Here is the Fantrax MLB Prospect Injury Report for Tuesday, September 5, 2023. In this edition, some big-name prospects have recently gone down to injury. For instance, Dylan Crews got hit in the head with an errant pitch, while Ethan Salas left a game with knee irritation. Both are ranked within the Top Five of all prospects, according to MLB, and any serious ailment should be considered a major blow. There’s also some news regarding the returns of both Ben Brown and Ben Joyce, and much more in the MLB Prospect Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Prospect Injury Report
Ben Brown – P Chicago Cubs
Ben Brown goes strikeout, strikeout, double, line out in his return. Numbers below (tho remember the algo is wrong – slider is curveball, cutter is slider).
Fastball was 94.9-96.6, breakers played well. Good first step back. pic.twitter.com/nrOp3ZovHq
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) September 4, 2023
Brown returned to action yesterday after an extended absence from an oblique injury. His time away from the team was more precautionary than anything, as the Cubs didn’t want anything more to happen. In his first game back on the mound, Brown flashed the velocity on that fastball that makes him a special prospect. There is a chance that he will make his Major League debut at some point in September, either through injury or simply because it is time. Brown is baseball’s 88th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Noah Schultz – P Chicago White Sox
Per White Sox, 2022 first-rounder Noah Schultz was scratched from his start w Kannapolis today and placed on the IL with shoulder impingement.
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) August 20, 2023
Schultz went on the Injured List two weeks ago with this injury. It’s somewhat concerning, that he only pitches 27 innings of professional ball this season and a total of 46.1 innings pitches over the past two seasons. The team doesn’t believe that there is any significant, long-term damage, but they would be wise to take things slowly here. The organization as a whole doesn’t have a lot of depth with top-tier talent, and Schultz stands out as one of their best. At only age 20, he has next season to think about, though he may get in some extra time in the Arizona Fall League, should he be available to do so. Schultz is baseball’s 66th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Ben Joyce – P Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels Ben Joyce 8/30/23 one inning of rehab vs the Chicago Cubs in Arizona Bridge League. Allowed a hit, that runner cut down on a steal attempt, faced 3 batters. pic.twitter.com/nAJnzeAsm4
— TheJerryEspinoza (@JEspinoza1634) August 30, 2023
This was the first real action for Joyce since he went on the Injured List back on June 10. He had progressed to playing catch but had only thrown off the mound once throughout all of July. News on his rehab has been sparse, but it’s refreshing to see him actually pitching in a rehab game. While he is likely to remain on the Injured List for the remainder of the 2023 season, he should be on fantasy radars for next season due to his high-strikeout potential. Joyce is the Angels’ seventh-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Sixto Sanchez – P Miami Marlins
— Trevor Rogers started playing catch in Jupiter.
— Sixto Sánchez will have a 20-pitch live BP session in Jupiter tomorrow.— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) August 25, 2023
Sanchez has been up and down the ladder with regard to what he’s been able to do while rehabbing. He had reached this plateau back in May when he similarly threw a 20-pitch live bullpen session but then suffered a setback. He then restarted the process after being shut down. Essentially, Sanchez has been down this road before, so throwing this bullpen session is nothing new. If he can push himself further and remain healthy, then he will be further along than he’s been in quite some time. He last pitched in a game in the NLDS of 2020 and has been on the sidelines ever since. Sanchez is an unranked prospect within the Marlins’ organization but was ranked as high as 11th as recently as this summer, according to MLB.
Jacob Misiorowski – P Milwaukee Brewers
Misiorowski has shot up the rankings this season after dominating the minor leagues this summer. Over a stretch of 22 innings in five games during June and July, the 21-year-old gave up just one run and eight walks while striking out 29 batters. He has since cooled off but remains one of the most promising arms in the game, and the Brewers don’t want to jeopardize this year’s growth. They admitted that the shutdown was out of an abundance of caution and their ability to recognize his workload this year, which is sitting at 71.1 innings pitched. The team did some testing and there was no structural damage determined here. No need to panic, just a pause button for the future. Misiorowski is baseball’s 37th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Ethan Salas – C San Diego Padres
This is the first and only piece of news regarding this new injury, but it has the possibility of being a significant one. Salas has sky-rocketed through the minor leagues this season, bolting through Single-A and High-A before his promotion to his current level of Double-A. It’s been a very aggressive year for the Padres who are pushing through a player with a ton of potential so quickly. At only seventeen years of age, he is by far the youngest player to be in Double-A right now, where the average age in his Texas League is 24 years. Furthermore, he is the youngest promoted player of the last 40 years, so the franchise can afford to decelerate here and give Salas’ body a chance to heal. Salas is baseball’s 5th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Dylan Crews – OF Washington Nationals
Mike Rizzo on @1067thefan with @JunksRadio:
Dylan Crews was taken out of the game as a precaution last night after being hit by a breaking ball in the back of the helmet. He will be further evaluated today and Rizzo hopes he’s back playing again soon.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 30, 2023
Crews got hit in the by an errand pitch, and as such, he was removed from that game for precautionary reasons. For now, it would seem that he has avoided a concussion, but more details have yet to be released. The hope is that he can return to the Double-A Harrisburg and finish off what would be a successful first season of professional ball, which saw him rise up three levels of Washington’s development. Crews is baseball’s 4th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.