MLB Injuries

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia's rehab has been delayed due to knee soreness. 

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported the Red Sox view Pedroia's setback as "minor."

Pedroia has been on the injured list since April 18 due to a left knee issue. He appeared in only six games before the injury, going 2-for-20 while clearly not looking like himself.

"He was just sore," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Sunday when asked why Pedroia was scratched from a scheduled rehab start. "Most likely he'll fly in tonight. We'll see him tomorrow. And then we'll go from there. But I talked to him this morning. He doesn't feel it's something major. Just him being smart about it. He's not going to take any chances at this point."

Pedroia missed all but three games of the 2018 season after undergoing cartilage restoration surgery in October 2017. He's had a series of setbacks since that procedure while the Red Sox have moved on without him.

Boston is currently in third place in the AL East, so the team could use a boost. That said, the Sox won a World Series without Pedroia last season. As frustrating as it is for him, the team should be able to keep pushing on just fine in his absence.  

Seattle Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon suffered a wrist injury that forced him to leave Thursday's game against the New York Yankees early. 

The injury occurred when he was hit by a pitch from J.A. Happ:

Gordon entered the day hitting .304 with 10 stolen bases so far this season.

The veteran has generally avoided serious injuries in his career and will hope the latest issue also turns out to be minor. Even with a stint on the disabled list last year with a fractured toe, he still played in at least 140 games for the fourth time in five years. 

The only exception came in 2016 when he was suspended for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The 31-year-old remains an impact player on the field and increased his versatility last year in his first season with the Mariners, learning how to play the outfield for the first time in his career.

He spent time in center field, at second base and at shortstop during the 2018 season while hitting .268 with 30 stolen bases.

Gordon can still help in a lot of ways, but the latest injury takes a key hitter out of the Mariners lineup and puts more pressure on the rest of the offense until he is healthy. Utility player Dylan Moore could potentially fill in at second base while the starter is unavailable.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Matt Kemp will miss at least the next 10 days with a chest injury.

The Reds announced Tuesday that Phillip Ervin has been recalled from Triple-A after Kemp was placed on the 10-day injury list with a broken rib. 

Kemp was injured during Sunday's 4-3 loss against the San Diego Padres when he crashed into the left-field wall trying to make a catch. 

In his first season with Cincinnati, Kemp is hitting just .200/.210/.283 with one homer and 19 strikeouts in 60 at-bats.

Kemp is coming off a bounce-back season with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he hit .290 with 21 home runs and 85 RBI, earning his first All-Star selection since 2012.

Any significant injury could be damaging for the outfielder as he heads into free agency this season.

The Reds will likely turn to Jesse Winker as their primary left fielder. Ervin, who was Cincinnati's first-round pick in 2013, is hitting .224/.291/.286 in 12 games at Triple-A. 

It appears Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Nick Burdi reportedly has avoided the worst possible fate after a scary-looking injury Monday night. 

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Burdi suffered a "strained biceps tendon and flexor mass" injury after falling over in pain in the eighth inning during a 12-4 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but avoided any major structural damage:

You can see the pitch where he suffered the injury below:

"That was heart-wrenching," reliever Kyle Crick said of Burdi's injury, per Adam Berry of MLB.com. "To know what he went through the previous year to get back here, and having success in the big leagues and something like that happens, it’s tough."

"It takes the breath right out of you," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle added. "You love to compete, you love to watch young men play, then that's the hard part of it when something like that happens."

Burdi, 26, underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2017 and appeared in just two games in September of last season. In 2019, he's gone 2-1 in 11 appearances with a 9.35 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 8.2 innings.

He had started the season on a strong note before giving up five runs on Monday night, ballooning his ERA, and then suffering the biceps strain. 

Regardless of the results of the second opinion, Burdi is still probably facing a significant stay on the injured list. But the fact that it appears he suffered no breaks or tears is the best possible outcome given how serious the injury looked when he fell to the mound in pain on Monday night.

The Boston Red Sox will be without pitcher Nathan Eovaldi for a significant amount of time after he underwent elbow surgery Tuesday.

Manager Alex Cora wouldn't give a specific timeline for Eovaldi's return but said the procedure went well, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Monday the right-hander would undergo surgery to remove "loose bodies" in his elbow. While Eovaldi underwent a similar surgery during the 2018 campaign when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays and missed two months, he returned in time to pitch for the Red Sox down the stretch and in the World Series after Boston acquired him prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

WEEI.com's Rob Bradford speculated Eovaldi will be out four to six weeks, a similar recovery timeline to last year.

Eovaldi struggled in the early going this season and posted a 6.00 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 21 innings through his first four starts. He wasn't the same pitcher who finished with a 3.33 ERA in 12 appearances for the Red Sox in 2018 and served as a critical piece in their World Series victory.

He posted a 1.61 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in six playoff appearances, and Boston won five of the games in which he pitched.

Ironically, it was his showing in the one his team lost that stood out the most.

After pitching in both Game 1 and Game 2 in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was called upon in extra innings of Game 3 as Boston was running out of options. He pitched from the 12th inning into the 18th inning, allowing just three hits despite obvious fatigue.

While he gave up the winning home run to Max Muncy in the 18th, the Red Sox used the showing as a rallying cry and won the next two games.

Boston will have to wait to see if he can replicate his heroics in 2019 following this surgery, but it still has Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez to anchor its starting rotation.

Atlanta Braves reliever Arodys Vizcaino will miss the remainder of the 2019 MLB season after undergoing shoulder surgery Wednesday. 

Vizcaino appeared in four games this season, striking out six batters and allowing one earned run. The Braves had placed the right-hander on the injured list last Sunday after he experienced shoulder discomfort in his throwing arm.

With Vizcaino now out of the picture for the remainder of the year, the calls in Atlanta for the team to sign Craig Kimbrel are likely to grow louder.

According to FanGraphs, Braves relievers collectively rank 24th in ERA (5.43), 27th in FIP (5.55), 28th in home run rate (1.81 per nine innings) and 28th in walk rate (5.43 per nine innings).

Atlanta's bullpen is clearly an issue to start the year and now the team is without a pitcher who posted a 3.47 FIP in 108 games over the previous four seasons, per Baseball Reference.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday that Kimbrel was looking for a contract "in the range" of those offered to Wade Davis and Zack Britton. Davis got $52 million over three years from the Colorado Rockies, while Britton signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the New York Yankees.

Paying Kimbrel $13 million to $17 million annually wouldn't be that exorbitant, especially since he has a better resume than Davis or Britton.

MLB.com's Jon Morosi provided an update Tuesday on Kimbrel, reporting he's "closer" to making a decision about his next move. Morosi noted the Braves "continue to monitor the markets" for Kimbrel and free-agent starter Dallas Keuchel but that their respective contract demands and the cost of losing a draft pick were concerning.

Vizcaino's injury gives Atlanta an added incentive to pay whatever it takes to reunite with Kimbrel. 

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester reportedly will be placed on the injured list with a strained hamstring, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. 

Lester left Monday's game with the injury after awkwardly sliding into home plate in the second inning. He tried to pitch through the hamstring issue but was removed by manager Joe Maddon after just three pitches in the top of the third.

"He did talk me into [leaving him in] because I'm really deferring to his veteranship right there," Maddon said of initially letting Lester start the third inning, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "It could've been a cramp—I don't know. But, watching him throw the next pitch, the next hit, I didn't like it at all. The worst scenario would've been to leave him out there, work through it, get hurt worse and then bring the bullpen in."

Lester said Monday he was still planning on making his next start, though Maddon course-corrected on Tuesday, saying the veteran pitcher could miss up to two starts:

Lester has kept his sense of humor about the injury, however:

The 35-year-old has gotten off to a strong start in the 2019 campaign, going 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 14 strikeouts in 14 innings across three starts. He's been one of the lone bright spots for a pitching staff that is currently 30th in ERA (6.70) and WHIP (1.90) and batting average against (.304).

In the process, the Cubs have limped to a 3-7 start, already putting them 4.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers (8-3).

With Mike Montgomery also on the disabled list, Tyler Chatwood is the logical replacement for Lester while he's sidelined.

New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar plans to avoid surgery on a slight labrum tear in his shoulder with rest and rehabilitation and return to the field sometime in the 2019 season. 

Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor could be out at least three more weeks as he deals with a sprained left ankle, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. 

Lindor, 25, has already had a tough season on the injury front. He has not appeared in any of the Indians' first four games of the season as he spent the spring rehabbing a strained right calf he suffered in February.

He injured his ankle after getting caught in a rundown while rehabbing with Double-A Akron. It was initially diagnosed as a mild to moderate sprain, but he met with Dr. Robert Anderson on Monday to get a second opinion.

When healthy, Lindor is one of baseball's best players. The three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and 2016 Gold Glover was superb in 2018, hitting .277 with 38 homers, 92 RBI, 129 runs and 25 stolen bases. Those numbers only placed him sixth in the MVP voting, though it was the third straight season he finished in the top 10.

Without Lindor, Cleveland is missing its most important player, and fellow star Jose Ramirez—alongside players like Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana and Tyler Naquin—will need to pick up the slack.

Lindor isn't replaceable, of course, but while he's out of action, Leonys Martin will likely remain in the leadoff spot in the lineup, while Eric Stamets or Max Moroff could continue to handle shortstop duties.

The New York Yankees will have to play their upcoming games without Giancarlo Stanton, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a biceps strain Monday. 

Bryan Hoch later noted Stanton has a Grade 1 strain and that manager Aaron Boone hopes to have the slugger back "later this month." Boone told reporters Stanton suffered the injury on a "funky swing" during Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Stanton is a huge part of the Yankees lineup, entering the day with a .250 average through the first three games without a home run. Even with other big hitters in the middle of the order, an extended absence could be a significant setback for the team.

Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez will have more pressure on them to pick up the slack while Stanton is unavailable.

While inconsistency has been a bit of an issue, as well as strikeouts, the 2017 NL MVP has been mostly what the Yankees expected when they traded for him last offseason. The slugger drove in 100 runs in 2018 while hitting 38 home runs, the second most of his career.

This was only one year after leading the majors with 59 homers and 132 RBI for the Miami Marlins.

New York will just hope the latest injury doesn't recreate questions about his durability.

Stanton only missed seven total games over the past two seasons, but he had problems staying on the field before that with an average of 115 games per year from 2012-16.

Considering he is making $26 million this season, every missed game will be especially disappointing for the Yankees.