Here is the Fantrax Injury Report for Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
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Christian Walker – 1B Arizona Diamondbacks
Torey said Walker (who was hit just above the hip, not on the leg) would have finished the game if it was the regular season. Removing him was precautionary. https://t.co/a9Lxkm9LCg
— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) March 13, 2023
After clarification on where he was hit, it turns out Walker’s removal from the game was merely precautionary. He’s DTD with a bruise, but he seems to have avoided anything serious.
Justin Turner – 3B Boston Red Sox
Justin Turner had another day of baseball activities and said he's doing well. There's no timetable but it doesn't seem unreasonable to think he will get back in a game later this week
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 13, 2023
Fantastic news, as his plan for being ready for Opening Day, may in fact come to fruition. Considering where he was about a week ago, this is tremendously fast and promising.
Connor Wong – C Boston Red Sox
Connor Wong is catching Kluber’s side, by the way, so his hamstring appears to be better
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) March 13, 2023
Wong looks to be all but ready to compete for the lion’s share of at-bats as the Red Sox catcher.
James Paxton – SP Boston Red Sox
James Paxton (hamstring) playing catch again today. Getting closer to getting back on the mound.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 13, 2023
This is now more than once where he’s played catch, but he still needs to ramp things up before throwing to live batters. Mound work will be the logical next step, but there has been no announcement as to when or if that is a consideration.
Graham Ashcraft – SP Cincinnati Reds
Before he left today’s game with a cramp, Graham Ashcraft was electric. One at-bat from Chris Taylor showed how much Ashcraft's slider has improved.
“Things are starting to click. It’s nice to see (100 mph) back. I’m right where I need to be.”https://t.co/UklHyv588V
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) March 12, 2023
Very interesting to note here that Ashcraft was hitting triple digits with his velocity before exiting early. He’ll look to keep that momentum going once he returns.
Lance McCullers Jr. – SP Houston Astros
Lance McCullers Jr. played catch again today, Dusty Baker said.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 13, 2023
This is the second throwing session for McCullers in three days, though Baker didn’t extrapolate how long he threw or with what intensity. Still, this is a sign that’s pointing in the right direction. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to see him return to the Astros by the end of April.
Michael Brantley – OF Houston Astros
Michael Brantley is back in Astros camp today. Dusty Baker said he wasn’t able to do much baseball activity while he was away. Baker said it “will be close” to whether Brantley will be ready for opening day.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 13, 2023
Brantley was away from the team with a family issue. Having him back is great news as he’s aiming to start the season healthy. Until he’s ready, Chas McCormick will likely be the left fielder for Houston.
Garrett Mitchell – OF Milwaukee Brewers, Aaron Ashby – SP/RP Milwaukee Brewers
Injury updates:
* Aaron Ashby is six weeks removed from his PRP injection and is on track to start playing catch on Wednesday.
* Garrett Mitchell has started running after right hamstring tightness, but likely won’t appear in games until the weekend.— Sophia Minnaert (@SophiaMinnaert) March 13, 2023
The update on Mitchell is that he now has a more definitive timeline for an attempted return. It’s a little discouraging though, as that’s still a ways away. As for Ashby, this is the first real news regarding him in a while. The team would be wise to take things slowly with him. It’s unclear if he is a part of their rotation plans or bullpen plans.
Alex Kirilloff – 1B/OF Minnesota Twins
Backfields are the place to be right now, where Kenta Maeda is throwing live against Byron Buxton, Nick Gordon, Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff (pictured) pic.twitter.com/A68D3wqxVK
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 13, 2023
While it’s encouraging to see him take some swings, the reports are also that he may start the year on the Injured List. Kirilloff is behind schedule, albeit slightly, and the Twins don’t want to rush him back. It will take time for him to adjust to the new feeling, but reports yesterday stated that he hit some balls quite well.
Nick Gordon – 2B/OF Minnesota Twins, Jose Miranda – 1B/3B Minnesota Twins
Nick Gordon (recovering from high ankle sprain) taking ground balls on the back fields. José Miranda (shoulder) is also taking ground balls at third base but not yet throwing across the diamond. pic.twitter.com/dzWIiydgBv
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 13, 2023
The updates are great in that both players are getting closer to being 100% ready for the season. The Twins will need Gordon and Miranda to play all over the field if they’re going to succeed this season.
Drew Pomeranz – RP San Diego Padres, Adrian Morejon – RP San Diego Padres, Luis Campusano – C San Diego Padres
A few health updates:
Drew Pomeranz is slated for a sim game Thursday, perhaps the last step before his Cactus League debut.
Adrian Morejon, who exited Sunday with discomfort above his elbow, is set for an MRI this week.
Luis Campusano (hammy) expected to return Wednesday.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) March 13, 2023
Big update here for three Padres players. Pomeranz has taken the slow road back to recovery, so Thursday is a big day for him. Morejon had just returned last season from Tommy John surgery, so missing additional time would be disheartening. Great news on the Campusano front as he looks to back up and possibly overtake Austin Nola this season.
Isan Diaz – SS San Fransisco Giants
Isan Diaz came out with slight hamstring tightness he says.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 13, 2023
Diaz was vying for a spot on the team due to how banged up the infield is right now. He’s DTD until otherwise noted.
Brandon Crawford – SS San Francisco Giants
Giants say Brandon Crawford has some left knee discomfort, will not do baseball work for a week. He doesn’t really need much spring training but there’s also not a lot behind him on depth chart.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) March 13, 2023
With the aforementioned Isan Diaz hurting, this poses a conundrum for the Giants as they try to simply field a team. The hope is that he will be ready for Opening Day.
David Villar – 2B/3B San Francisco Giants
David Villar had an MRI that revealed a minor hip flexor strain, per #SFGiants. He remains out but will be re-evaluated daily.
— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) March 13, 2023
The good news is that he’s DTD with this ailment and will be tested daily. The hope is that he will be back shortly.
JP Crawford – SS Seattle Mariners
JP Crawford dealing with a "soggy shoulder." Has been taking BP, expected to DH tomorrow. Not serious, just that time of spring training. On that note, Servais has scheduled a light day today for all.
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) March 13, 2023
Crawford will look to shake this off and get back to it soon.
Vladimmir Guerrero Jr. – 1B Toronto Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. should be fine to return to the lineup in a few days after his base-running went well. Sounds like the knee worry is just about behind the #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 13, 2023
Expect him back in the lineup by the end of the week. Great news regarding the seriousness of his knee injury. Fantasy owners can and should continue to draft him with confidence.
Victor Robles – OF Washington Nationals
Victor Robles is going to participate in all baseball activities today. If he feels good, Dave Martinez said he could start tomorrow.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) March 13, 2023
Robles looks to be ready to return and be the everyday center fielder for the Nationals.
Are you buying in on Tyler’s favorite bounce-back players? For more great analysis check out the 2023 FantraxHQ Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit!