MLB Injuries

The face of the Philadelphia Phillies may be back for the final playoff push.

While Bryce Harper wouldn't put a hard timetable on when he will return from the broken left thumb he suffered on June 25, he said he is hoping to come back by "September-ish," per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

He had pins removed from the thumb Monday and is slowly starting a rehab process that includes hitting balls off a tee and light throwing.

That he is throwing is all the more notable because he also suffered a tear in his right UCL in May, which largely limited him to a designated hitter role before he suffered the thumb injury that required surgery.

"It's kind of on the back burner for me," Harper said of the elbow injury that may need surgery after the season. "I just want to get back in the lineup. I want to start hitting. I am not looking to get back to throwing as quickly as possible because I really want to hit, so maybe in the offseason I'll start throwing more."

Getting Harper back even as only a hitter would be a massive boost for the Phillies.

The 2021 National League MVP was slashing .318/.385/.599 with 25 home runs and 48 RBI in 64 games prior to the thumb injury and seemed well on his way to another excellent season.

The seven-time All-Star also led the league with a 1.044 OPS last season.

Having that type of presence in a lineup that also includes Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto for the final month could give Philadelphia the inside track on a wild-card spot.

It is just 0.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for the final spot, as of Thursday.

Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez and shortstop Jeremy Pena will be evaluated for concussions after colliding during the eighth inning of Wednesday's game against the New York Mets.

Both players were calling for a fly ball and Pena ended up catching it, but his glove and elbow caught Alvarez in the face. Alvarez laid still on the field for a bit before he got up and was carted off. Pena initially looked like he could stay in the game but he also was then ruled out.

Entering Wednesday, Alvarez put together an All-Star-caliber season. He is Houston's leader in batting average (.321), home runs (23), RBI (56) and hits (75). The 25-year-old also leads the majors with a 1.081 OPS.

Alvarez's strong 2022 season is a return to form after his disappointing performance in the 2021 World Series. After being named ALCS MVP and recording an ALCS-record .522 batting average against the Boston Red Sox, Alvarez went just 2-for-20 against the Atlanta Braves as the Astros lost in six games.

Houston considers Alvarez to be a key member of the team's core and signed the slugger to a six-year, $115 million contract extension earlier this month. Astros general manager James Click referred to Alvarez as a "cornerstone player."

Pena had looked like one of the early frontrunners for AL Rookie of the Year before a thumb injury caused him to be placed on the injured list. Still, he's looked like a solid replacement for Carlos Correa, batting .275 with nine homers and 27 RBI.

Houston ended up winning Wednesday's game 2-0 when catcher Jason Castro hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning off of Mets reliever Drew Smith. The victory completes an impressive road trip for the Astros, who lead the AL West with a 47-27 record.

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is considered day-to-day after an MRI revealed that he didn't suffer a fracture in his injured right hand, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Alonso told reporters on Wednesday that he's unsure if the injury will require a stint on the injured list, but his hand was still swollen.

"I'm kind of surprised in a good way how it feels today," Alonso said.

Alonso exited New York's loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday after getting hit in the hand by a pitch in the top of the second inning. The Mets said initial X-rays on Alonso came back negative, but he was set for further testing.

It's a bit of deja vu for Alonso, who was forced to miss time last season because of a hand injury after he was hit by a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals. He still managed to appear in 152 games in 2021.

As of June 8, New York players have been hit by a pitch 40 times this season, six more than any other team in the majors. Alonso had been hit seven times, on pace to easily surpass the 12 times he was nailed last season.

In his fourth year in MLB, Alonso is the face of the Mets offense. The 27-year-old ranks fourth in the majors with 16 home runs and first with 54 RBI while slashing .282/.363/.546 through 58 games in 2022.

Any amount of time without Alonso in the lineup is a significant blow to the Mets' offense. Dominic Smith is likely to fill his spot at third base, but it will be up to players like Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar to produce at the plate while Alonso is sidelined.

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is not in the starting lineup Monday after suffering a groin injury, while his scheduled pitching start on Tuesday will also be pushed back, the team announced Monday (via ESPN's Jesse Rogers).

Ohtani was removed from the Angels' game against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, and the team later announced that he was experiencing right groin tightness. 

Trainer Mike Frostad said removing him from the last game was "more as a precaution than anything," but added the timeline is up in the air.

"We'll have to see how it plays out over the next couple of days," Frostad said. "We're not at a position right now, on Monday, to make a determination on his next start."

The reigning American League MVP is off to a slow start at the plate this season. Through 22 games, he is batting just .228 with four home runs and 12 RBI. On the mound, he has a 2-2 record with a 4.19 ERA and 30 strikeouts in four starts.

The two-way phenom was the breakout star of the 2021 season. Ohtani slugged .592 with 46 home runs and an MLB-high eight triples while posting a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts over 23 starts.

Prior to last year, Ohtani's career was slowed by various injuries. After being forced to undergo Tommy John surgery, he made a total of just 12 starts from 2018 to 2020, and the Angels used him mostly as a designated hitter. 

The Angels are 15-8 to start the season, good for first place in the AL West. While Ohtani is out, players like Mike Trout, Taylor Ward and Anthony Rendon will have to carry the team's offense. If Ohtani is forced to miss a start on the mound, Angels pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Noah Syndergaard will be relied upon to lead the rotation.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping a stint on the injured list will give Mookie Betts enough time to rest the nagging right hip injury that's had him in and out of the lineup lately.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday that Betts will head back to L.A. that night to begin his rehab plan:

Betts was pulled from Friday's contest against the Los Angeles Angels in the sixth inning because of hip discomfort, was back in the lineup Saturday, out Sunday and again Tuesday despite the Dodgers having an off-day Monday.

Through 87 games, the outfielder—who has recently also spent time at second base—is slashing .277/.378/.521 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI.

Betts went on IL for the first time in three years on July 25 when his hip became too much to manage with general day-to-day treatment. Now Roberts and the outfielder agree another stint may help keep him fresher down the stretch.

"As far as symptomatically, it is what it is," Roberts said. "It's difficult for him to navigate and move around. We're making this move because we still have to have a functional roster. To get him some rest, that's the next, no-brainer step for us."

Right-handed reliever Edwin Uceta is being recalled in a corresponding move.

In the meantime, the Dodgers are 68-45, four games back of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West and three games up on the San Diego Padres, who are right behind L.A. in third.

The team's East Coast road trip continues Wednesday with the second of three games against the Philadelphia Phillies followed by four contests against the New York Mets at Citi Field. The Dodgers return home Monday to face the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Look for Billy McKinney, Matt Beaty, Cody Bellinger and Trea Turner to see some opportunities in the outfield while Betts is recovering.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sanchez will undergo season-ending surgery after an MRI revealed a small tear in the posterior capsule of his right shoulder, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, who also noted that the team hopes the 22-year-old will be good to go for spring training next year.

Sanchez went 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA in seven starts during his rookie season last year. He struck out 33 batters in 39 innings.

The right-hander did not pitch this year, with Christina De Nicola of MLB.com explaining some reasons:

But a couple of delays—a visa issue, then a COVID-19 false positive—pushed back his arrival to camp. Sanchez played catchup during Spring Training, and it was during a simulated game on March 31 to build up his pitch count in preparation of joining the ballclub that he experienced right shoulder inflammation.

Per De Nicola, the Marlins shut Sanchez down down in early June due to "slight discomfort during his throwing program in between bullpen sessions." 

Good news appeared to emerge on June 29 when Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported that Sanchez was throwing at 120 feet, but MLB Pipeline's No. 11 overall prospect will now be out until 2022.

The Philadelphia Phillies initially signed the 6'0", 234-pound Sanchez as a free agent in 2015. He stayed in the organization's minor league system until Feb. 2019, when Philadelphia traded him to Miami in a package for catcher J.T. Realmuto.

The New York Mets may have avoided the worst possible outcome on Jacob deGrom's shoulder injury. 

Manager Luis Rojas said the team will take things "day-by-day" after imaging showed a "normal" shoulder:

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com previously reported the team had received "a positive report" on Thursday:

The 32-year-old deGrom left his start Wednesday vs. the Chicago Cubs in the top of the fourth after striking out eight of the nine batters he faced.

"I felt good warming up, felt really good in the first and second innings, then there in the third my shoulder was sore," he told reporters after the 6-3 win. "This is getting old. I want to be out there competing instead of coming out of these games with these little [things]."

He had also left his previous start with flexor tendinitis after six innings.

"I think it's three separate issues," deGrom said of the various injuries he's battled this season. "I think the lat was something to do with the swing. The elbow I didn't think too much of ... I was pretty confident that that was nothing. And I'm pretty confident that this is nothing. We did some tests and ruled out anything serious."

He previously underwent an MRI for his elbow that came back clean, before undergoing an MRI on his shoulder. 

When healthy he's been beyond dominant, going 6-2 with a 0.54 ERA, 0.51 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 67 innings, numbers so good they feel made up. Perhaps they shouldn't be a surprise considering he's a three-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young award winner, but he's been transcendent this season. 

The only thing that has slowed him down are injuries. 

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with left shoulder inflammation.

The Diamondbacks recalled Humberto Castellanos from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Bumgarner is 4-5 with a 5.73 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 12 starts this season.

The four-time All-Star has gone through wildly inconsistent stretches throughout 2021. He began the season with three straight games giving up five or more runs in five or fewer innings, then transitioned to a run of six straight outings where he gave up two or fewer runs.

In his three final starts before hitting the injured list, Bumgarner took another downturn, giving up 19 runs in 12 innings. He left Wednesday's start against the New York Mets after being shelled for five runs on eight hits in two innings. 

After the game, Bumgarner said he had been feeling the discomfort for two or three weeks.

"This is just bad judgment on my part," Bumgarner told reporters. "I thought it was going to get better and go away sooner. The last three to four days it's gotten worse and affected my pitching."

Cleveland starter Zach Plesac suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb and will be placed on the injured list, manager Terry Francona told reporters Tuesday.

The right-hander "aggressively" took off his shirt following his outing on May 23 and hit his hand on a nearby chair. Plesac lasted just 3.2 innings in an 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins, giving up five hits and five runs (three earned), raising his season ERA to 4.14 with a 1.02 WHIP.

It's unclear who could take Plesac's next two turns in the rotation. The 26-year-old was scheduled to take the mound on May 28 against the Toronto Blue Jays but won't be eligible to return from IL before June 8. 

Cleveland may also decide to send him to the minor leagues for a rehabilitation start following a prolonged layoff without throwing before returning him to the active roster. 

While the cause of the injury is a bit odd, it's far from the first weird baseball injury this season.

Atlanta Braves righty Huascar Ynoa punched a padded bench in the dugout on May 16, breaking his pitching hand during the moment of frustration. Before that, Oakland A's star Jesus Luzardo fractured his left pinkie finger by hitting his hand on a desk while playing video games in the clubhouse. 

Even Cleveland has seen stranger injuries with former starter Trevor Bauer slicing his right pinkie finger open while trying to repair a drone—during the 2016 American League Championship Series, no less. 

Plesac is just the latest entry into an infamous baseball category.

In the meantime, Cleveland (25-20) remains just 1.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central and will need to find suitable pitching to replace Plesac to keep that gap from widening. 

The New York Mets shifted pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the 60-day injured list Thursday amid a setback in his recovery from a torn right hamstring.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reported Carrasco "hasn’t been feeling right" rehabbing the injury, so the team chose to push back the timeline for his return. He will now be eligible to return from the injured list May 31.

The Mets said Carrasco was set to begin minor league rehabilitation over the weekend. It's unclear if the change in his status will push back that timeframe.

Carrasco initially injured his hamstring in spring training and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. The right-hander was acquired by the Mets as part of the trade that also brought Francisco Lindor to New York.

Carrasco posted a 3-4 record with a 2.91 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 12 starts during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He spent his first 11 MLB seasons in Cleveland and is under contract through at least 2022.

The Mets will likely continue using Joey Lucchesi in their final spot in the rotation.