Ambulance Chasers: Kicked In The O’Hoppes

Happy Almost Father’s Day to those Razzpals who celebrate!

And to those who don’t, enjoy a nice weekend not celebrating dads.

Speaking of dads, I went on a trip with mine last week and had no service for a week. So, I am sorry I did not respond to many comments in a timely fashion. I got even crazier by not even writing last week’s Ambulance Chasers. I understand it is probably the most integral series on this site that everyone’s success hinges on. So, I am back and dutifully yours again.

I am playing a little catch-up on what I missed last week. So, some of the notable injuries are a bit of “old news” with updates.

Let’s get busy.

Notable Injuries

AL East

Alek Manoah (SP, TOR), elbow: The roller coaster that is Alek Manoah will be out for the rest of the season because of a strained UCL in his right elbow. Manoah will avoid Tommy John surgery by having an internal brace placed in his arm. This leaves the Blue Jays with Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Yusei Kikuchi, and Bowden Francis. Of those pitchers, Bowden Francis is likely the only one available in leagues. Francis has had an up-and-down season, but if you had Manoah you were in a similar boat anyway.

We made some nice friends along the way, didn’t we?

AL West

Yainer Díaz (C, HOU), finger: Díaz was, at the time of publication, questionable with right index finger soreness after being hit by a tipped foul. An MRI cleared any speculation of serious damage, but Houston still recalled César Salazar, which set off alarm bells for some people. Luckily, Yainer was back in the line-up yesterday.

Logan O’Hoppe (C, LAA), groin: O’Hoppe received a ball to the groin, and if we’re being more specific, to the balls or whatever your preferred terminology is. Anyway, his O’Hoppes have healed up, and he is back in action now. Phew!

If baseball is a called game, then what do we call these risks to one’s livelihood?

Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU), shin: Tucker initially sustained his shin contusion on June 4, and although, he’s showing signs of improvement, he was not ready to return yesterday, his first date of eligibility to return from the IL. He is not ruled out for the weekend per manager Joe Espada.

There’s a lot of movement over in Houston. Joey Loperfido was briefly called up to take Tucker’s spot. He was quickly sent back down (and isn’t eligible to return until June 21, which is pretty funny with Jose Abreu being released; Mauricio Dubón was slotted for 1B  yesterday). In terms of Tucker, the Astros turned to Trey Cabbage and Chas McCormick in right field in Tucker’s absence. Cabbage has a nice last 20 AB: .300/.300/.450 with 1 SB and 1 HR. McCormick was one of my pre-season bench picks, but he has struggled a bit this season.

Ty France (1B, SEA), heel: France suffered a right heel fracture on June 8. GM Justin Hollander said the Mariners don’t expect France to be out too much longer than 10 days on the IL. France will likely not be fully healed when he returns and may have a more limited role as he ramps up.

If you need someone to cover for France for now, check out White Sox Andrew Vaughn. In his last 29 AB, he has 3 HR and 7 RBIs.

Bryan Woo (SP, SEA), arm: Woo experienced some arm pain and was scratched on Tuesday, but an MRI of his right arm came back clean. He is expected to avoid the IL and return to the line-up next week. You might remember when Woo dealt with some elbow inflammation earlier this season. So, it is possible we’ll see some arm and elbow issues emerge through the rest of the season, but the Mariners spoke at length about managing Woo’s increasing load. For now, we can bask in the warm glow of Woo’s 1.07 ERA and 0.5 BB/9 in 33.7 IP.

If you need a temporary replacement, Hunter Brown of the Astros is another option. He has some control troubles (4 BB in his last 6 IP), but he has 10.5 K/9 in that same time frame.

NL East

J.T. Realmuto (C, PHI), knee: It’s a Real-poop-o for Realmuto’s right knee, which needed to be surgically repaired. Realmuto played with knee pain, which was eventually diagnosed as a torn meniscus, through May. Dave Dombrowski said Realmuto is expected to be out for a month. While the Phillies have depth at catcher, it’s not quality depth.

If you need a catcher, I am personally on the Jose Trevino (.333/.357/.533 in his last 15 AB) or Freddy Fermin (.313/.313/.500 in his last 16 AB) trains. Both should be available in your leagues.

The bad news is they both have pretty high BABIPs, but like me, you all probably love the Dolly Parton slots at the Vegas airport.

NL West

Brendan Rodgers (2B, COL),  hamstring: Rodgers strained his left hamstring last week while running to first base. Luckily, the strain is mild, and we could see Rodgers back before July. The Rockies called up Adael Amador to take Rodgers’ spot on the roster.

There are two 2B eligible options I can think of, both with downsides. One option is Whit Merrifield. Merrifield is only recently hot, but he’s had a low BABIP so far this season. Things are only looking up? Maybe? Another option is Donovan Solano. Solano has had a more consistent season with a slump kicking in now.

Injury Updates

Here are your lightning round injury updates.

If I missed someone or we had a status change after the time of publication, let’s chat in the comments!

• Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET), back: no timetable for return from lumbar spine stress fracture.
• Evan Carter (OF, TEX), back: back injury was a stress reaction; Carter will probably be out until at least July.
• Triston Casas (1B, BOS), ribs: swinging off a tee per Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe.
• Gerrit Cole (SP, NYY), elbow: began rehab assignment.
• Willson Contreras (C, STL), arm: may begin rehab next week per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• Brandon Drury (1B/2B, LAA), hamstring: began rehab assignment.
• Tommy Edman (2B/SS/OF, STL), wrist: taking on-field batting practice, but he is probably still several weeks off from being activated.
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B, CIN), wrist: timeline becomes murky as chance of surgery for ligament damage, which would require a 3-month recovery period, is on the table per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
• Vaughn Grissom (2B/SS, BOS), hamstring: resumed baseball activities.
• Eloy Jiménez (DH, CWS), hamstring: began rehab assignment.
• Nolan Jones (OF, COL), knee: back in the line-up *pokes with stick*.
• Josh Jung (3B, TEX), wrist: heading to rehab assignment in Triple-A but will not be immediately active per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.
• Dean Kremer (SP, BAL), triceps: may begin rehab assignment this weekend per Sam Cohn of The Baltimore Sun.
• Bobby Miller (SP, LAD), shoulder inflammation: may be activated soon.
• Max Muncy (3B, LAD), oblique: dry swings per manager Dave Roberts; no timeline for return.
• Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL), oblique: should be swinging again this weekend per Oli.
• Tommy Pham (OF, CWS), ankle: came off the IL yesterday per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Robbie Ray (SP, SEA), elbow: began rehab assignment.
• Jordan Romano (RP, TOR), elbow: will begin playing catch this weekend.
• Jeffrey Springs (SP, TBR), elbow: long time no see; began rehab assignment.
• Trea Turner (SS, PHI), hamstring: maybe be back this weekend or early next week per MLB.com.
• Max Scherzer (SP, TEX), back: began rehab assignment.
• Kodai Senga (SP, NYM), shoulder: slowed down by a triceps injury, Senga will face live hitters soon per manager Carlos Mendoza. Mendoza also shared that Senga would not return before the All-Star Break.
• Alek Thomas (OF, ARI), hamstring: back in some action as the DH.
• Gavin Williams (SP, CLE), elbow: began rehab assignment.

See you next week, friendos. As always, leave me comments or questions.

I sort of exist outside of these three or four walls over on Twitter or BlueSky.