Collateral Damage Daily for June 7

There are several day-to-day injuries that will we will need to keep an eye on. First, Paul Konerko underwent a procedure earlier in the week to remove a small bone fragment. He underwent a similar procedure last year and only missed a few days, so he should only miss a few days this time around as well. Someone who is not fairing as well is Joe Mauer, who will be re-evaluated on Friday. He sprained his thumb earlier in the week. It seems that the DL is a fair possibility considering Mauer has already missed several days.

Baseball players obviously need their wrists, hands, and fingers, and Edwin Encarnacion is well aware of that. He has a history of wrist and hand issues; the latest one appears to be a significant right hand contusion, and it may be worse. He’s having trouble holding a bat, and the line between a severe contusion and a small hairline fracture is not that big. If Encarnacion doesn’t respond to treatment in the next few days, then he might be placed on the DL. Freddie Freeman also faces the possibility of a trip to the DL after leaving yesterday’s game with a left index finger contusion. A relay throw from Jose Reyes struck Freeman in the hand and caused him to leave the game. He is set to see a specialist today, but it sounds like he will miss several games at least.

Felipe Paulino also had to left last night’s game in the first inning with a right groin strain. There hasn’t been any word on how long he will be out, but groin strains are hard for pitchers to deal with. What’s even more difficult for pitchers to deal with is shoulder, elbow, and hip pain during their start. Jaime Garcia will head back to St. Louis for more testing after rather disastrous results on the field during his last start. Afterward, manager Mike Matheny found out that Garcia was dealing with hip soreness throughout the game and the elbow injury he sustained last week. It would not surprise us at all if he ends up on the DL.

Additions

• Bobby Wilson was placed on the 7-day disabled list late Tuesday night with a concussion that he suffered during Monday’s game. Players and teams are getting more conscious about the short- and long-term effects of a concussion, so when Wilson took a foul ball off the mask Monday night, the concussion management protocol was activated. He felt like he could “fall asleep” behind the plate and was taken out shortly afterward. There is no estimated timetable for his return.
• The Cubs placed Blake Parker on the 60-day DL because of a stress reaction in his right elbow. Stress reactions are what most think about when talking about “stress fractures”—i.e. overloading of the bone with subsequent boney edema on MRI. True stress fractures are more severe and are the result of a significant breaking down of bone in the area to the point where a fracture line shows up. It’s good news that it has not progressed to the stress fracture phase, and equally good news that Parker was able to pitch effectively even though this has been building over time. Stress reactions in the elbow will take more than a few months to improve, so it’s not surprising he ended up on the 60-day DL.
• Alex Avila was placed on the 15-day DL with a right hamstring strain. He missed three days earlier in the week with a tight hamstring but felt he was ready. It tightened up on him during the game on Tuesday and was sent to the DL instead of trying to have him tough it out again or make it worse. Bryan Holaday was brought up to take Avila’s spot, but Gerald Laird will get the majority of the time behind the plate.
• Even though it’s not the baseball equivalent of a death sentence like it once was, “sprained UCL” and “elbow” are two terms no pitcher wants to hear. Andrew Carignan was placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained right elbow. He had to leave Tuesday’s game because of elbow pain and will most likely have Tommy John surgery. More tests are needed before surgery, but it’s a safe bet that he’s going to miss a significant amount of time.
• Carlos Maldonado was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained lower back retroactive to May 30. It’s a little concerning that his injury may be worse than what it appears because of the descriptions of it spasming. I’ve seen it time and time again that disk injuries cause the back to have spasms that can mimic lumbar strains. It’s something that I’m sure the Nationals will pursue. Tyler Moore was called up to take Maldonado’s place on the roster.
• Freddy Galvis was placed on the disabled list with a lower back strain. He had to come out of the game during the fifth inning and was placed on the DL immediately after the game. Considering how quickly he was placed on the DL, it doesn’t sound like he will be ready when eligible.

Subtractions

• Jason Bay was activated from the DL yesterday after missing 43 days with a fractured rib. No, he’s not a slow healer—at least in terms of this—he’s right in the middle of the bell curve of how long players are out, ranging from 17 to 71 days. He wasn’t in the starting lineup in part because he was battling a cold, but Bay should be in there from here on out. The Mets designated Josh Statin for assignment.
• The Mets also activated Pedro Beato from the disabled list after he spent the entire year so far on the DL with a strained shoulder. During his rehab assignment, his velocity returned to the mid-90s. Chris Young was placed on the paternity list in order to make room for Beato.
• Jim Thome was activated from the disabled list as expected, although it was a day or two early. Thome missed 38 days because of a strained lower back. Given his past back troubles, it’s something that may pop up again. In order to reduce that risk, the Phillies are not planning on playing him at first base for the remainder of the season, leaving him to what sounds like pinch-hitting duties except during the interleague series. Pete Orr was optioned to Lehigh Valley to make room for Thome.
• Zach Britton was activated from the DL and immediately optioned to Norfolk. Britton has dealt with an impingement in his shoulder since spring training and had a few PRP injections along the way. His rehab appearances were nothing spectacular, and he clearly needs more work before he’ll be able to help the Orioles. Stu Pomeranz was transferred to the 60-day DL to make room for Britton.
• Brandon Allen spent 27 days on the DL with a strained quad before he was activated yesterday and designated for assignment. Since Allen wasn’t lighting it up when he went onto the DL, this was an expected move.