Late season injuries can be devastating for fantasy baseball owners. If a good player on a team out of contention suffers a significant injury, there’s a good chance the team may shut him down for the season. The closer we move the September, the more likely the injuries will become season-ending. Consider David Wright, batting .309 with 16 HR, 54 RBI, 60 R, and 17 SB. Initially expected to miss three-to-five weeks with a hamstring strain, there is now talk about shutting him down for the year since the Mets are 16.5 games behind first place Atlanta and 11 games back in the Wild Card race.
Let’s take a look at who will be joining Wright on the DL this week.
Cody Ross (hip): Just as he was starting to get hot, Ross suffered a dislocated hip in Sunday’s game against the Mets and will have to undergo surgery this week. Ross will obviously miss the rest of the year and it’s unclear if he will be ready for spring training next season.
Trevor Cahill (hip): Cahill is good to go after throwing 98 pitches in his last rehab outing and is expected to start against the Pirates on Saturday.
Eric Chavez (knee, hip): Chavez has been placed on the DL with nagging leg injuries but is not expected to miss more than two weeks. Top prospect Matt Davidson could get some playing time in Chavez’ absence.
Paul Maholm (wrist): Maholm will make a rehab start this week after throwing a six-inning simulated game on Monday. Assuming he doesn’t have any setbacks, he could be back right after the lone rehab start and pitch as early as next Thursday.
Scott Kazmir (arm): Kaz was expected to start against the Twins on Wednesday but will be pushed back to Sunday with dead arm. Not a good ailment for a pitcher with a history of arm problems with at least a month and a half of baseball left.
Rafael Betancourt (appendix): Betancourt is expected to make one rehab appearance on Thursday and should be activated by the weekend. Rex Brothers will return to his set-up role.
Carlos Gonzalez (finger): CarGo, originally planning on playing through his injury, is now not expected to swing a bat until at least late next week and appears to be a while away from returning. It’s tough loss for fantasy owners since he had 26 HR, 70 RBI, and 21 SB before going down with a sprained finger.
Alex Avila (head): Avila has been placed on the 7-day DL with a concussion but is not expected to miss more than a week at this time. Brayan Pena will make most of the starts in his absence.
Jason Castro (hip): Castro has missed the Astros’ last two games as he deals with a sore hip and is listed as day-to-day. Castro is currently in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak with two homers and nine runs batted in over those 10 games.
Jose Altuve (quad): Altuve sat out Monday’s game against the Rangers as he continues to deal with a nagging quadriceps injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Mike Moustakas (calf): Moustakas left Monday’s game against Miami with tightness in his calf and will be evaluated on Tuesday. He’s currently listed as day-to-day.
Lorenzo Cain (oblique): Cain has been placed on the DL with a strained oblique. He’s also been battling a nagging groin injury and a few weeks off could be a big help for his September production.
Jason Vargas (arm): Vargas, out since June 17, is expected to be activated on Tuesday and start against the Yankees and replace Tommy Hanson in the rotation.
Howie Kendrick (knee): The Angels have placed Kendrick on the DL with a hyperextended knee and it’s unclear how long he will be out.
Matt Kemp (ankle): Despite some reports claiming a return is imminent, Kemp is still limping around and is not expected to return before September.
Hanley Ramirez (shoulder): Ramirez, out since Friday, is expected to miss the rest of the series against the Mets and return on Friday against the Phillies.
Rickie Weeks (hamstring): Weeks was placed on the DL last week and is now expected to undergo surgery on his hamstring which will end his disappointing 2013 season.
Aramis Ramirez (knee): Ramirez is tentatively expected to return to the lineup and DH on Tuesday against the Rangers.
Yovani Gallardo (hamstring): Gallardo is expected to return to the rotation during the weekend series against the Reds. Gallardo has been terrible thus far, putting up a 4.91 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
Ryan Doumit (head): Doumit, on the 7-day DL since last Wednesday, is expected to return to the lineup as soon as he’s eligible on Thursday.
David Wright (hamstring): Though initially expected to miss three-to-five weeks, there’s now a chance that Wright misses the rest of the 2013 season with his strained hamstring.
Derek Jeter (calf): Jeter, who has played two more games than he’s had DL stints this year, is not expected to return until at least late August.
Coco Crisp (wrist): Crisp has missed the A’s last two games with a sore wrist but is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday.
Roy Halladay (shoulder): Halladay, out since May 5, is expected to make at least two rehab starts and could return to the Phillies in a couple weeks. Halladay allowed 17 runs over his last two starts (6 IP) before going down.
Starling Marte (hand): Marte has missed the Bucs’ last two games with a bruised hand and is listed as day-to-day. Hand injuries can be tricky but fantasy owners certainly can’t wait to get his 33 SB, 75 R, and 42 XBH back in the lineup.
Carlos Quentin (knee): Quentin has finally been placed on the DL, retroactive to July 30. He’s expected to miss about 10 games before returning to the struggling Padres.
Cameron Maybin (knee): Maybin will play another couple of games in his rehab stint before returning to the Padres lineup to replace Carlos Quentin. He’s been out since June 9 and is batting just .157 through 51 at-bats this year.
Carlos Beltran (foot): Beltran fouled a ball off his foot on Sunday but is expected to play on Tuesday against the Pirates.
Alex Cobb (head): Cobb, out since June 15, is expected to be activated from the 60-day DL and start on Thursday against the Mariners on Thursday.
Colby Rasmus (abdominal): Rasmus missed Monday’s game against the A’s and is listed as day-to-day with an abdominal injury. He’s been struggling of late, batting .148 in his last seven games.
