Giancarlo Stanton has still not been cleared to return

With two weeks left in the regular season any injury can severely impact a fantasy baseball manager’s title hopes. Here is a look at the injuries to know heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

• Lorenzo Cain (KC OF) has missed the last two games for Kansas City, though the team has not provided a reason for his absence. A mild ankle sprain could be the reason. If so, consider him day-to-day, though I do expect him back in action, full go, by Monday.

• Carter Capps (MIA RP) has been out of action since early August due to a strained tendon in his right elbow but could be activated from the disabled list as soon as Sunday. The Marlins will have Capps throw a simulated game and will then decide on how to proceed. “It depends how he handles this test,” manager Dan Jennings said.

• Alcides Escobar (KC SS) was hit by a pitch during extra innings in Friday night’s game. X-rays were negative and he should be considered day-to-day.

• Carlos Gomez (HOU OF) has been out of action for the past week because of a strained left intercostal muscle, which he suffered on Sunday. Because of the calendar, Houston has to be cautious with Gomez because, if he returns too early and aggravates the injury, he could be shut down for the season. “We probably have one shot to get him up and running again,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch explained on Wednesday. “It’s an unfortunate loss for us.” Gomez still has not been cleared to swing a bat and, until he does, he should be kept on your bench. Gomez has only batted .234 since the Astros acquired him and there is an argument to be made that you can drop him if you need an outfielder for the remainder of the season.

• Billy Hamilton (CIN OF) left Monday’s contest because of soreness in his right shoulder. After being limited this week he was sent back to Cincinnati on Friday for an MRI. “He’s having an MRI on his shoulder so we can verify that there haven’t been any significant medical issues with the shoulder that should keep him off the field,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “Right now we’re utilizing him as a pinch-runner and pinch-runner only, but we’d like to know if there’s a chance to get back on the field as a position player.” If you need stolen bases, or need to block another owner from getting steals, you need to keep Hamilton on your roster. Your ability to use him depends on what categories you need counting stats in but it appears that he will be limited for the remainder of 2015.

• Matt Holliday (STL OF) made his return from a right quadriceps strain, though he is not fully healthy and is limited to pinch-hitting. Holliday’s status actually got worse when, on Friday, he was hit in the back of the helmet by a pitch from Cubs’ pitcher, Dan Haren. He passed all the concussion tests but, because he is still limited to pinch hitting appearances, it is safe to drop Holliday for the rest of 2015.

• Jung Ho Kang (PIT SS) will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee, as well as a fracture to the left tibial plateau. The current timeline for his return is six-to-eight months, meaning that Kang could be out of action until June of 2016. He can be dropped in all formats.

• Joe Kelly (BOS SP) had an MRI on his right shoulder, which showed only inflammation and not any structural damage. Boston has shut him down for the remainder of 2015 so he can be dropped in all formats.

• Howie Kendrick (LAD 2B) made his return from a hamstring injury but outfielder Yasiel Puig still is not ready for game action for the Dodgers. Avoid both of these players for the remainder of 2015 because the risk of re-injury for both players is extremely high. Kendrick himself has indicated he plans on being cautious now that he is back in action. “In the game, you’re always going to have more adrenaline flowing,” Kendrick said. “I’ll take it slow when I come back and try not to do too many crazy things.”

• Joe Panik (SF 2B) was limited to just 15 games during the second half of the 2015 season, dealing with an injury to his lower back. On Wednesday, Panik was placed on the 60-day DL, ending his season. He can safely be dropped in all formats.

• Glen Perkins (MIN RP) threw a successful bullpen session earlier this week and should be available this weekend. Expect Kevin Jepsen to retain the closer role for now.

• Jimmy Rollins (LAD SS) remains limited to pinch-hitting duties because he has pain in his sprained right index finger when trying to throw. Rollins’ replacement, rookie Corey Seager, has batted .412 in his 14 games, with two home runs. While manager Don Mattingly initially indicated that Rollins would regain the starting job when healthy, he appears to be backtracking on that a bit. “Everything is always evolving. Right now we’ve got to get guys back healthy. There’s plenty of playing time right now for Corey,” Mattingly said. “He doesn’t need to worry about what’s going forward, he just needs to play today. We don’t need to worry about what’s going forward, we need to win today.”

• Giancarlo Stanton (MIA OF) still is not cleared to return to action from his fractured hamate bone. Stanton had a follow-up visit with specialists and it appeared this was his final step before returning for Miami. Unfortunately, an abnormal amount of scar tissue was found and it appears the Marlins’ slugger is done for the season. “That’s kind of the big speed bump as far as getting the strength back,” he said, referring to the scar tissue. “That has altered the anatomy of my tendons. So that’s what’s going on.”

• Adam Wainwright (STL SP) has been throwing bullpen sessions for the last few weeks, reporting no discomfort in surgically repaired Achilles tendon. Wainwright has a follow-up evaluation with the Cardinals’ medical staff on Monday to see if he can resume baseball activities. Remember that Wainwright is only five months out from his injury and full recovery for a ruptured Achilles tendon is 10 months to a year. He is an intriguing stash in keeper leagues, depending on what he would cost to own in 2016, but I wouldn’t count on anything from him for the remainder of the season.

Jeremy Tiermini is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jeremy follow him @JeremyTiermini.