This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
I'm not saying Mama Gump was wrong, but life isn't the only thing that is like a box of chocolates. Injuries also come in an assortment of flavors and sizes. To help avoid confusion, injuries can be categorized in a multitude of ways. One of the first defining characteristics medical professionals utilize to help classify injuries is the nature of the ailment, meaning acute versus chronic. Acute injuries are the result of a specific event, while chronic injuries often develop over time. Each case can present with unique symptoms and associated recovery plans. Over the past week multiple examples of each type popped up across Major League Baseball.
Direct contact with a bat, ball or even a teammate is a common mechanism for an acute injury. Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez fell victim to one such issue after being struck on the left hand by a 106.1 mile per hour comebacker off the bat of Alec Burleson. Fortunately, initial X-rays performed did not reveal a fracture, though the resulting contusion has left Suarez with swelling in the area. The swelling had reportedly improved on Sunday, though he remains day-to-day. I have previously warned about the complications that can come with initial imaging, especially in the wrist and hand, but the Phillies do seem optimistic that Suarez has avoided a serious injury.
The same cannot be said for Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha who suffered a broken foot when hit by a ball off the bat of Luis Arraez. Fortunately,
I'm not saying Mama Gump was wrong, but life isn't the only thing that is like a box of chocolates. Injuries also come in an assortment of flavors and sizes. To help avoid confusion, injuries can be categorized in a multitude of ways. One of the first defining characteristics medical professionals utilize to help classify injuries is the nature of the ailment, meaning acute versus chronic. Acute injuries are the result of a specific event, while chronic injuries often develop over time. Each case can present with unique symptoms and associated recovery plans. Over the past week multiple examples of each type popped up across Major League Baseball.
Direct contact with a bat, ball or even a teammate is a common mechanism for an acute injury. Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez fell victim to one such issue after being struck on the left hand by a 106.1 mile per hour comebacker off the bat of Alec Burleson. Fortunately, initial X-rays performed did not reveal a fracture, though the resulting contusion has left Suarez with swelling in the area. The swelling had reportedly improved on Sunday, though he remains day-to-day. I have previously warned about the complications that can come with initial imaging, especially in the wrist and hand, but the Phillies do seem optimistic that Suarez has avoided a serious injury.
The same cannot be said for Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha who suffered a broken foot when hit by a ball off the bat of Luis Arraez. Fortunately, the fracture has been classified as a small, nondisplaced fracture, meaning surgery is unlikely. Wacha has already been placed on the 15-day injured list, but it seems unlikely he returns when first eligible. The fracture occurred to Wacha's lead leg, meaning the bone needs to be able to withstand the extra stress placed on it through pitch delivery. A four- to six-week window seems more plausible.
Mateo was also struck by an object over the weekend, but it wasn't a baseball. The Baltimore utility man was accidentally hit in the back of the helmet by teammate Cedric Mullins near the on-deck circle. Mateo was removed from the game and visibly in pain in the dugout. The Orioles said Mateo was going through the concussion protocol after the game but has not yet been placed on the seven-day concussion IL. However, further testing and lingering symptoms may force their hand, leading to an opening in the Baltimore lineup. Look for more specifics to emerge in the next 24 to 48 hours.
The Yankees pitcher will not throw for an extended period of time after being diagnosed with a latissimus dorsi strain. The latissimus dorsi, or lat for short, is a large muscle that has various attachment sites along the spine, ribs and back. The lat also anchors itself into a small groove in the upper arm bone, allowing it to play a role in multiple shoulder motions including extension and internal rotation. Its positioning allows it to also be involved in motion at the spine, including side-to-side bending and extension. For pitchers, the lat plays an integral role in pitch delivery.
Any limitation caused by a lat strain could have a cascade effect along the kinetic chain and lead to other issues in the shoulder or elbow. As a result, Schmidt has been shut down for at least four weeks with his absence expected to extend beyond that estimate. Cody Poteet appears to be the leading candidate to replace Schmidt, especially after he picked up a win over the weekend by striking out six in five innings of work.
The White Sox outfielder is a prime example of an injury that can be classified as both acute and chronic. Benintendi was placed on the 10-day IL with left Achilles tendinitis. Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon, which is the connective tissue that anchors muscle to bone. The inflammation can arise following a specific incident but can also be considered chronic if it develops gradually over time. Regardless of the nature of the inflammation, the treatment is relatively the same, as the associated symptoms will be addressed and any underlying contributing factors corrected. Benintendi remains without a definitive timeline.
Check Swings
Gerrit Cole: The long-term absence of Schmidt could be eased by the impending return of Cole. Cole has yet to pitch this season due to nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow but is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday. It is unclear how many starts the team expects Cole to complete before he will return to the Bronx, but a return sometime this month seems likely. Of course this is assuming all things go well on his assignment, and those invested in Cole will need to continue to hope for a smooth progression.
Zac Gallen: The Diamondbacks right-hander hit the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain. The muscle group has been problematic for him for more than a month now and finally became too much to ignore. Gallen has a history of hamstring strains, including a strain in 2021 that kept him sidelined for two weeks. The team is hopeful he will follow a similar timeline with this latest ailment, though the average time lost for hamstring strains among MLB pitchers is closer to four weeks than two. Considering Gallen's injury history and the unpredictable nature of hamstring strains in general, fantasy managers could benefit from Arizona slow playing his recovery.
Blake Snell: A conservative approach for Gallen could help him avoid the scenario now facing Snell. After missing more than a month with a groin strain, Snell's return appears to have been limited to two outings. The lefty was lifted after four innings of work after reporting tightness in the area. He is headed for an MRI to determine the extent of the damage, and a second IL stint is likely. Look for him to miss another significant amount of time, with Keaton Winn the most likely candidate to replace Snell on the roster.
John Means and Tyler Wells: A pair of Orioles pitchers are lost for the season with tears of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in their pitching elbows. The setback is particularly problematic for Means who has been ravaged by injury over the last three years and had Tommy John surgery in 2022. Look for both pitchers to miss the remainder of the year and additional time in 2025.
