The big news this week is that two very good, young players are being recommended for Tommy John surgery. The question that was posed to me was, “Who is this Tommy John and why does he have a surgery named after him?”
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This is a surgery that is done for ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction and was first performed in 1974 by orthopedic surgeon Frank Jobe, a Los Angeles Dodgers team physician who served as a special advisor to the team until his death in 2014. It is named after the first baseball player to undergo the surgery, major league pitcher Tommy John, whose record of 288 career victories ranks seventh all-time among left-handed pitchers.
MLB News for September 10
Kopech to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss 2019 season
The Chicago White Sox announced Friday that rookie starter Michael Kopech needs Tommy John surgery. Kopech has electrifying stuff and outstanding velocity but has only made four big league starts since debuting on August 21. In that brief time, there have been ups and downs, but his 15/2 K/BB ratio suggests that all of the promise he showed as a triple-digit-throwing minor leaguer was well-founded. Kopech is looking to get a second opinion but his biggest value for fantasy comes for leagues that can keep him until he returns in 2020.
Shohei Ohtani has a new elbow problem but still hitting
After struggling in his return outing last Sunday, Angels P/DH Shohei Ohtani underwent an MRI and learned that he sustained new damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Tommy John surgery has been recommended. Last Wednesday, Ohtani was hitting in the DH slot just hours after learning of the injury and promptly hit two home runs against the Texas Rangers. Ohtani says he plans to finish this season as the team’s designated hitter (providing he “survived” Saturday’s collision at home plate) and hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll have Tommy John surgery. This is something that fantasy owners will have to monitor as there are many scenarios that could come about when the two-way star decides on surgery.
Gregory Polanco to miss rest of the season
Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco will miss the remainder of the season after suffering injuries to his left knee and left shoulder last Friday. The Pirates announced Saturday that Polanco has a significant bone bruise in his left knee, an injury that requires at least six weeks of rest. Polanco will be sorely missed by fantasy owners as he batted .254 with a career-best 23 home runs and 81 RBIs in 130 games this season, his fifth with the Pirates. Fantasy owners may want to consider adding Hunter Renfroe, Mallex Smith, or Trey Mancini, who are are available in at least 50% of leagues. Also consider Victor Robles, a top prospect for the Nationals who was recently called up.
Aaron Judge making progress in injury rehab
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who has been out for the past six weeks because of a broken right wrist, took batting practice Friday at Safeco Field in Seattle. Judge also took swings off a tee and some soft toss in interior cages earlier this week during New York’s three-game series against the A’s. The Yankees have said that Judge may take some batting practice mid-week, and could play a rehab game or two with Triple-A Scranton, who is starting a playoff series on Tuesday. Both the Yankees and fantasy owners will be happy to have him back.
Tigers recall top prospect
The Tigers have brought up top outfield prospect Christin Stewart. He is the club’s highest-rated position player prospect and was promoted to Triple-A Toledo at the start of the 2018 season and batted .264/.364/.480 with 23 home runs and a .844 OPS through 522 plate appearances. In addition to keeper type leagues, Stewart makes an interesting possibility down the stretch for fantasy owners as the Tigers look to see how this young prospect handles major league pitching.
Tigers add 3 new players, including prospect Christin Stewart https://t.co/Zrm5PqhBcM
— MLive (@MLive) September 9, 2018
Thor gets drilled in the ribs
The Mets and fantasy owners got a scare when Noah Syndergaard was drilled in the lower part of his right rib cage by a line drive in the seventh inning last Saturday against the Phillies. X-rays were negative and Syndergaard said he doesn’t expect it to impact his next start, but fantasy owners need to monitor this news to see when he will make his next start.
Noah Syndergaard leaves game after getting hit with liner https://t.co/ycIBlFHY9i via @johnaub44 #fantasybaseball
— FantasyPros (@FantasyProsMLB) September 9, 2018
Jose Abreu to return from a testicular torsion issue.
Fantasy owners who have had to bench White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu after being out for surgery may get the slugger back this week. Abreu had been hitting .272/.331/.491 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI before needing the surgery to repair the testicular torsion issue.
Corey Knebel gets a save Sunday, may be in line for more
After struggling for most of the year, Brewers relief pitcher Corey Knebel recorded his 15th save of the season on Sunday afternoon against the Giants. Since his return from a demotion to Triple-A, Knebel has pitched very well and manager Craig Counsell seems ready to use him in important situations. Fantasy owners looking for saves may want to consider him as should at least share some saves with Jeremy Jeffress.
Keep up with all the latest Fantasy Baseball happenings with Van Lee, Jeff Zimmerman, and Rob Silver on the Launch Angle Podcast.