While most injury news has been bad news for fantasy baseball owners to this point, there is some good news coming in the form of Toronto Blue Jays’ shortstop Jose Reyes.
Reyes appears on track to re-join the Blue Jays in time for their upcoming weekend series in Cleveland. Reyes played in an extended spring training game in Florida on Monday and was in the lineup for Class-A Dunedin on Tuesday night.
Apr 3, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes (7) smiles in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
He’s expected to appear in at least two official rehab games before the Blue Jays re-evaluate his situation. The All-Star shortstop has been out since he suffered a strained hamstring during his first at-bat of the season on March 31. He’s eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday, and while that won’t be happening it also doesn’t appear as though Toronto will have to wait much longer.
Unless he suffers a setback in the next couple of days, I would expect him to be in the Toronto lineup Friday or Saturday at the latest.
However be very cautious as I tend to worry about hamstring issues with speed guys such as Reyes as they tend to linger on all season. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to look to move Reyes in the next few weeks before the hamstring issue creeps up again.
In other injury news:
Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays
Lind is considered day to day with a lower-back injury, but it appears possible he will need an extended period of time off. Lind’s back has bothering him for the past several days but became more severe in the series opener in Minnesota. The hope is that Lind will feel better within the next couple of days, but history suggests it could take a lot longer than that.
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Apr 11, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw blows a bubble while chewing gum in the dugout against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
There’s good news on the Kershaw front.
Kershaw threw a bullpen session Tuesday and all signs were positive, as his velocity was the highest it has been since being shelved with the injury. There is still no timetable for return for the lefty, but at this point any news is good news.
A.J. Burnett, Philadelphia Phillies
Burnett was diagnosed with a hernia Tuesday and rather than undergo surgery and miss 7-8 weeks he is going to attempt to pitch through the pain.
He was already off to a very poor start to the season with the lowest strikeout totals of his career and a 5.69 FIP (3.96 ERA) and this doesn’t do much for his value.
He has walked 14 batters in 16 innings this year, including six in his last game.
I wasn’t very high on Burnett coming into the season and he should be a guy that you look to get rid of. There are plenty of better options out there.
Juan Lagares, New York Mets
The Mets placed Lagares on the disabled list Tuesday, a day after he strained his right hamstring running out a ground ball. To take Lagares’ spot, the Mets recalled outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis from Triple-A Las Vegas and immediately inserted him into their starting lineup, playing center field against the Diamondbacks.
Lagares was off to a very good start to the season, hitting .317 with a homer and seven RBI through 13 games played.
The Mets were also without Curtis Granderson Tuesday night as he is listed as day-to-day with general soreness after crashing into Chase Field’s right-field wall.