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Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Justin Turner, Jeff Samardzija, Madison Bumgarner

Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Justin Turner, Jeff Samardzija, Madison Bumgarner

It seemed like spring training could come and go without significant injury news, but that changed drastically last week with the news that Justin Turner, Jeff Samardzija, and Madison Bumgarner would begin the season on the disabled list.

Justin Turner was hit by a pitch and has a non-displaced fracture in his wrist. He will not need surgery and has not been given a timetable for his return at this point. Logan Forsythe will likely move to third base and the Dodgers will likely platoon at second base while Turner is out. He is likely out at least for the first month of the season and wrist injuries tend to linger because hitters rely so heavily on wrist movement.

On Thursday, Jeff Samardzija had an MRI on his shoulder that revealed a pectoral strain. Bruce Bochy said he will rest for 10 days before he begins throwing. This will likely require a DL stint to start the season. He had a 10.64 ERA and his velocity was down a few ticks this spring. The severity of the strain dictates the length of the injury, but it looks like he will be out three to four weeks.

The biggest news this week came when Whit Merrifield unintentionally broke the hearts of fantasy owners when he hit a line drive off of Madison Bumgarner‘s left hand on Friday. Bumgarner has a displaced fracture in his left hand that will require pins for at least four weeks. The timetable is still unknown at this point, but the best case scenario might be six to eight weeks.

Every Monday, this column will provide updates on injuries from around the league. Here are a few more injuries we are tracking to start the season.

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Zack Greinke (SP – ARI)
Greinke is dealing with tightness in his right groin. He threw a bullpen session on March 18th and threw 60 pitches in a “B” game on March 21st. He has been ruled out for Opening Day but is currently slated to start March 31 in the Diamondbacks third game of the season. Barring a setback, he should be safe to start in week one.

Dinelson Lamet (SP – SD)
Lamet exited his final start of the spring with elbow discomfort. While the team is terming the issue minor, he’s expected to miss at least the first month of the season.

Yulieski Gurriel (1B – HOU)
Yulieski Gurriel is recovering from February surgery on his left hand. He is already taking infield drills and working on some light hitting. There is a possibility that he could return in mid-April. A hand injury to a high-average bat is always concerning, but Gurriel has probably been underrated in drafts because of the injury. His average ADP is 255, which is a small price to pay for a guy that hit .299 in 2017 with the batted ball profile to back it up.

Marcus Stroman (SP – TOR)
Right shoulder inflammation has plagued Stroman this spring. He is not going to be ready for Opening Day, but he is currently projected to start the Blue Jays fourth game of the season on April 1.

Luiz Gohara (SP – ATL)
Gohara is dealing with an ankle sprain that may keep him out the first month of the regular season. Optimistically, Luiz Gohara wasn’t likely to make the Braves rotation to begin the season anyway and now may have less innings restrictions when he returns. Unfortunately, Gohara didn’t pitch at all in spring training and it will take weeks for him to get ready to start his season. The ankle sprain timetable plus a few weeks to get himself ready pushes his return back even further. It’s hard to invest the roster spot for a pitcher that may not pitch for a couple of months. Keep him on your watch list in redraft leagues or stash him away if you have unlimited DL spots.

Jimmy Nelson (SP – MIL)
Jimmy Nelson was having a spectacular 2017 until he tore the labrum in his right shoulder diving back to first base on a pick-off attempt. He had surgery in September and is currently throwing on flat ground from 90 feet. Shoulders are usually more impactful to pitchers than an injury to an elbow making Nelson the ultimate boom or bust pick. The ceiling of a healthy Jimmy Nelson is enticing and could be an impact arm for the second half of the season. The floor for Nelson is that he is not effective or possibly doesn’t make a pitch this season. If your league has unlimited DL spots, there’s not much risk in stashing him.

Dan Straily (SP – MIA)
Straily has mild forearm inflammation and was shut down from throwing for five or six days on March 20. He will begin the season on the disabled list.

Danny Salazar (SP – CLE)
Salazar has right shoulder inflammation. He is progressing through his rehab well as he’s throwing from 130 feet and throwing bullpen sessions. It is possible that he could return in April and is likely to start the season on the disabled list. He hasn’t pitched more than 137 innings in a season since 2015, and this is not a promising start. Salazar’s talent is exciting, but you will likely have replacement-level waiver wire options filling in some of his projected starts.

Daniel Murphy (2B – WAS)
Murphy had knee surgery last October and has been rehabbing this spring. He’s been involved in batting practice and he is running on a treadmill, but he is not expected to be ready for Opening Day. He’ll likely start the season the DL and then need a rehab assignment when he does return to get his timing back. The Nationals have been quiet about providing a timetable, but he could be out a couple of weeks or this could linger for a couple of months. He’s too talented to drop or be available on waivers, so he must be stashed.

Ervin Santana (SP – MIN)
Santana had surgery on his middle finger in February. He recently had his cast and sutures removed, but has still not started a throwing program. He could be ready to return in May. Santana is one of the few pitchers in baseball that is a workhorse that can reach 200 innings. That won’t be possible this year, but he could provide solid numbers at the back of your fantasy rotation in the second half. He’s worth speculating on if you have some more volatile options at starting pitcher.

Dustin Pedroia (2B – BOS)
Pedroia is coming back from knee surgery that he had in October. He looks like he could return in May. Pedroia could still be a decent middle infield option in fantasy leagues, but second base is so deep this year you could likely do better than stashing him unless you’re in the deepest of leagues.

Zach Britton (RP – BAL)
Britton has been a reliable closer since he took over the role in 2014. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in December and could be out until July. There is a possibility that Britton regains his closer position in the second half, and that alone makes him a stash option in leagues where all closers are owned.

Michael Conforto (LF/CF/RF – NYM)
Michael Conforto suffered an anterior capsule tear in his left shoulder and had surgery in September of 2017. This is almost unprecedented for hitters, so eyes will be all over him when he returns. The Mets are pushing for an early May return assuming no setbacks. He is ahead of schedule and already serving as a designated hitter in spring training games. If Conforto was a pitcher, this could mean the end of his career. As a hitter, though, how much will he be impacted? In under 500 at-bats last season, he hit 27 home runs with a .279 batting average and a .384 on-base percentage. He hit only .212 against lefties and could still be the strong side of a platoon, but Conforto is worth a gamble.

Drew Pomeranz (SP – BOS)
Pomeranz has been dealing with a mild flexor tendon strain in his elbow. He has already pitched in minor league spring training games but will not be ready for Opening Day. He is going to the disabled list to start the season, but he could return quickly.

Mark Trumbo (RF/DH – BAL)
Mark Trumbo is expected to miss three to four weeks with a quad strain. Trumbo is a lower-end option in most leagues, but you can stash him if you’re in a league deep enough to draft him.

Steven Souza Jr. (RF – ARI)
Souza is going to miss Opening Day with his new team after straining his right pectoral this spring. He will start the season on the DL and could miss the month of April.

Michael Brantley (LF – CLE)
Brantley was in the lineup batting cleanup on Sunday for the Indians, but he is still going to begin the season on the DL. He is still recovering from ankle surgery he had after the 2017 season. This could just be for the minimum 10 days, so you likely won’t need a replacement for long.

Greg Bird (1B – NYY)
Bird is scheduled to see a foot specialist on Monday. An MRI and CT scan showed that his right foot has inflammation. There currently is no timetable for his return. This is especially concerning since this could be associated with the ankle problems he experienced last year that kept him out most of the season. He will likely start the season on the DL.

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Shane McDonald is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Shane, check out his archive or follow him @coachshanemac.

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