This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
The Tigers placed Greene on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. The injury occurred when Greene's non-throwing elbow hit the ground while he made a diving catch. Manager A.J. Hinch stated the team would reevaluate the injury when the resulting swelling subsides. Multiple injuries can occur following a direct blow to the elbow, including a bone contusion, bursitis or even a sprain. Detroit was noncommittal on the root of the inflammation, but reports have surfaced the injury is significant and potentially season-ending. Look for more information to become available after his follow-up in roughly seven days.
Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi
The Rangers endured a rough August, finishing 15-12 while falling behind the surging Mariners in the AL West standings. Unfortunately, Scherzer reported tightness in his right forearm following Friday's start against the Twins. He completed a bullpen session on Sunday, and the team will likely determine whether he can make his next scheduled start after seeing how he feels on Monday.
Scherzer's availability could influence when Eovaldi will be activated from the IL after he missed the last seven weeks working his way back from a forearm injury of his own. The official diagnosis was a right forearm strain that came after he reported soreness in his elbow. The team had already proactively given Eovaldi time off after they noticed a dip in his overall velocity and strike-out rate. He has progressed through a throwing protocol that took longer than they initially expected due to
The Tigers placed Greene on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. The injury occurred when Greene's non-throwing elbow hit the ground while he made a diving catch. Manager A.J. Hinch stated the team would reevaluate the injury when the resulting swelling subsides. Multiple injuries can occur following a direct blow to the elbow, including a bone contusion, bursitis or even a sprain. Detroit was noncommittal on the root of the inflammation, but reports have surfaced the injury is significant and potentially season-ending. Look for more information to become available after his follow-up in roughly seven days.
Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi
The Rangers endured a rough August, finishing 15-12 while falling behind the surging Mariners in the AL West standings. Unfortunately, Scherzer reported tightness in his right forearm following Friday's start against the Twins. He completed a bullpen session on Sunday, and the team will likely determine whether he can make his next scheduled start after seeing how he feels on Monday.
Scherzer's availability could influence when Eovaldi will be activated from the IL after he missed the last seven weeks working his way back from a forearm injury of his own. The official diagnosis was a right forearm strain that came after he reported soreness in his elbow. The team had already proactively given Eovaldi time off after they noticed a dip in his overall velocity and strike-out rate. He has progressed through a throwing protocol that took longer than they initially expected due to tightness in his side. Eovaldi has been a fantasy surprise this season when healthy but will remain a risky play moving forward. Any injury to the area is a red flag, and Texas will likely keep him under a tight pitch count in hopes of preserving his arm for a postseason run. Tread carefully with both Texas pitchers.
Bichette resumed running over the weekend and could be back in action later this week. The Blue Jays shortstop hit the IL for the second time in a month with an injury in the same area. The initial issue was right patellar tendinitis followed up by his current injury, a right quadriceps strain. I mentioned last week the two structures are related as the patellar tendon is the conjoined tendon of the four quadriceps muscles and serves as the attachment site for the muscle group. Bichette's injuries are reportedly in separate areas, though the Toronto medical staff will be particular in his recovery to ensure his recent ailment does not flare up or irritate his previously inflamed patellar tendon. Bichette is eligible to return Friday, but I wouldn't be shocked if he sits through the weekend.
Turf Burns
Matt Chapman: The inflammation in Chapman's right middle finger was finally attributed to a sprain in the digit. The injury initially occurred during an accident in the weight room in mid-August. Unfortunately, the associated symptoms have persisted, and Chapman is still unable to grip a bat. He hopes to resume baseball activities this week, but his finger will ultimately dictate if that is even possible. For now, I don't anticipate he will be ready to return to the Toronto lineup when first eligible. Rookie Davis Schneider has helped ease the loss of both Bichette and Chapman by batting .428 with 11 RBI, three home runs and five doubles in Toronto's last eight games.
Yu Darvish: The Padres have shut down Darvish for the foreseeable future after it was discovered he has a bone spur in his throwing elbowing. Bone spurs often occur as the bone responds to undue stress placed on it, often at the attachment site of a ligament or tendon. Bone spurs are usually treated surgically with the affected individual able to return to form with the troublesome tissue excised. However, surgery at this point of the year would likely end Darvish's season and San Diego has yet to publicly consider that approach to treatment. This suggests the spur is small and one Darvish can pitch through. However, the situation remains fluid and those invested in Darvish shouldn't expect this to be resolved rapidly.
Hunter Greene: Greene was one of four pitchers the Reds placed on the COVID-19 injured list over the last few days. Greene, along with Fernando Cruz, Ben Lively and Brandon Williamson, will miss at least seven days as they recover from the illness. The situation is a not-so-subtle reminder than COVID is still out there with recent cases on the rise. Don't be surprised if other players across the league come down with the illness.
Danny Jansen: The Blue Jays catcher will likely miss multiple weeks after suffering a broken finger in a win over the Rockies. The injury occurred when a foul tip struck Jansen in the right middle finger, breaking the digit. Each finger of the hand comprises three separate bones that form two distinct joints in each digit. The exact bone broken by Jansen remains unreported, though surgery has not been mentioned up to this point. The injury comes as at bad time for Jansen who recently became the team's everyday catcher. Now former All-Star Alejandro Kirk will take over and could be a nice late-season addition for those playing in two catcher formats.
Steven Matz: The Cardinals left-hander continues to recover from a strained latissimus dorsi muscle but is unlikely to pitch again this season. Matz has yet to resume throwing, and it seems unlikely St. Louis would try to rush a recovery while the team sits at the bottom of the NL Central standings.
Josh Naylor: The Guardians welcomed back Naylor to the lineup over the weekend after he missed more than a month with an oblique strain. Fantasy managers invested in Naylor should confidently get the first baseman back into their lineups. Oblique injuries have a relatively low re-injury rate, and Naylor appeared comfortable at the plate Sunday, finishing 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Julio Rodriguez: The reason for J-Rod's back-to-back missed games last week has been revealed as a nerve irritation in his left foot. It appears to be a minor issue, and I'm not panicking yet but I will closely monitor his availability in the week ahead to see if he misses any additional time.
Alex Verdugo: The Red Sox outfielder was removed from Sunday's game due to left hamstring tightness. A weekend appearance of "hamstring tightness" or "hamstring cramping" has become some of my least favorite medical situations this season. It seems like these injuries are often upgraded to a low-grade hamstring strain that results in an IL stint. Atlanta's Ozzie Albies and New York's Carlos Rodon being the most recent examples that come to mind. Consider Verdugo day-to-day for now, though fantasy managers entering the fantasy playoffs should have suitable backup options in mind should his injury follow the recent trend.
