Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Is Every Yankee Hurt?

It's a jungle out there. Between COVID-19 cases and cancelations and a myriad of soft tissue issues, injuries continue to dictate the truncated 2020 season. Every team seems to be down at least one key piece with some would-be contenders missing multiple All-Stars. These problems could easily influence the August 31 trade deadline with teams desperate for depth and reinforcements.  

The New York Yankees

The injury bug continues to take a bite out of the Big Apple with several new names joining the injured list this week. Gleyber Torres recently underwent an MRI that revealed a Grade 1 strain of his left quadriceps and his left hamstring. He has been placed on the 10-day IL, but the team has already stated they anticipate he misses between two to three weeks with the injury.

Fantasy players who have invested in the Yankees shortstop should prepare for his return to fall on the latter end of the estimated timeline. The quadriceps and the hamstrings are not isolated muscles, but muscle groups comprising multiple muscles. The quadricep and the hamstring have a dynamic functional relationship that is integral to lower extremity movement. Each group is an antagonist to other, meaning it acts in the opposite direction to the specific movement generated by the other paired group. For example, when the hamstrings are actively flexing (bending) the knee, the quads are working in the opposite manner to oppose the motion. This relationship allows the two groups to work together, accelerating and decelerating the leg during walking and running. If an injury creates a functional limitation, its antagonist may assume a certain degree of stress and become vulnerable to an injury of its own. 

Sadly, Torres has injuries to both. As a result, his recovery will need to be handled with the utmost care to insure both muscles groups heal in the appropriate manner, and the risk of aggravation to both areas is mitigated as much as possible. A three-week recovery seems likely, and may even be a bit optimistic.

The cancelation of the weekend Subway series between the Mets and Yankees may have an unforeseen benefit. Slugger Aaron Judge was expected to return from his calf strain over the weekend, but instead he received additional recovery time and will be back in the lineup Monday against Atlanta. The team has hinted they will ease him back to full speed and likely will have him serve as the DH for at least a game or two. Hopefully the extra time off and controlled return will allow Judge to avoid an aggravation or re-injury.

Giancarlo Stanton is roughly two weeks into what is expected to be a four-week absence as he recovers from a hamstring strain. Stanton's recovery will be treated similarly to Torres' based on his lengthy injury history. Stanton has endured multiple lower extremity strains throughout his career, and a new injury puts the previously injured areas at risk. A mid-to-late September return still seems likely. 

DJ LeMahieu's injury does not involve the lower extremity or a muscle group. Instead, LeMahieu remains sidelined with a sprain of his thumb. The AL batting leader has previously injured this thumb, but his latest injury is not considered as severe as the sprain and fracture he sustained in 2018. Surgery will not be needed, and LeMahieu could be back by the end of the month.

If the injuries to the everyday lineup weren't bad enough, pitcher James Paxton added his name to the injury list late last week. Paxton has struggled this season and left his most recent start with tightness in his elbow. An MRI and a detailed evaluation revealed a mild strain of his forearm flexor though his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) remained intact. He will not throw a baseball for at least two weeks before gradually working his way back to form. His current plan is to log a start or two before the end of the season in hopes of pitching in the postseason. Unfortunately, this approach will negatively impact his fantasy value for the remainder of the year and he's likely droppable in most formats.

Check Swings

Ronald Acuna: The Braves hope Acuna will be able to return to the lineup when the team kicks off its series against the injury ravaged Yankees. Acuna was able to swing a bat over the weekend, and if the inflammation in his wrist remains a nonissue on Monday he should be activated prior to Tuesday's contest. Acuna is too talented to keep sidelined, but scale back your initial expectations until he can prove he put the injury behind him. 

Yordan Alvarez: Last week I stated that until the root of Alvarez' lingering knee issue was revealed and addressed he was going to remain a fantasy liability. Well, the Astros determined the problem and Alvarez's season is now over. The Houston DH will undergo surgery to repair a partial tear in his patellar tendon. The patellar tendon is the anchor of the quadriceps muscle, located just below the knee cap. The tear in the tendon will be sutured, and Alvarez will begin his recovery. He's out for the season but should be ready to go for 2021.  

Alex Bregman: Houston's injury woes might rival New York's, as the loss of Alvarez was compounded by a hamstring strain for Bregman. The Astros shortstop is expected to miss at least three weeks with the injury, though that is an wishful estimate. Abraham Toro will take over at third base, though his fantasy value appears minimal in most formats.

Kris Bryant: The Cubs placed Bryant on the IL after he continued to report pain in his left wrist and ring finger. The official injury designation is a sprained finger, and the former NL MVP has received an injection in the area. The injury was causing a limitation in Bryant's wrist extension and impacting his ability to swing fluidly. He insists he will not return until 100 percent but admitted the compressed season complicates things. Unfortunately, it sounds like this is setting up for a prolonged absence.

Tommy Pham: Pham suffered a fractured bone in his wrist and will miss four to six weeks following surgery. The San Diego outfielder fractured his hamate bone, one of the tiny carpal bones of the wrist. The hamate or a fragment of the hamate is usually removed during surgery, allowing for a relatively quick recovery. Hamate fractures are common in baseball with several notable players including David Ortiz, Ken Griffey Jr., Jose Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia all enduring the injury in years past. Pham is eyeing a possible postseason return but that won't help his now cratered fantasy value. Send him to the waiver wire and seek out a replacement.

Stephen Strasburg: Strasburg's season is officially over, as he will undergo surgery to address the wrist injury that has plagued him all year. Strasburg is suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome and will likely undergo a carpal tunnel release. The procedure should stop the nerve impingement that is affecting his hand, and he should be cleared in time to begin a normal offseason routine. The long-term effects should be minimal as well, and Strasburg should be in line for a bounce back campaign in 2021.