This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
The Yankees slugger hit the IL early Monday morning after straining his left biceps. The timing of the injury remains unclear, but this could the reason behind Stanton's slow start to the season. Unfortunately, also unclear are the severity and location of the strain, which will determine how long Stanton is out.
While a biceps strain may sound minor, the injury can be complicated as the muscle influences two joints. The biceps brachii is a two-headed muscle, the longer of which runs within a groove of the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder and helps stabilize the head of the humerus while throwing and swinging a bat. The positioning of the two muscles allows the biceps to assist in motion at the shoulder and elbow. The biceps is responsible for flexing the elbow and shoulder as well as rotating the forearm in a motion known as supination.
Any limitation in the area would be detrimental to a baseball player as both throwing and swinging a bat would be negatively impacted. A low-grade strain of the muscle belly should heal relatively quickly, allowing for a return in 10 to 14 days. However, should the injury be isolated to the tendon, especially near the shoulder, Stanton could be staring at a prolonged absence. Hopefully, the Yankees provide more details, allowing fantasy owners to get a better idea of what to expect. Clint Frazier will take New York's open roster spot.
The Mariners placed Strickland on the injured list with
The Yankees slugger hit the IL early Monday morning after straining his left biceps. The timing of the injury remains unclear, but this could the reason behind Stanton's slow start to the season. Unfortunately, also unclear are the severity and location of the strain, which will determine how long Stanton is out.
While a biceps strain may sound minor, the injury can be complicated as the muscle influences two joints. The biceps brachii is a two-headed muscle, the longer of which runs within a groove of the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder and helps stabilize the head of the humerus while throwing and swinging a bat. The positioning of the two muscles allows the biceps to assist in motion at the shoulder and elbow. The biceps is responsible for flexing the elbow and shoulder as well as rotating the forearm in a motion known as supination.
Any limitation in the area would be detrimental to a baseball player as both throwing and swinging a bat would be negatively impacted. A low-grade strain of the muscle belly should heal relatively quickly, allowing for a return in 10 to 14 days. However, should the injury be isolated to the tendon, especially near the shoulder, Stanton could be staring at a prolonged absence. Hopefully, the Yankees provide more details, allowing fantasy owners to get a better idea of what to expect. Clint Frazier will take New York's open roster spot.
The Mariners placed Strickland on the injured list with a strained muscle in his throwing shoulder. The official diagnosis was a Grade 2 strain of the latissimus dorsi. The "lat" muscle sits along the thoracic region of the spine and inserts into a small groove in the upper arm bone, the humerus. Its primary job is to aid with multiple shoulder movements including extension, rotation and a motion known as horizontal abduction. Furthermore, the muscle also plays a role in back motion, assisting with side-to-side bending and backward bending (extension) in the lower back.
The list of pitchers that have recently missed time with lat strains includes Jon Lester, James Paxton, Jake Peavy and Gerrit Cole. The amount of time missed appears to be linked to the location of the strain and the degree of damage. Strickland's Grade 2 designation means the muscle has partially torn. He should avoid surgery, but a definitive timeline has yet to be revealed. However, fantasy owners would be wise to expect an extended absence.
If the anchor point in the shoulder is involved, as in the case of Strickland, then the individual is often sidelined a significant period . For example, former Mariner Paxton missed four months recovering from his lat strain.
The Rockies infielder is sidelined indefinitely after suffering an injury to the tip of his left index finger. Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters, "[Murphy's] got, whatever you want to call it in that finger, an avulsion fracture, mallet finger — there are a lot of terms."
Black's description is correct in that mallet finger is a type of an avulsion fracture. Mallet finger often occurs when an athlete strikes the tip of the finger on the ground or an object. The force causes one of the tendons in the finger to tear away from its anchor site, taking a fragment of bone with it. Following the injury, the distal end of the finger is unable to straighten and must be stabilized and splinted.
While non-surgical treatment is preferred, surgery may be warranted if the fracture is substantial or the bones become displaced. Murphy will visit with a hand specialist in the coming days to determine the final course of action, but a six-week absence seems likely, regardless of the treatment plan.
Check Swings
Clayton Kershaw: The Dodgers ace will make a minor league start Thursday and is expected to throw four to five innings. Kershaw has been limited since late February due to lingering discomfort in his shoulder. The length of the rehab assignment will depend on how the former Cy Young winner feels after his first outing. Kershaw remains a risky investment with substantial upside.
Rich Hill: Another Dodgers starter is making progress in his attempted return from injury as Hill is scheduled to throw a bullpen session sometime in the near future. Hill is on the IL with a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee. The MCL is a primary knee stabilizer, especially during side-to-side movements. As a result, a stable MCL on the plate leg is critical to effective pitch delivery. Look for Hill to miss at least one more week recovering.
David Price: It appears the illness plaguing Price will only delay his first start of the season and not prevent him from starting during Boston's first trip through the rotation. Price will start Monday and look to bolster a starting staff that posted a 13.20 ERA through the first four outings of the season.
Miguel Sano: Sano has shed the walking boot on his injured right foot and resumed throwing. The Minnesota third baseman has been sidelined since undergoing a debridement on his injured right heel in early March. The procedure was needed to clean up a wound in the area suffered in late January. The laceration was not healing appropriately so the team opted to be more aggressive in their approach to insure his long-term health. He will spend the next few weeks progressively increasing his workload to get back to top physical form. The team hopes he can begin a minor league assignment by mid-April with an early May return a real possibility. With the root of his problem gone, Sano should be fine once he shakes of any lingering rust. Utility man Marwin Gonzalez will remain a serviceable fill-in until Sano is back in the lineup.
