Fantasy baseball owners who invested in Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton were starting to reap the rewards lately as the speedy center fielder was starting to heat up.
Now it looks as if you will have to go without Hamilton for the time being.
Apr 29, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton (6) singles during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Hamilton made a spectacular catch to begin Thursday’s game against the Brewers, but it may prove costly.
He ran back toward the gap and made a superb diving catch that robbed Milwaukee’s Carlos Gomez of an extra-base hit. After hitting the ground rather hard, Hamilton got up slowly.
The Reds announced that Hamilton sprained the third and fourth knuckles on his left hand. Although he finished the top of the inning, he was lifted for pinch-hitter Chris Heisey to open the bottom of the first.
In 27 games, Hamilton is batting .245 with one home run, six RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 16 attempts.
Hamilton is likely not headed to the disabled list but likely won’t see much action the next few days. That makes Heisey and even a guy like Roger Bernadina an intriguing option.
In other injury news:
Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
Cargo’s knee continues to give him problems, but this time he had to leave Thursday’s game in the fourth-inning; it was a left index finger contusion.
The severity of the injury is unknown, but it is assumed to be a day-to-day situation.
Gonzalez hit his sixth homer of the season before the injury.
You may want to monitor his situation as a DL trip could be in his future just to get him totally healthy.
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Kershaw came out of his rehab start on Wednesday in pretty good shape and likely will return to the Dodgers’ rotation Monday night in Washington.
His return to the rotation will result in the bumping of someone, most likely Paul Maholm, to the bullpen.
Aaron Hicks, Minnesota Twins
May 1, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks (32) jumps into the wall in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers of game two of a double header at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Hicks was removed from Thursday night’s game against the Dodgers with concussion-like symptoms after crashing into the wall in pursuit of a Scott Van Slyke triple in the sixth inning.
If he fails to pass a battery of concussion tests administered by team doctors, he would be required to spend at least a week on baseball’s seven-day concussion disabled list.
Hicks went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts Thursday. His batting average fell to .178 through 73 at-bats, and he has lost playing time over the past week to veteran outfielder Sam Fuld.
Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
Pineda is expected to be out of action for three or four weeks with an upper back injury.
He has been instructed to rest for 10 days, and he will be replaced by David Phelps in the rotation.
Melky Cabrera, Toronto Blue Jays
After sustaining a left shin contusion after being hit by a Danny Duffy pitch on Wednesday in Kansas City, Cabrera is expected to be ready to go for Toronto when they begin their three-game series in Pittsburgh beginning on Friday.
X-rays were negative, but Cabrera was held out of the lineup on Thursday.
Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners
Iwakuma is scheduled to make his first start of the season Saturday night in Houston.
He suffered a strained tendon in the middle finger of his throwing hand during an offseason workout and was shut down for the first six weeks of spring training, not allowed to even throw a baseball.