This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
"BASEBALL STUFF!" – Max Reede from the film Liar Liar
Every spring my friends and I celebrate the start of a new MLB season with this obscure quote from the 1997 Jim Carrey comedy. It's short, to the point and encapsulates exactly how I felt as I sat down at my keyboard to hammer out the first injury column of the year. (Un)fortunately, there are plenty of new injuries to discuss as we approach Opening Day.
The Guardians will be without their 25-year-old right hander to start the season. McKenzie was diagnosed with a muscle strain in his throwing arm. The exact muscle strained is the teres major, one of multiple muscles attached to both the scapula (shoulder blade) and the humerus (upper arm bone). The teres major sits atop the superior portion of the latissimus dorsi and is active in multiple motions of the shoulder, including internal rotation. Furthermore, the teres major acts as a stabilizer of the shoulder, making it crucial in fluid pitching mechanics.
The teres major is active during the final stages of the cocking phase, as well as the acceleration phase and follow through, meaning it plays an integral part in generating pitch velocity. Multiple pitchers, including Jose Leclerc, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger, have dealt with the injury in recent seasons.
Historically, players to sustain a teres major injuries miss roughly 11 weeks recovering, with current Giants pitcher Anthony DeSclafani the notable exception. DeSclafani was back in action less than
"BASEBALL STUFF!" – Max Reede from the film Liar Liar
Every spring my friends and I celebrate the start of a new MLB season with this obscure quote from the 1997 Jim Carrey comedy. It's short, to the point and encapsulates exactly how I felt as I sat down at my keyboard to hammer out the first injury column of the year. (Un)fortunately, there are plenty of new injuries to discuss as we approach Opening Day.
The Guardians will be without their 25-year-old right hander to start the season. McKenzie was diagnosed with a muscle strain in his throwing arm. The exact muscle strained is the teres major, one of multiple muscles attached to both the scapula (shoulder blade) and the humerus (upper arm bone). The teres major sits atop the superior portion of the latissimus dorsi and is active in multiple motions of the shoulder, including internal rotation. Furthermore, the teres major acts as a stabilizer of the shoulder, making it crucial in fluid pitching mechanics.
The teres major is active during the final stages of the cocking phase, as well as the acceleration phase and follow through, meaning it plays an integral part in generating pitch velocity. Multiple pitchers, including Jose Leclerc, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger, have dealt with the injury in recent seasons.
Historically, players to sustain a teres major injuries miss roughly 11 weeks recovering, with current Giants pitcher Anthony DeSclafani the notable exception. DeSclafani was back in action less than two weeks following his strain, but it is likely he sustained a low-grade injury. Most of the examined cases were at least a moderate or Grade 2 strain, including both Kluber and Leclerc. The Guardians did not reveal the severity of McKenzie's strain but did reveal he will not throw for at least two weeks and could be out for as many as eight weeks. Fantasy managers should prepare for a possible return to come on the latter end of the estimated window and shouldn't be surprised if his absence lasts a few weeks longer.
A broken toe will force the Padres right-hander to start the season on the injured list. It was initially believed he would miss two regular season starts, and he remains on track to meet that estimate. He has been able to throw and completed a simulated game last week. He hopes to return by April 16. The big toe may seem like a relatively inconsequential digit, but it absorbs nearly half of the body's weight and is vital in generating force in the lower extremities. Fortunately, bone tissue is one of the more resilient tissues of the body and is capable of returning to its pre-injury strength. Stay patient here and hope Musgrove can continue to progress as planned.
The Braves right-hander will start the season on the IL due to right shoulder inflammation. Wright's absence is more an issue of scheduling than injury. He first reported the inflammation in January and received a cortisone (anti-inflammatory) injection at the time. The time needed to recover following the shot altered his offseason routine. Instead of rushing his recovery, Atlanta is taking the conversative approach and providing him more time to get back on track. The decision may be frustrating for those invested in Wright, but a few missed starts on the front end is way better than a lost season due to an injury that could have been avoided. The team is optimistic Wright will return following two trips through the rotation.
Atlanta is taking a similar approach with reliever Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias was diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation and will also begin the year on the IL. Manager Brian Snitker hopes Iglesias will be activated following the 15-day minimum. As a result, A.J. Minter should start the year as Atlanta's closer.
Check Swings
Jose Altuve: The broken thumb Altuve sustained in the World Baseball Classic required surgery to stabilize, and the Houston second baseman is expected to miss at least two months. There is a chance the team could place Altuve on the 60-day IL to make room on the roster. If the team goes through with that decision, it will eliminate any chance of a quicker than anticipated return. A June return remains the most likely possibility here.
Jazz Chisholm: Injuries were the only thing that seemed to slow Chisholm down last season. Fortunately, his back and knee have been nonissues in Spring Training. He did miss a pair of games with cramping in his arm, though this appears to be a minor issue. However, cramps shouldn't be completely ignored. Occasionally a muscle can be strained if the episodic spasms associated with the occurrence are particularly strong. Miami has given no indication that is the case with Chisholm, but I'll be monitoring his status, especially with his shift from shortstop to center field.
Wander Franco: The Rays were proactive in their management of Franco's reported quadriceps soreness, removing him from action for precautionary purposes over the weekend. An MRI failed to undercover anything significant, and the 22-year-old shortstop was able to take swings in the cage on Monday. He appears on track to play Thursday when Tampa Bay kicks off the season against Detroit.
Juan Soto: I'll be keeping a close eye on the participants in the WBC to see if any of these players report early season soft tissue sprains or strains. The workload wasn't overly grueling, but it did prevent multiple All-Star caliber players from participating in a "normal" spring. Along those lines, Soto appears fine despite suffering a very mild oblique strain after returning from the WBC. He has progressed smoothly and declared himself ready to go for Opening Day. He remains a top-10 fantasy option.
Seiya Suzuki: The Cubs outfielder continues to advance through the team's rehab protocol as he recovers from an oblique strain of his own. He's participated in batting practice, though the team has strategically held him out of Cactus League play. As a result, his IL stint can be backdated, and a return after six missed games is possible. The injury doesn't look as though it will have as big of an impact on his draft day value as initially expected, though I would anticipate some early-season struggles due to an altered ramp up toward the season.
