This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
Woodruff was placed on the injured list with an injury that was initially described as shoulder inflammation. However, manager Craig Counsell has since provided clarity to the situation revealing Woodruff's injury is a subscapularis strain.
The subscapularis is one of the four muscles that make up the muscle group known as the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff muscles anchor to the shoulder blade and surround the head of the upper arm bone, the humerus. This positioning allows it to assist in shoulder rotation and stabilization. Furthermore, each of the four muscles is active in various points throughout the phases of pitching.
The subscapularis is a bit unique as it is the only cuff muscle located on the front of the shoulder blade. It rotates the arm in a motion known as internal rotation, and stabilizes and controls movement of the humeral head. For pitchers, the subscapularis is crucial during the wind-up phase and studies have shown that the timing of its activation is important to avoiding shoulder pain and injuries. If the subscapularis is weakened following an injury, the shoulder becomes vulnerable to displacement and other significant injuries.
Multiple pitchers have sustained the injury, including Derek Holland, Mark Prior and Shane Bieber. While Milwaukee has yet to provide a possible timeframe for a return, the precedent set by these and other examples isn't encouraging for those invested in Woodruff. In recent seasons, players like Bieber, Corey Kluber and Justin Dunn not only ended up in the IL,
Woodruff was placed on the injured list with an injury that was initially described as shoulder inflammation. However, manager Craig Counsell has since provided clarity to the situation revealing Woodruff's injury is a subscapularis strain.
The subscapularis is one of the four muscles that make up the muscle group known as the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff muscles anchor to the shoulder blade and surround the head of the upper arm bone, the humerus. This positioning allows it to assist in shoulder rotation and stabilization. Furthermore, each of the four muscles is active in various points throughout the phases of pitching.
The subscapularis is a bit unique as it is the only cuff muscle located on the front of the shoulder blade. It rotates the arm in a motion known as internal rotation, and stabilizes and controls movement of the humeral head. For pitchers, the subscapularis is crucial during the wind-up phase and studies have shown that the timing of its activation is important to avoiding shoulder pain and injuries. If the subscapularis is weakened following an injury, the shoulder becomes vulnerable to displacement and other significant injuries.
Multiple pitchers have sustained the injury, including Derek Holland, Mark Prior and Shane Bieber. While Milwaukee has yet to provide a possible timeframe for a return, the precedent set by these and other examples isn't encouraging for those invested in Woodruff. In recent seasons, players like Bieber, Corey Kluber and Justin Dunn not only ended up in the IL, but were ultimately shifted to the 60-day IL. As a result, a quick bounce back for Woodruff seems unlikely. He is slated to meet with additional specialists in the coming days, but those who roster the right-hander should be looking for more than a stopgap replacement.
Last week I detailed how the often-injured Josh Donaldson would once again be sidelined with a lower extremity strain. Now, less than a week later, another Yankee player with a lengthy history of lower leg strains is set to miss substantial time after Stanton suffered a moderate hamstring strain. In addition to injuries to his left groin, quadriceps and Achilles, Stanton has made multiple trips to the IL after suffering injuries to his left hamstring, including a 37-day stint during the 2020 season. Now he's managing another strain that has been classified as a Grade 2 strain. A strain is given a Grade 2 designation if fibers of the muscle or tendon tore and is often referred to as a partial tear. The recovery process is lengthy and tenuous with aggravations or re-injury highly possible. If an aggravation does occur, it resets the body's natural healing response and additional time off is needed. As a result, a 4-to-6 week recovery window seems fair with a return on the latter end of the window a strong possibility.
The Rays expect Springs to miss at least two months after the lefty was diagnosed with ulnar neuritis. Neuritis simply means the ulnar nerve is inflamed. The ulnar nerve is important for pitching as it innervates multiple muscles of the forearm. It also provides sensation to half the ring finger and the entire pinkie, which is why Springs was seen shaking and examining that area of the hand before being removed from his last start. For clarity purposes, you likely have suffered a mild ulnar nerve injury if you have ever bumped your "funny bone" and experienced the associated tingling and numbness. Pinpointing the reason for the inflammation will be key for his long-term health and may be the reason for the anticipated lengthy absence. Look for more details to emerge over the next few weeks, but don't expect him back before July.
Check Swings
Max Fried: The Braves left-hander will return to the mound on Monday. He has not played since suffering a mild hamstring strain on Opening Day. Fried did not require a rehab stint but may be on a strict pitch limit as he works his way back, putting a possible ceiling on his value for the next start of two. He will also carry an elevated degree of injury risk in the short-term but should be utilized as usual.
Jordan Romano: The Blue Jays reliever was diagnosed with a right rib contusion after being struck by a Wander Franco comebacker. Initial x-rays on the area were negative, but I would tread cautiously here for the next week. Rib fractures can often not show up on the early images but will appear once healing has occurred. Look for Romano to sit at least a game or two as he manages the pain and return to the mound once the accompanying symptoms dissipate.
Max Scherzer: After the veteran right-hander reported soreness in his mid-back, the Mets opted to push Scherzer's next start back to Wednesday. The issue is something Scherzer has dealt with at various points of his career, and it appears the move is precautionary. The team could monitor his workload over his next few starts but for now it appears he will avoid an extended absence.
Corey Seager: Stanton wasn't the only player to suffer a Grade 2 hamstring strain as the Rangers shortstop suffered the injury early last week. Like Stanton, Seager also has a history of hamstring strains, having previously missed 28 days during the 2019 season with a strain on this same leg. Texas is preparing for a multi-week absence with Josh Smith filling in at shortstop. Smith has struggled since taking, over going 1-for-11 with five strikeouts. Ezequiel Duran started on Sunday, but didn't fare much better, finishing 0-for-4.
Will Smith: The Dodgers catcher was placed on the 7-day concussion IL over the weekend. Studies have shown the catcher position is the position most prone to suffering concussions, though Smith does not appear to have a lengthy history involving the head injury. Smith will return when he is symptom free and completes the league's mandated return to play protocol. Austin Barnes will fill in behind the plate for the foreseeable future.
