Back injuries to a pair of Nationals highlight this week’s injury report, as first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and closer Koda Glover missed two against the Texas Rangers over the weekend. Glover felt a pinch in his back while bending over in the shower and was promptly placed on the 10-day DL Saturday, while Zimmerman’s back issue does not seem to be severe and the team is taking the cautious route with the star first baseman.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker has not official said who will take over closer duties, but the likely first player given an opportunity at the job in Glover’s stead is Matt Albers. According to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, Zimmerman plans on returning to the field on Monday after resting his back on Saturday and Sunday.
Here are a few other injuries from week 10 of the fantasy baseball season, including neck inflammation for AL Cy Young candidate Dallas Keuchel.
Import your team to My Playbook for season-long advice 
Hand inflammation forced the Cubs front office to place starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks on the 10-day DL, retroactive to June 5th. It is the first time the 27-year-old pitcher has been placed on the disabled list.
After a breakout 2016 season in which he finished third in the NL Cy Young vote, Hendricks has struggled this season with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts, including nine earned runs over his last two games. Although he claims he did not feel the issue with his hand until after his latest start on June 4th against the Cardinals, the ailment could be a reason for his poor play, and some rest could be what he needs to return to his 2016 form.
Neck discomfort flared its ugly head once again for Keuchel, forcing the Houston Astros ace to the DL for the second time in a month. Keuchel’s stint on the DL is retroactive to June 5th, but the chance of his returning to the field when eligible on Thursday his highly unlikely.
Keuchel and the team want to be confident that he will not continue to aggravate the issue, and he will not likely throw for a week or two.
Keeping with the theme of back ailments, Yadier Molina missed the final three games of the week due to a back strain. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told reporters on Saturday the Molina’s back has been “pretty locked up,” and it is unclear how long the backstop will be out.
Although he is batting just .252 on the season with six home runs and 23 RBIs, Molina entered play on Sunday as the seventh-ranked catcher, primarily due to the fact that he leads all catchers with five stolen bases.
Tomas was placed on the 10-day DL June 6th, retroactive to June 3rd with what the team is calling groin tendinitis. According to a report by the Associated Press, Tomas will work out at the Diamondbacks spring training facility this week and will not be ready to be activated when eligible on June 13th.
Aside from a paltry .241 batting average, Tomas has been a solid run-producing left fielder for the Diamondbacks this season and is currently fourth on the team in RBIs (32) behind Jake Lamb, Paul Goldschmidt, and Chris Owings.
According to manager Terry Francona, Salazar suffered a shoulder injury while pitching for Double-A Akron. The struggling pitcher was sent down to the minors to work with pitching coach Tony Arnold, but his session was cut short after he had reported shoulder discomfort and the team placed him on the 10-day DL.
It is not clear how long Salazar will be on the DL, and it is even more unclear how long he will spend in the minors. He can be dropped in most leagues, especially mixed formats, but keep an eye on him as he is a talented pitcher and could be a nice late-season addition if he can get healthy and fix his mechanics.
Machado suffered a wrist injury while applying a tag at third base on Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutcheon. X-rays taken on the wrist showed no fractures and the team is confident that Machado will be able to avoid a stint on the DL despite missing the last three games of the week.
After posting the worst start of his major league career in which he allowed eight earned runs to the Rays, Triggs reported pain in his hip to Oakland trainers and was placed on the 10-day DL.
Triggs is likely droppable in all formats as his place in the starting rotation was already up in the air before the injury, and there is no guarantee that he will keep his spot when he returns to action.
The converted reliever allowed 20 earned runs over his last four starts, bringing into question whether or not he would be demoted to the bullpen or Triple-A.
Updating Previous Injuries
Jean Segura (SS – SEA) Ankle
Although Segura mentioned just a few days after his ankle sprain that he was already feeling much better, Dayn Perry of CBSSports.com reported on June 3rd that Segura could miss up to two months due to the high ankle sprain.
Jacoby Ellsbury (OF – NYY) Head
Ellsbury is making progress, but will not travel with the team on their seven-game road trip this week and will spend the time working out with the Double-A team in Trenton. Even when he returns to action, Ellsbury will likely lose significant playing time, if not his starting job, to the hot-hitting Aaron Hicks.
Cole Hamels (SP – TEX) Oblique
Hamels threw a bullpen session on Saturday and is set to throw a live BP session this week. He appears to be on pace for an early July return.
Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS
Andrew Swanson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FantasyProsAndy.
