MLB Infirmary Report: Week 4

This slugger is the heartbeat of the Detroit Tigers. He is arguably one of the purest and most feared hitters of all time. Coming up at age 19, he blasted onto the scene and has never looked back. Unfortunately, he was dealing with back stiffness and now has a grade one or two groin strain. It’s unclear how he suffered the injury which makes it tough to gauge. They’re saying that he’s expected to be back within the next seven days at the latest and is progressing well. Groin and hamstring injuries are not injuries to rush back from.

2) Joc Pederson- Los Angeles Dodgers

Joc endured his injury trying to beat out a ground ball for a single in Sunday’s game and they’re saying the injury doesn’t appear to be serious. It couldn’t come at a worse time; not only for himself but also for the Dodgers. Defensively, he covers a ton of ground and also hits the ball with power. The pressure has been on him not only because of the lack of opportunities against lefties, but also because of the platooning with Trayce Thompson and Kike Hernandez. In addition, the top prospect of Cody Bellinger being called up and a Puig being a possible move to center field puts a lot of playing time into question. Don’t be surprised if you see multiple moves by the Dodgers towards the trade deadline.

3) Aaron Nola- Philadelphia Phillies

One of the many power pitchers for the Phillies has brought high hopes to their fans for the future and it almost took a turn for the worse. Nola felt soreness in Thursday’s start against the Mets which created some concern in the front office. His side session didn’t go well, as he still had discomfort and had to be shut down. He’s only expected to miss one or two starts which is good news. With a team in rebuild mode, the last thing you want to see is witnessing one of your stud arms miss out on experience and learning curves; especially from a guy that struck out 121 batters in 116 innings last year.

He is on the shelf after pulling his hamstring earlier this season. He went from throwing a few side sessions off the mound to long toss and is set to throw a simulated game on Wednesday. So far so good for the right hander. The Rays starting staff has struggled to go deep into games early on in this season. He’s not known to be a pitcher that boasts a heavy strikeout rate. Furthermore, he has no complete games under his belt, and is a pitcher that induces a heavy ground ball rate. This makes him effective for a team that plays in a hitter friendly AL East. He’s just as valuable as any starter on this staff.

 

5) Chris Tillman- Baltimore Orioles

 

What’s better than having the best record in the American League at 13-5? Having your ace come back from injury! The shoulder injury early on in spring training caused a level of concern in a very wavering Orioles starting staff. They’ve always been a team with high prospects and strong arms, but essentially haven’t panned out. However, Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy have shown to not only be capable to get deep into games, but also posses an arsenal with a number of “out” pitches which allows them to rack up strikeouts. However, Tillman has been a multiple game winner in a division full of stacked lineups. Winning 16 games with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP last year are very respectable and could be back in top starter form with complimentary numbers.