close
close

Nine MLB prospects most plagued by injuries

play

The fight for the playoffs has become a tedious battle of attrition.

It's late August, and the landscape of Major League Baseball is littered with the remnants of mediocrity. At halftime, a half-dozen teams seemed likely to win 100 games; now, by the end of September, that number could be zero.

Of course, there are plenty of excuses – many of them valid. MLB's injury list has been filled with star pitchers since the first week of the season, but as the season winds down, it's becoming clearer that some teams have been hit harder than others.

Now let’s take a look at the nine participants who are suffering the most from injuries – and the prognosis for better health as the season progresses:

1. Atlanta Braves

Gone forever: RH Spencer Strider (reconstructive elbow surgery, April 13); OF Ronald Acuña Jr. (torn right anterior cruciate ligament, May 26); LHP AJ Minter (hip surgery, Aug. 13)

It's been a while: 2B Ozzie Albies (left wrist fracture, July 21, out until mid-September); 3B Austin Riley (right hand fracture, Aug. 19, out for remainder of regular season).

Short-term pain: OF Jorge Soler (thigh, day to day); C Travis d'Arnaud (wrist, day to day).

outlook: They were the locker room leaders in that category after Strider and Acuña went down, and then Albies and Riley's fractures decimated the lineup even further. The good news: Pitchers Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez are back from the injured list. The bad news: They're only two games out of the final wild-card spot. Buckle up.

2. Baltimore Orioles

Gone forever: INF Jorge Mateo (elbow, July 24); RH Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery, June 19); RH Tyler Wells (elbow reconstruction surgery, June 17); LH John Means (Tommy John surgery, June 13); RH Felix Bautista (Tommy John surgery, October 2023).

It's been a while: RH Zach Eflin (shoulder inflammation, August 20, out until September); RH Grayson Rodriguez (mild right latissimus strain, August 10, out until September); INF Jordan Westburg (right hand fracture, July 31, out until September); LH Danny Coulombe (elbow surgery, June 19, out until mid-September); OF Heston Kjerstad (concussion, August 7, out indefinitely)

Short-term pain: RH Jacob Webb (elbow inflammation, August 7).

outlook: They brought in Corbin Burnes to reinforce the rotation. They traded Eflin and Trevor Rogers to replace the season-long absences of Bradish, Means and Wells. And then Eflin and fellow right-hander Grayson Rodriguez went on the injured list in rapid succession. Their September injury reports will have the biggest impact on the AL championship hunt: The well-being of their two right-handed aces, Westburg and Coulombe, could make the difference between them slugging their way into the playoffs or looking like World Series favorites.

3. Houston Astros

Gone forever: RH Cristian Javier (Tommy John surgery, June 16); RH Jose Urquidy (Tommy John surgery, June 7); RH JP France (shoulder surgery, July 2); RH Luis Garcia (recovery from Tommy John); RH Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm).

It's been a while: OF Kyle Tucker (right tibia contusion, June 7, out until at least September); RH Kendall Graveman (shoulder surgery, January, possible return in late September).

Short-term pain: RH Ryan Pressly (lower back strain, August 14, expected back next week).

outlook: Now that Justin Verlander is back, it's easy to forget that Houston put almost a whole bunch of hitters on ice before the summer. But Tucker's return from a shin injury is the most vexing and perhaps the most impactful. It now seems likely that his recovery from a shin injury will take three months, and the Astros would be happy if the MVP-capable hitter had enough time to get back up to speed by the postseason.

4. New York Yankees

Gone forever: RH Jonathan Loaisiga (Tommy John surgery, April 6)

It's been a while: RH Clarke Schmidt (right latissimus strain, May 31, out until September); INF/OF Jazz Chisholm (left elbow ligament tear, Aug. 14, out at least another week); RHP Ian Hamilton (right latissimus strain, June 18, out until next week); 1B Anthony Rizzo (right forearm fracture, June 18, out indefinitely)

Short-term pain: RH Luis Gil (lower back strain, August 20, out at least until September 5)

outlook: The rotation will have to make do without Schmidt, largely due to the return of Gerrit Cole and the ability of Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman to largely keep the wheels on the road. However, the club's division and playoff hopes would be boosted significantly if Schmidt can both complete his return from a lat injury and largely regain the form that led to a 2.52 ERA. Chisholm's injury was a major blow after he made an immediate impact after the trade deadline, but he should be able to return to the lineup in September.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers

Gone forever: RH River Ryan (Tommy John surgery, August 13); RH Dustin May (esophageal surgery, July 13); RH Emmet Sheehan (reconstructive elbow surgery, May 16); RH Tony Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery, February 9).

It's been a while: RH Yoshinobu Yamamoto (shoulder, triceps, June 16, out until September)

Short-term pain: RH Tyler Glasnow (elbow tendinitis, Aug. 19, expected back Sept. 1); RH Blake Treinen (hip, Aug. 5, expected back this week); INF/OF Chris Taylor (left groin strain, July 25, expected back this week); C Austin Barnes (toe, Aug. 19, expected back Aug. 30).

outlook: A dismal year for the young players in the organization. Season-ending losses aside, all eyes are on the return of Glasnow — who is taking his second IL break of the second half after his odometer reached 134 innings, 14 over his career high — and Yamamoto. The $325 million import was scheduled to play a simulated two-inning game leading up to a rehab assignment that begins sometime next week — just as the calendar turns to September.

6. Milwaukee Brewers

Gone forever: OF Christian Yelich (back surgery, July 25); RH Brandon Woodruff (shoulder, March 24); LH Wade Miley (reconstructive elbow surgery, May 7); LH Robert Gasser (Tommy John surgery, June 26).

Out for a while: RH Enoli Paredes (forearm tendinitis, July 3, out until September); LH Hoby Milner (shoulder impingement, August 11, out until September).

Short-term pain: OF Blake Perkins (right calf strain, Aug. 12, expected back this week).

outlook: Yelich's loss is brutal because his .909 OPS (151 adjusted) was his most productive season since his 2019 MVP runner-up finish. The pitching staff has been plagued by injuries, but the Brewers always have a few dozen pitchers they can fall back on and find innings. And now they have an 11 ½-game lead in the NL Central to play with.

7. Minnesota Twins

Gone forever: RH Joe Ryan (teres major shoulder strain, Aug. 9); RH Brock Stewart (shoulder surgery, July 31); RH Anthony Desclafani (flexor tendon surgery).

It's been a while: SS Carlos Correa (heel, July 20, out until September); OF Alex Kiriloff (back, ankle, June 18, out until September); RH Chris Paddack (forearm strain, July 14, out until at least the end of September).

Short-term pain: CF Byron Buxton (right hip inflammation, August 13, expected back this weekend); INF Brooks Lee (right biceps tendon inflammation, expected back next week).

Outlook: They have quietly rebounded without Correa, winning 11 of 19 games this month to keep the pressure on first-place Cleveland. But the loss of Ryan – he has a slim but unlikely chance of returning for the playoffs – could have the bigger impact on their postseason outcome. Paddack could have a window of opportunity to return as a playoff reliever, as he did last year.

8. San Diego Padres

It's been a while: RF Fernando Tatis Jr. (right quadriceps, June 24, out until at least mid-September); RH Yu Darvish (suspended list, groin, elbow, May 29, uncertain return); LH Wandy Peralta (left hamstring strain, July 12, expected return in September)

Short-term pain: SS Ha-Seong Kim (inflammation of the right shoulder, August 19, expected to return in September)

outlook: It almost seems silly to include them on this list, given that they are the best players in the major leagues at 22-6 since the All-Star break. Still, it's scary to consider that all of this has come about without Tatis and Darvish. There is no timetable yet for Tatis' return, as he is gradually adding activity after returning from a hamstring strain; his addition would deal a major blow to the lineup, almost going from 1 to 9. Darvish has reportedly pitched during his time on the restricted list, but the chances of a return are unknown.

9. Arizona Diamondbacks

Gone forever: LH Kyle Nelson (Thoracic Outlet Surgery)

It's been a while: 1B Christian Walker (oblique muscle, July 30, expected back in September), C Gabriel Moreno (left adductor muscle strain, Aug. 6, out until end of September).

Short-term pain: 2B Ketel Marte (ankle sprain, August 19, expected to return in September).

outlook: The only good thing about Walker's injury is that it happened just hours before the trade deadline, allowing them to sign veteran Josh Bell, who has contributed four home runs and has a solid .769 OPS. It also gives Walker the luxury of not coming back so quickly from his oblique muscle strain, one of the game's more vexing ailments.

Get to the heart of the news quickly with the USA TODAY app. Download award-winning reporting, crossword puzzles, audio storytelling, eNewspapers and more.

You may also like...