Week 18 MLB Injury Report: Pujols, Kemp, Brown

Albert Pujols,Angels,MLB Injury Report
Albert Pujols,Angels,MLB Injury Report
July 21 2013 Anaheim CA USA Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols 5 watches game action during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium of Anaheim Gary A Vasquez USA TODAY Sports

Brandon McCarthy (shoulder): McCarthy is expected to be activated from the DL and start on Friday vs. Boston. McCarthy struggled in his last start but had shown signs of turning his season around, allowing just one run over three starts (24 IP) before getting hurt. He figures to knock Tyler Skaggs out of the rotation.

Omar Infante (ankle): Infante tweaked his ankle in a rehab game and will miss an additional week or two. Infante has been a solid fantasy producer this season, batting .309 with six homers, 27 RBI, 38 R, 26 XBH, and four steals.

Torii Hunter (ankle): Hunter sat out Friday’s and Sunday’s games against the Phillies with a sore Achilles but is expected to play on Tuesday when the Tigers face the Nats.

Jose Altuve (quadriceps): Altuve sat out Sunday’s game after leaving Saturday’s contest with a tight quad. He’s day-to-day and may need to undergo an MRI if there’s no improvement by Tuesday. Altuve has 25 SB this season so a leg injury should definitely concern owners moving forward.

Lorenzo Cain (groin): Cain sat out Sunday’s game after leaving Saturday’s matchup against the White Sox with groin tightness. It doesn’t seem too serious and he’s expected to play on Tuesday against the Twins.

Albert Pujols (foot): Pujols has been placed on the DL and while he won’t undergo surgery he is expected to miss the rest of the year. Pujols has been dealing with a torn plantar fascia all season and had he decided to have surgery early in the season he could’ve ended up playing more games and playing better.

Carl Crawford (illness): Crawford was so sick over the weekend he had to go to the emergency room for his fever. He missed both Saturday and Sunday’s games but obviously this isn’t a longterm thing.

Matt Kemp (ankle): The Dodgers think Kemp can come back on August 6 when he is eligible to come off the DL. In reality, Kemp is still limping and hasn’t resumed baseball activities. It’s been a tough season for Kemp but he had put up three homers and seven RBI in his last four games before spraining his ankle.

Kevin Slowey (forearm): Slowey has been placed on the DL with a forearm strain and will miss four-to-six weeks.

Marcell Ozuna (thumb): Ozuna had thumb surgery and will miss the rest of the season. Although his numbers fell off in the last month or so, Ozuna had a promising rookie campaign and put up 24 XBH in 275 at-bats.

Brian Dozier (back): Dozier had to leave Sunday’s game with lower back tightness but might be good to go by Tuesday’s game against the Royals.

Curtis Granderson (finger): Grandy will play a couple rehab games this week and is expected to rejoin the Yankees by Friday. Granderson has only played in eight games this season, batting .250 with one homer and one run batted in.

David Phelps (forearm): Phelps will start at least one more game in his rehab stint but is expected to return soon. There’s no room for him in the Yankees’ rotation right now but problems like that have a funny way of working themselves out, especially on a team as chronically injured as the Bombers.

Travis Hafner (shoulder): Hafner was placed on the DL on Saturday but the injury isn’t expected to keep him out longer than two weeks.

John Jaso (concussion): Jaso hurt his head last Wednesday against the Astros but is expected to return by the A’s weekend series against the Rangers.

Cliff Lee (neck): Lee was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start with a stiff neck and may miss more time. He will meet with team doctors but does not expect to be placed on the DL.

Domonic Brown (concussion): Brown will be reevaluated by Philly doctors to see if his symptoms have improved, it’s unclear right now when the breakout star will be back in the lineup.

Carlos Quentin (knee): Quentin was scratched from Monday’s game after tweaking his knee and is currently day-to-day until he is reevaluated. The news couldn’t have come at a worse time, Quentin has four homers, 20 RBI, and 12 R over his last 19 games and has a long history of bad knees.

Ryan Vogelsong (hand): Vogelsong is playing rehab games in Single-A and is targeting a return around August 9 or 10. Vogelsong has a 7.19 ERA on the season and a 9.00 ERA over his last four starts so I wouldn’t rush out to grab him.

Michael Morse (quadriceps): Morse has been activated off the DL after missing more than a month with a quadriceps injury. The Mariners let go of Jason Bay to make room for Morse.

Mike Zunino (hand): Zunino was placed on the DL with a broken bone in his hand and is expected to miss six weeks. Zunino was just starting to get it going, putting up five RBI and nine runs in his last nine games before going down, raising his average from .205 to .242.

John Gast (shoulder): Gast had shoulder surgery last week and will miss the rest of the season.

J.A. Happ (head): Happ is expected to make one or two more rehab starts before rejoining the Blue Jays. Happ had put up a 3.98 ERA, .227 BAA, and 26 K over 31.2 IP before the game in which he took a liner to the head.

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Igor Derysh
Igor Derysh is Editor-at-Large at XN Sports and has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sun-Sentinel, and FantasyPros. He has previously covered sports for COED Magazine, Fantasy Alarm, and Manwall.com.