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Ambulance Chasers: All Betts Off Mookie

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June 22, 2024
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Welcome back to another rousing edition of Razzball Ambulance Chasers, your fantasy baseball injury report.

I was kept busy this week with all of the injuries coming out of the Dodgers. Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler, and Yamamoto all leave voids in the Dodgers roster. It’s a good thing the Dodgers’ pockets are deep because they would be in quite a pickle.

Speaking of teams being in pickles, the Orioles continue to bleed out pitchers with the loss of Kyle Bradish for the season. Bradish is added to a list of four other SPs and two RPs, with SP Dean Kremer returning soon. The Orioles are, at time of publication, tied with the Yankees for the division lead. It will be interesting to see what the Orioles decide before the trade deadline.

Let’s take a look at who took a ride in the ambulance this week.

Notable Injuries

AL East

Bo Bichette (SS, TOR), calf: Bichette is on the 10-day IL with a strained calf. He is eligible to return June 25, but maybe he will stay a little longer as he is in the midst of the worst season of his 5-year career. For the season, he has hit .237/.286/.342 with 4 HR. Blue Jays’ prospect Orelvis Martinez was brought up. So, keep your eye on him, but there’s another option.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has spent time at SS in Bichette’s absence. I wrote about IKF’s hot streak about 3 weeks ago, and he continues to be consistently good. In his last 96 AB (last 30 days), he is hitting .302/.356/.427 with 2 HR and 17 RBIs.

Kyle Bradish (SP, BAL), elbow: Big bummer as Kyle Bradish returns to the IL. This time for good as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. This news comes after the Orioles announced Tyler Wells would be out for the season with an internal brace procedure for his UCL. To add to all of this, Danny Couloumbe will be out for most of the season as he recovers from bone chip removal in his elbow.

The Orioles still have starters Corbin Burnes, Cole Irvin, Cade Povich, Grayson Rodriguez, and Albert Suárez. They may need to pick up another arm at some point. Cade Povich could be available in your league, but he has a projected 4.40 FIP and his BB rate shows it.

White Sox RHP Jonathan Cannon could be a useful roster supplement. Cannon is still a rookie, but he had an un-rookie-like performance when he almost threw a shut-out in White Sox vs. Astros game earlier this week.

Yimi García (RP, TOR), elbow: García takes a pitstop (hopefully) on the IL with right elbow ulnar neuritis. He had an MRI that revealed no structural damage. He is eligible to return July 2, but it will likely be longer. This is a tough position for the Blue Jays who are down Jordan Romano, who is also a few weeks off from a return.

Chad Green will be stepping more into Yimi’s role. Green is likely available in your league. In his 15.7 IP for the season, he has a 1.72 ERA, 4.74 FIP,  7.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9. His xFIP is 3.89. So, we could see a little improvement. However, it is a relatively small sample size.

An intriguing option is Boston’s Zack Kelly. In 25.3 IP, Kelly has a 1.78 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Like many of the pitchers that pop up, his FIP isn’t outstanding, but in his past 5.3 IP it is a 0.59. An important note is that his BABIP for the season is 0.141.

Anthony Rizzo (1B, NYY), arm: Mr. Rizzo goes to the 60-day IL with a fractured forearm sustained from a fall trying to avoid an on-field collision. He will be out for about 8 weeks. Ben Rice was called up to fill Rizzo’s spot on the roster. Gray wrote an entire jingle about Ben Rice. So, I guess that’s good.

AL West

Justin Verlander (SP, HOU), neck: And back he goes! Verlander was moved to the 15-day IL with neck discomfort. He is eligible to return June 30. RP Nick Hernandez will come up to take Verlander’s spot on the roster. Verlander’s recovery timeline had not been shared at the time of publication. Hopefully, you were able to get some Hunter Brown added to your roster.

If you need an AL-specific pitcher, Jonathan Cannon, who I mentioned above, could fit the bill here. Angel’s Tyler Anderson could also be an option if you’re hurtin’. His stats want you to pick him up, but should you?

NL Central

Mike Tauchman (OF, CHC), groin: Michael T. will be on the IL for about 4 weeks with a groin strain. You can expect to see him in mid-Julyish if all goes well. If he’s still available in your league, seek Brendan Donovan. In his last 90 AB, he is slashing 0.311/0.361/0.467 with 3 HR. He will likely regress at some point, but who cares about the future? Not me!

NL East

Michael Harris II (OF, ATL), hamstring: Harris left a June 14 game with a strained left hamstring. He is eligible to return June 25, but a July return is more likely. Ramón Laureano, who was DFA’ed by the Guardians a month ago, took Harris’s spot on the roster.

Let’s travel south to visit Jesús Sánchez at the Marlins. In his last 77 AB, he hit 4 HR and 10 RBIs. Did I mention his BABIP is crazy high?

NL West

Mookie Betts (2B/SS/OF, LAD), hand: It’s been a nasty injury week for the Dodgers with the worst injury being sustained by Mookie Betts. Betts took a 98 mph fastball to the hands. Unfortunately, it fractured his left hand. While no surgery is required, he is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. So, an August return is currently in the picture.

Miguel Rojas stepped in for Mookie at shortstop.

For your roster, Rojas would be a pretty good replacement. He currently has a 117 wrC+. In his last 18 AB, he’s hitting 0.333/0.333/0.556 with 1 HR and 8 RBIs. Apparently, he might also possess some sort of mystical powers because the Dodgers are 21-0 when he records a hit.

Also, my IKF astonishment and suggestion pertains to this entry as well.

Walker Buehler (SP, LAD), hip: Old friend Walker Buehler has rejoined the IL with hip discomfort after taking a line drive to that thang (his hip). Buehler has struggled mightily this season (5.84 ERA, 6.03 FIP; all with a higher BABIP). He is eligible to return July 4th, but a timetable for return had not been shared at the time of publication. Luckily, Bobby Miller recently rejoined the roster.

You don’t have to go too far to find a potentially rosterable James Paxton, I’m not saying it’s a great option, but if you have Buehler then you have probably gotten comfortable with the scent of fart in a paper lunch sack.

If you prefer the salty smells of an east coast fart sack, Jose Quintana is also available.

Corbin Carroll (OF, ARI), general torso:  Corbin Carroll did not join the IL, but man, he continues to look rough. An MRI of his side came back clean after he left a game with side pain. Bless you if you are still holding out hope for CC. It’s tough to watch.

Carroll’s teammate Jake McCarthy is on a roll right now, but his BABIP is quite high. Another option is the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman. After struggling for a bit, he is picking up steam with 3 HR and 7 RBIs in his last 21 AB.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SP, LAD), shoulder: What better way to end our notable injuries than with another Dodger? Yamamoto hits the IL with a strained rotator cuff. He is eligible to return July 1, but he will be out longer than that. There was no timeline for return at the time of publication, but early speculation ranges from weeks (edging closer to months) to with some speculation it could be season-ending. Dave Roberts shared that it is not season-ending, but hey, look at Kyle Bradish. I will keep you updated on this one over the next few weeks. Yamam-oh-no. 🙁

Injury Updates

Here are a few speedy injury updates for this week. If I missed someone, hit me up in the comments.

  • Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET), back: targeting a mid-July return.
  • Evan Carter (OF, TEX), back: beginning hitting program next week per Michael Bier.
  • Triston Casas (1B, BOS), ribs: seeking early July return.
  • Willson Contreras (C, STL), arm: finished rehab assignment.
  • Tommy Edman (2B/SS/OF, STL), wrist: returning around the All-Star Break.
  • Ty France (1B, SEA), heel: reinstated.
  • Vaughn Grissom (2B/SS, BOS), hamstring: expected to return in July.
  • Eloy Jiménez (DH, CWS), hamstring: may return next week.
  • Nolan Jones (OF, COL), knee: returned but now has an illness and is out of the line-up.
  • Josh Jung (3B, TEX), wrist: started rehab assignment
  • Dean Kremer (SP, BAL), triceps: began rehab assignment.
  • Max Muncy (3B, LAD), oblique: no timeline for return.
  • Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL), oblique: shooting for a return before July.
  • Robbie Ray (SP, SEA), elbow: began rehab assignment.
  • Jordan Romano (RP, TOR), elbow: will begin throwing off the mound soon.
  • Jeffrey Springs (SP, TBR), elbow: began rehab assignment.
  • Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU), shin: had still not begun baseball activities at time of publication.
  • J.T. Realmuto (C, PHI), knee: shared he is aiming to return before the All-Star Break.
  • Brendan Rodgers (2B, COL), hamstring: began rehab assignment.
  • Max Scherzer (SP, TEX), back: should make his debut today.
  • Kodai Senga (SP, NYM), shoulder: will begin facing hitters soon.
  • Alek Thomas (OF, ARI), hamstring: played rehab game yesterday.
  • Gavin Williams (SP, CLE), elbow: still in rehab assignment.
  • Bryan Woo (SP, SEA), arm: back at it but with a really rough performance against Cleveland.

Have a fantastic week. Stay safe out there!

I have been known to dabble a little over on Twitter and BlueSky.

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