Roughly one week after losing Alejandro Kirk to a broken thumb, the Blue Jays have lost Springer to a broken big toe. The injury occurred when Springer fouled a ball off his foot in the team's 7-4 loss to the Twins over the weekend. Springer has undergone both an X-ray and a CT scan and has already landed on the 10-day injured list.
The big toe is a vital part of movement, as it plays a role in balance, weight and force distribution, and pushing off while running. Fractures here have a decent amount of variability, likely linked to the specific bone broken. The big toe is made up of two phalanges that articulate with the first metatarsal. Breaks in the phalanges tend to heal quicker than those in the metatarsals. For example, Jorge Soler missed substantial time (roughly 15 weeks) during the 2018 season with what was described as a big toe fracture but was actually a first metatarsal fracture. Players like Dee Gordon and Carson Kelly both returned to action after brief IL stints following true big toe breaks. Like Springer, both Gordon and Kelly sustained their injuries after taking a fouled ball off the foot. Hopefully Springer follows this precedent and is back in action before the end of the month.
The Brewers veteran DH was removed from Sunday's game due to left hamstring tightness. Manager Pat Murphy painted a dire picture postgame, saying the team is expecting "bad news" on his status
Roughly one week after losing Alejandro Kirk to a broken thumb, the Blue Jays have lost Springer to a broken big toe. The injury occurred when Springer fouled a ball off his foot in the team's 7-4 loss to the Twins over the weekend. Springer has undergone both an X-ray and a CT scan and has already landed on the 10-day injured list.
The big toe is a vital part of movement, as it plays a role in balance, weight and force distribution, and pushing off while running. Fractures here have a decent amount of variability, likely linked to the specific bone broken. The big toe is made up of two phalanges that articulate with the first metatarsal. Breaks in the phalanges tend to heal quicker than those in the metatarsals. For example, Jorge Soler missed substantial time (roughly 15 weeks) during the 2018 season with what was described as a big toe fracture but was actually a first metatarsal fracture. Players like Dee Gordon and Carson Kelly both returned to action after brief IL stints following true big toe breaks. Like Springer, both Gordon and Kelly sustained their injuries after taking a fouled ball off the foot. Hopefully Springer follows this precedent and is back in action before the end of the month.
The Brewers veteran DH was removed from Sunday's game due to left hamstring tightness. Manager Pat Murphy painted a dire picture postgame, saying the team is expecting "bad news" on his status moving forward.
While Yelich does not have a history of hamstring issues, he does have a history of lower back issues that need to be considered. The hamstrings anchor to the hips and are directly linked to the mobility in the lower back and the pelvis. Increased tightness in the hamstrings can have a negative effect on normal movement patterns and increase the chance of lower back pain. Milwaukee does not play on Monday, providing Yelich extra time to rest and recuperate, but, given Murphy's pessimism, he seems likely to miss additional time.
Tatsuya Imai and the Astros rotation
The rookie right-hander has struggled since making his MLB debut, and currently carries a 7.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP through three starts. Unfortunately, his health may be a contributing factor to the poor start, and he is currently being evaluated in Houston by team physicians. The issue is currently being described as right arm fatigue, and his availability moving forward remains unclear. Those invested in Imai should prepare for him to miss at least one start, with a longer absence likely if a more concrete injury is diagnosed.
Imai's issues further deplete a Houston rotation that is already missing Josh Hader, Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown. Hader is managing biceps inflammation but hopes to face live batters in the week ahead. Javier and Brown are both dealing with Grade 2 shoulder strains, though the specific muscles involved for each pitcher were not made publicly available. Grade 2 strains are also known as partial or incomplete tears, meaning neither player should be expected back quickly.
Adley Rutschman: Rutschman was placed on the 10-day IL with left ankle inflammation. It sounds as though the effusion is the result of a mild ankle sprain, with the Orioles hopeful it will improve quickly. For now, Samuel Basallo will take over behind the plate for Baltimore. Maverick Handley was called up to add depth at the catching position.
The Orioles struggled with injuries all season last year, a trend that has carried over into this year. In addition to losing Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle (fourth metacarpal fracture) and Tyler O'Neill (concussion) were injured over the weekend. The team is also missing Jackson Holliday (hamate fracture), Heston Kjerstad (hamstring) and Jordan Westburg (UCL sprain), and just lost Zach Eflin (Tommy John) for the season. Holliday is the closest to returning as he continues to work through a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk.
Check Swings
Wyatt Langford: Langford did not play over the weekend after suffering a mild quadriceps strain. The injury comes just as the Texas outfielder was showing signs of life, collecting hits in three of four games, including his first home run of the season. The Rangers do not plan on placing Langford on the IL, but that could change if he fails to improve quickly. Consider him day-to-day for now.
Parker Meadows: The Detroit outfielder suffered multiple injuries following a collision in the outfield with teammate Riley Greene. The impact left Meadows with a lacerated cheek that required stitches, a concussion and a broken radius in his arm. The concussion is the most serious of the three, but the radius is likely to result in the most missed time. He can navigate the concussion protocol while the radius heals, as the fracture will be a multiweek injury.
Jeremy Pena: The Astros are also dealing with injuries to their position players, as Pena left Saturday's loss to the Mariners with right posterior knee tightness. Pena is slated to undergo an MRI to determine the reason for the tightness. The distal tendons of the hamstring and the proximal tendons of the calf sit in the posterior aspect of the knee joint and could be at the root of his issue. Look for more details to trickle out over the next few days.
Brent Rooker: The A's outfielder hits the IL with a right oblique strain. He had landed on the 10-day IL but, as discussed last week with Mookie Betts, these injuries tend to result in an absence well beyond the 10-day minimum. Look for Sacramento to be without Rooker until mid-to-late May at best.
Juan Soto: The Mets hope Soto will be ready to return next week after he suffered a strained calf. The strain is mild and the 27-year-old outfielder is already swinging a bat. However, running remains a better gauge of improvement, and Soto will need to return to the base-path at some point this week if he wants to make that initial target return date.
Stay up to date on who is in and who is out with RotoWire's MLB Injury Report!
