Corey Dickerson’s foot injury may give him trouble all year
Colorado Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot since late in spring training and the injury has forced him to miss games on occasion in 2015. In a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, May 16th, Dickerson aggravated the injury when running down a deep fly ball off the bat of Zack Greinke. “When I stopped on my toes, it felt like a tearing sensation, a burning, like somebody lit your heel on fire,” Dickerson explained in The Denver Post.
Dickerson was able to serve as a pinch hitter for Colorado’s next two contests but the team decided to put him on the disabled list when this decrease in activity did not alleviate the symptoms. In the same piece from The Denver Post, Dickerson explained: “It’s time to let it rest. I was spending five hours in the training room. I just don’t have the recovery that I should. I need to give it a break and let it heal to make it manageable again.”
“To make it manageable again”; Dickerson’s wording here sends up a big red flag for me. In a different interview, Dickerson indicated that he was uncertain that a trip to the DL would play a significant role in his health. “I don’t know if that time would help. To heal it, it will take a lot of time, or tearing (the tissue in his foot), to get better. So I don’t know.”
The Anatomy
The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom (“plantar” surface of the foot) and connects the calcaneus, or the heel bone, to the toes near what is commonly referred to as the “balls of the feet”. The plantar fascia is designed to support the arch of the foot and act as a spring or shock absorber during weight bearing activities.
In extreme cases surgery can be used to “release” the plantar fascia; a portion of the structure is cut to help decrease the tension and allow the fascia to become more elastic. Plantar fasciitis can also be caused by a heel spur, though in Dickerson’s case, I have not seen any reports indicating the presence of spur; this helps decrease the need for surgery. In fact, surgery is not indicated for the Rockies’ outfielder at this time and he will go with the “rest and rehab” approach. Dickerson will start in a walking boot until the pain and inflammation decrease; this could be in as little as two-three days or it could take longer, perhaps up to seven days. Once that stage has passed the Rockies’ medical staff will work with Dickerson on his flexibility and muscular strength, progressing to weight bearing activities, then baseball activities and, ultimately, a rehab assignment to prepare for his eventual return to Colorado’s starting lineup.
Dickerson’s Fantasy Prognosis
Rockies manager, Walt Weiss, does not expect Dickerson to be out long, stating “It’s reasonable to think he’ll be ready by the end of the DL stint.” While Weiss is optimistic about Dickerson’s return I can’t say that I share the same optimism about the rest of his 2015 season.
When in the lineup, Dickerson has certainly been contributing to your fantasy team, batting .306 with five home runs, 16 RBI, and 15 runs. Once the symptoms subside Dickerson should be able to return to activity and should continue to build on his 2014 and 2015 campaigns. The problem with plantar fasciitis is that you can’t predict when the symptoms will flare up again. As an outfielder, Dickerson spends a great deal of time on his feet and needs to be able to make quick, explosive movements. In order to do that baseball players are taught, as soon as they start Little League to be in a defensively ready stance with the weight placed on the balls of the feet. While his explosiveness is certainly an asset defensively and as a hitter, it is also what can exacerbate the symptoms of this injury.
In addition, with Colorado in last place in the National League West, the Rockies’ front office could look to start a rebuilding process very soon. Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez have been rumored to be on the trading block since last season – though with their own health concerns, it will be interesting to see how much Colorado gets in return. If they do deal their two big names away it will be a clear signal that the rebuilding process has begun and I anticipate that the Rockies will be very conservative with Dickerson from the remainder of 2015.
My Bold Prediction
Dickerson has played in 33 of the Rockies’ 43 games, though he was limited to just a single at bat in five of those games. While I do think he can be productive if his symptoms are managed properly (after all, he has done it so far this year) I am selling on Dickerson in redraft leagues. Colorado still has 119 games left on the schedule but, based on his injury and on the Rockies’ potential rebuilding, I predict that Corey Dickerson won’t play in over 100 games this season, which will seriously limit his counting stats. His final line: .295, 13 home runs, 40 runs, 40 RBI’s, 0 stolen bases.
In redraft leagues it will be very difficult to get full value for Dickerson so I would keep him, use him when he is healthy, and make sure I had a back-up at the ready. In leagues that set lineups weekly, Dickerson is much more difficult to own because I anticipate the Rockies giving him frequent rest days even when he is back in the lineup. However, in keeper or dynasty league formats, I think Dickerson makes an excellent buy-low target if you are looking to build your roster for next season.
A full off-season of rest and rehabilitation, especially if surgery is avoided, will help Corey Dickerson return to form in 2016. There is a precedent for major leaguers to return to form after treating or managing the symptoms of plantar fasciitis. Albert Pujols was shut down during the 2013 season; he came back to hit 28 home runs with 105 RBI’s for the Los Angeles Angels and even add five stolen bases. Also, during the 2013 season, Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria played 160 games, slugging 32 HR’s. Clayton Kershaw was diagnosed with this injury in 2012 and struck out 229 batters with an ERA of 2.53 and a WHIP of 1.02.
If I am making bold predictions about his falling fantasy value this season I will also make a bold prediction for next season. In 2014, Dickerson finished at #41 on ESPN’s Player Rater and was the #16 outfielder. Assuming he makes a full recovery during the off-season, I think Corey Dickerson will finish in the top 20 overall in 2016 and I think he will finish next year as a top-10 outfielder.
Jeremy Tiermini is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jeremy, check out his archive and follow him @JeremyTiermini.
