Robert does have a history of lower extremity injuries, the majority have involved his hip flexors, not his hamstrings. Manager Will Venable said the move to the IL was more a product of the team being "cautious" and that they were not "overly concerned." As a result, a quick return is possible. However, he would return with an elevated degree of injury risk, as one of the biggest risk factors for future injury is prior injury. An absence beyond the minimum would be frustrating in the moment but could be the best approach for Robert's long-term health.
Stay up to date on who is in and who is out with RotoWire's MLB Injury Report!
