MLB Injuries

The injury-stricken New York Yankees will receive a boost for Friday's game against the Cleveland Indians.

Manager Aaron Boone revealed on WFAN that shortstop Didi Gregorius will return for Friday's contest (h/t Dan Federico). Gregorius is yet to play this season after he underwent Tommy John surgery in October. 

Gleyber Torres has been playing shortstop for New York, but he is capable of sliding over to second base to stay in the lineup when Gregorius returns.

This is also welcome news on the health front for a team that has seen Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Troy Tulowitzki, Miguel Andujar, Luis Severino and Dellin Betances, among others, all miss significant time with injuries in the first half of the season.

Despite all the setbacks, the Yankees are in first place in the American League East and have the opportunity to put more distance between themselves and the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox with one of their better hitters coming back to the lineup.

Gregorius slashed .268/.335/.494 with a career-best 27 home runs and 86 RBI last year and has 20 or more long balls in each of the last three seasons.

He is also a postseason-tested presence in the middle of the infield who drilled three home runs while helping lead the Yankees to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in 2017. If he performs up to expectations, he will add more October games to his resume and help spearhead another postseason run.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina's ailing thumb has landed him on the injured list.

The team announced Friday that Molina was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 29) with a strained tendon in his right thumb. 

Taking Molina's spot on the 25-man roster will be Andrew Knizner. The 24-year-old is hitting .286/.355/.450 in 37 games at Triple-A Memphis. 

Molina originally injured his thumb on May 25 against the Atlanta Braves. He played the Cardinals' next two games but has been on the bench since Wednesday. 

Despite playing the most physically demanding position on the diamond for 16 seasons, Molina has largely been able to stay healthy throughout his career. He did miss one month in 2018 after having emergency surgery due to a traumatic hematoma after taking a foul ball to his groin. 

Molina's 20 homers in 2018 were the second-highest single-season total of his career. He also finished sixth among all catchers with 2.2 FanGraphs wins above replacement (min. 300 at-bats). 

This season hasn't been a full return to form on offense for Molina, who was hitting .265/.294/.397 slash line. He's also throwing out just 27 percent of base stealers, the second-lowest mark of his career. 

Since Molina figures to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Cardinals will turn to Matt Wieters as their primary catcher. 

The Boston Red Sox will be without first baseman Mitch Moreland for the time being due to a back injury. 

The team announced Wednesday that Moreland was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained lower back. The move is retroactive to Sunday, making him eligible to return June 5.

Moreland hasn't appeared in a game since May 25 when he went 0-for-5 in a 4-3 loss against the Houston Astros. The 33-year-old also took a line-drive from Yuli Gurriel off his knee. 

Even though Moreland is only hitting .228 this season, he's provided a lot of power in the Red Sox lineup. The Missouri native leads the team with a .550 slugging percentage and 13 homers in just 149 at-bats this season. 

Boston has been using Steve Pearce and Michael Chavis at first base with Moreland out for the previous three games. Pearce figures to see increased playing time at the position, especially since Chavis offers more value at second base. 

The Red Sox are trying to close the gap on the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. The defending World Series champions enter Wednesday with a 29-26 record, 6.5 games behind the Yankees and tied with the Oakland Athletics for the second wild card spot.

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured rib and is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks of action. 

In a statement, Correa confirmed he suffered the injury during a massage at his home, according to the Houston Chronicle's Chandler Rome:

"I'm extremely disappointed about not being on the field with my teammates. I sustained the rib fracture during a massage at my home on Tuesday. To sustain an injury in such an unusual way makes it even more frustrating. However, I will work hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible to help our team achieve our goal of winning another championship." 

According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the Astros called up utilityman Myles Straw to take Correa's spot on the roster.

This is just the latest injury for Correa, as the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year has already been sidelined on a couple of occasions early in his career. A torn ligament in his left thumb limited him to 109 games in 2017, and he made only 110 appearances a season ago after missing more than a month due to a back ailment.

He was held out of the first three games of the season this year due to a neck injury that popped up during spring training.

Now, he is shelved again.

Correa had his roughest season to date in 2018, hitting just .239 with 15 home runs, 20 doubles and 65 RBI, all of which are the lowest totals of his four-year career. Meanwhile, he hit just .241 with two extra-base hits in eight postseason contests. That injury-plagued performance came just one year after his first All-Star selection in 2017.

Aside from his current injury, however, Correa has bounced back in a big way this season with a .295 average, 11 homers and 35 RBI through 50 games.

Houston has no shortage of talent throughout its roster when healthy, but its lineup has been plagued by injuries as of late. Correa is set to join second baseman Jose Altuve, outfielder George Springer and infielder Aledmys Diaz on the IL.

Jack Mayfield, who has just two games of MLB experience, started for Correa on Tuesday. He will likely continue to see action at short, but the Astros could also shift Alex Bregman from third to shortstop, Yuli Gurriel from third to first and Tyler White from designated hitter to first in order to create more flexibility.

The Astros have been able to overcome injuries to Correa while winning back-to-back AL West titles the past two seasons. They will once again have to overcome adversity as they look for their third consecutive playoff berth.

Houston Astros star shortstop Carlos Correa is being held out of Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs with rib soreness and is "being evaluated [by] doctors," according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Star second baseman Jose Altuve, meanwhile, returned from a rehab assignment "because of fatigue" in his right leg on which he previously had knee surgery. 

Here’s AJ Hinch with concerning injury updates from Altuve and Correa. pic.twitter.com/kRmkEtPPS5

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 28, 2019

Correa, 24, is in the midst of another fantastic season, hitting .295 with 11 homers, 35 RBI, 26 runs and a .907 OPS. He's played in 50 games thus far, though any injury is a major concern for the Astros given his importance to the team.

Altuve, meanwhile, was already on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. The hope for the Astros will be that he hasn't suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from that injury.

The 29-year-old has hit .243 in 39 games this year, with nine homers, 21 RBI, 21 runs and an .801 OPS.

It's been a tough week for the Astros, who also saw slugger George Springer go on the injured list Saturday with a strained left hamstring. Springer currently leads the American League with 17 homers.

Aledmys Diaz, who has been very solid for Houston this year, is also battling through hamstring issues and has been put on the 10-day injured list.

Despite the spate of injuries to the team's key position players of late, the Astros are 36-19, 6.5 games ahead of the Oakland Athletics in the AL West. Only the Minnesota Twins (36-17), Los Angeles Dodgers (36-18) and New York Yankees (35-18) have better records in baseball.

Obviously, the Astros will be hard-pressed to maintain their excellent play without their star trio of Correa, Altuve and Springer. If Correa's rib soreness ends up being a more serious injury and Altuve and Springer face extended stays on the injured list, Houston's offense will lose much of its bite.

The Boston Red Sox placed veteran second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 60-day injured list on Monday, after he suffered a setback with his injured knee, and Pedroia said he didn't know if he would be able to return from the injury. 

Pedroia on whether he thinks he’ll be able to play again: ‘I’m not sure.’

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) May 27, 2019

"The last game I played, the pain was kind of to the point I had to tell the trainer I had to come out," he said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. "It was a tough day. Next day, I woke up and it wasn't any better. It's to a point now where my knee is not allowing me to play every day." 

"Time will go on and I'll know more about it," he added, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. "I haven't sat down and thought about retirement. I just now that right now I need a break from the everyday stresses and dealing what I'm dealing with."

Pedroia told reporters that surgery wasn't an option and that he hasn't had the time to contemplate retirement up until this point, as he's been busy undergoing rehabilitation on his knee. 

"Some days, I feel fine, and an hour later, walking is tough," he said, per Browne. "If I'm on an hour to hour basis of being able to do anything athletically, that's tough. I think the time will give me the right answer of if I can do this."

"My knee will never heal," he added, per Cotillo. "We're taking the time right now to find out if I can play again."

Dustin Pedroia will stay with the team through the Yankees series, then go home to be with his family for a bit.

— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) May 27, 2019

The 35-year-old has appeared in just six games for the Red Sox this season, hitting .100 with a run and an RBI. And knee issues have plagued him in recent years. He played in just 105 games in the 2017 season, and in October of that year underwent had a microfracture procedure in his left knee, along with cartilage replacement.

He was only able to play in three games last year as he rehabbed the injury. 

If Pedroia does end up calling it quits given his ongoing knee issues, he'll leave the game as a four-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover, two-time champion, the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and 2008 AL MVP. He's spent his entire 14-year career with the Red Sox, hitting .299 with 140 homers, 725 RBI, 922 runs, 138 stolen bases and an OPS of .922. 

He was the face of Boston's franchise for over a decade, one of the team's leaders and a player who was highly respected around the game.

Dave Dombrowski calls Dustin Pedroia "a Boston legend". Said he should be viewed like a David Ortiz and a Pedro Martinez.

— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) May 27, 2019

Pedroia says he's not sure if he can keep playing. If this is indeed the end, he did have a hell of a career. Admired how he grinded. Certainly maximized his ability.

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) May 27, 2019

Now, his future in baseball is uncertain. It would be a disappointing ending to Pedroia's career, though he certainly made his mark on the game. 

The New York Mets announced Thursday that Yoenis Cespedes underwent surgery and is likely to miss the remainder of the 2019 MLB season.

According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the Mets didn't specify the nature of Cespedes' surgery.

The two-time All-Star fractured his right ankle last Saturday while at his ranch in Florida. He had yet to make his 2019 debut after undergoing heel surgery last July.

Cespedes' fall and subsequent surgery add to a year in which almost everything has gone wrong for the Mets.

Jed Lowrie, who signed a two-year, $20 million deal, has yet to appear in a game for the team. He was recovering from a knee injury in spring training when he suffered a hamstring strain during a minor league rehab assignment earlier this month.

Robinson Cano is on pace to finish with career lows in batting average (.241) and slugging percentage (.371). The Mets placed both Cano and Jeff McNeil, one of their few bright spots on offense, on the injured list Wednesday.

General manager Brodie Van Wagenen gave embattled manager Mickey Callaway a vote of confidence as some wonder whether the team may move on from its current manager.

The timing of the announcement about Cespedes puts a damper on the Mets' four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals. New York is still four games back of the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, while it's 2.5 games back of the final wild-card place.

According to FanGraphs, the Mets only have a 25.1 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, and those odds won't improve with Cespedes unavailable for the duration of the season.

Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz has landed on the 10-day injured list due to a wrist injury. 

The team announced the move retroactive to May 14, and that infielder Luis Arraez has been recalled from Triple-A to take Cruz's spot on the 25-man roster. 

Cruz has missed Minnesota's last four games after being removed from a 5-3 loss against the Detroit Tigers on May 12 after feeling pain following a swing. His MRI results came back negative, but he was unable to avoid a trip to the injury list. 

"It's painful," Cruz told reporters of the injury. 

Losing Cruz would normally leave a significant void in the Twins' lineup. The 38-year-old is hitting .270/.354/.508 with seven home runs and 22 RBI in 35 games. 

Fortunately, Minnesota is in a great position to stay strong without Cruz available. The team ranks third in MLB with 80 homers and fifth with 233 runs scored entering Friday. Their offense has catapulted them to the top of the American League Central with a 28-15 record. 

The Twins have eight players with at least six homers already this season. They finished 2018 with 166 home runs en route to a disappointing 78-84 mark. 

New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto suffered a concussion after a collision with Robinson Cano during Thursday's game against the Washington Nationals.  

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo confirmed the diagnosis. 

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, Conforto left the game after being hit in the head when he collided with Cano while they were chasing a pop-up.

Puma added Conforto will ride the train back to New York from Washington D.C. for further evaluation. 

Nationals second baseman Howie Kendrick hit a pop-up down the right-field line in the bottom of the fifth inning. Conforto was running in to make a play when his face collided with Cano's shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground before leaving the field. 

Coming off an inconsistent 2018, Conforto has been one of the Mets' most valuable players this season. The 26-year-old ranks second on the team with a .404 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage entering Thursday. He hit his ninth homer of the year in the third inning. 

Keon Broxton, who has a .394 OPS in 33 games, took over for Conforto in right field. 

The Mets entered the day with a 20-21 record, 3.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. 

In need of a quick fix to turn their season around, the Washington Nationals are close to getting Trea Turner back in the lineup.

Per MASN Sports' Mark Zuckerman, Turner will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday with Washington's Single-A affiliate in Potomac, Maryland. 

Turner appeared in the Nationals' first four games this season before breaking his right index finger on April 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was hit in the hand on a bunt attempt when a pitch from Zach Eflin came high and inside. 

Despite the limited sample size, Turner was off to a red-hot start in 2019 with a .357/.400/.857 slash line and eight extra-base hits in just 14 at-bats. 

Last season was Turner's first injury-free year in the big leagues. The 25-year-old appeared in all 162 games, setting a career high with 19 homers and leading the National League with 43 stolen bases. 

Wilmer Difo has been filling in for Turner at shortstop over the past six weeks. He's hit just .239/.301/.310 in 36 games. 

The Nationals own the NL's second-worst record at 16-24 entering play Tuesday. Only the Miami Marlins (10-29) have been worse to this point in the season.