The calendar is turning to September, and it’s time for that final push in your fantasy baseball leagues. Yes, football is starting, but keep your eyes on that prize and finish strong. Here is a rundown of the injuries you need to know about heading into the last month of the fantasy baseball season.
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- Matt Adams (STL 1B) felt tightness in his left quadriceps during rehab exercises, decreasing the likelihood he returns to the Cardinals’ active roster this season. If you haven’t already done so, it is safe to drop Adams from your roster.
- Nelson Cruz (SEA OF) strained his right quadriceps while running the bases during Wednesday’s game and will be out through the weekend. He makes a risky play heading into next week so monitor his progress before setting your lineups.
- Jacoby Ellsbury (NYY OF) is day-to-day with flu-like symptoms.
- Scott Feldman (HOU SP) had an MRI on his ailing right shoulder, which revealed no structural damage. “I think right now we’re saying two or three days of not picking up a ball,” he said. “Hopefully from there it just feels good. We’ll go from there and pretend we just had a couple of days off and I’ll get back in the mix.” Feldman is serviceable in AL-only leagues but will miss at least one start. The size of your roster/bench dictates whether you keep him or dump him, especially if you are in your fantasy playoffs.
- Matt Holliday (STL OF) is not close to running at full speed and there is still no timetable for his return. “When I come back, I’ll be ready to play, or be full-out,” said Holliday. “I don’t want any hesitation on the bases or anything like that. I haven’t run hard enough to say yet. I don’t think I’ll be able to have a real clear answer for that until they have me push it a little closer to a full hard run.” If you held onto him this long, keep holding out hope that Holliday will return in the next week or so.
- Jose Iglesias (DET SS) will miss at least two weeks due to a fracture in his right middle finger and he could be done for the season with Detroit out of playoff contention. He can be dropped in all formats.
- Corey Kluber (CLE SP) missed his last start because of a strained right hamstring and he is expected to miss at least one more start. “He was throwing inside the other day (in Toronto) and felt his hammy a little bit,” said manager Terry Francona. “He disregarded it and then he went and conditioned and that probably exacerbated it. But I still think he thought he was going to pitch. He’s going to be down a minimum of 10 days. Instead of putting a timetable on it, let’s just say when he’s ready, we’ll pitch him.”
- Daniel Murphy (NYM 2B) strained his left quadriceps during Wednesday’s game. He received a cortisone injection and will be out through the weekend. “”I think what I got done yesterday is maybe going to take a day or two to take effect, is what the doctor told me,” said Murphy, who missed 25 days in June with a strained left quad. “It doesn’t feel terrible, so I’m still encouraged.” Still considered day-to-day, monitor updates on Murphy before setting your lineup for next week.
- Joe Panik (SF 2B) started his rehab assignment this week and immediately stressed his lower back, appearing to be recovered from his injury. “All the (practice) ground balls, all the core work, everything you prepare for, you can’t simulate game situations like that where a ball deflects and you have to change all your momentum going one way and stop,” Panik said. “So it was definitely a good test, and everything kind of held up.” If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to watch it.
- Hanley Ramirez (BOS OF) was finally placed on the disabled list because of inflammation in his right shoulder. It is expected that Ramirez will play again this year so, if he finally gets healthy, could provide a nice offensive boost during the last few weeks of your fantasy season.
- Kyle Schwarber (CHC C) has a strained muscle in the right side of his rib cage and will be out through the weekend, at least. “It doesn’t even hurt when I swing,” Schwarber said. “(On a) check swing I get a little grab. It’s nothing to rush. There have been some nagging injuries with some of our players and I don’t want to hurt the team in any way possible. I’ll try to get back in as soon as I can. We’re in a playoff race right now. But that’s part of the game. You have to let your body heal and make sure you’re 100 percent.” He will be re-evaluated on Monday and is a high-risk play next week.
- Giancarlo Stanton (MIA OF) experienced some soreness in his wrist during his rehab sessions this week and is still considered day-to-day. “It’s a just a matter of when the wrist and the soreness goes out of the hand,” manager Dan Jennings said. “I think it’s a plus that he went down to try the rehab start and test himself to see where he is. Now it’s just how much time it will take before he can come back and be as close to 100 percent and the comfort level of his strength with his hand and his wrist.” While reports seem to indicate Stanton will return at some point this season Miami has no reason to rush him back. As such, I would not be surprised if he sees little to no action for the rest of this season.
- Stephen Strasburg (WAS SP) threw a bullpen session this week and did not report any issues with his upper back. He is expected to make his next start during Washington’s series with the Mets next week.
- Marcus Stroman (TOR SP) is working his way back from a reconstruction of his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), throwing 69 pitches in his last rehab outing. “My knee is great, man, great. There’s nothing there. There’s maybe a little soreness after [I pitch] but when I’m out there I don’t feel it at all.” I think Stroman is a must-add in AL-only leagues and he is worth watching in mixed leagues, as he could provide excellent value even as a spot starter.
- Michael Taylor (WAS OF) struggled with his running tests on Friday and is still day-to-day with soreness in his right knee. With Denard Span out for the year, Washington needs Taylor back quickly. Monitor his progress this weekend before setting your lineups on Monday.
- Mark Teixeira (NYY 1B) was placed on the disabled list because of the bone bruise in his right shin. Stash him for now and hope he comes back healthy enough to help your offense during the last two weeks of the season.
Jeremy Tiermini is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jeremy follow him @JeremyTiermini.