Author: alaskaadmin

Every injury at this time of year carries extra weight, especially for the playoff contenders trying to get their rosters right for the stretch run. So when Dodgers All-Star outfielder Andy Pages fractures his hand on a pitch, Yankees starters Max Fried and Ryan Weathers both go down to injury, Padres starter Casey Mize leaves his start early with an ankle sprain and Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte deals with … well, whatever it is that he’s dealing with, it’s worth paying extra attention. In this week’s rankings, we spotlight the latest injury updates for every team. The absences of All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman (left shoulder strain) and third baseman Kyle Karros (concussion symptoms) have taken some life out of the lineup. A back end of the bullpen featuring Samy Natera Jr. and Ben Joyce was starting to intrigue until Natera, who has 42 strikeouts in 27 innings this year, went to the IL with back spasms. Now the offense has taken a hit, too, with left fielder Wade Meckler (concussion) and first baseman Nolan Schanuel (intercostal strain) out. Losing Matt Chapman and Casey Schmitt for the year and trading away Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos has taken a lot of the production out of the order. It will be interesting to see if Marcelo Mayer, the 23-year-old infielder acquired from Boston at the deadline, can put things together with a change of scenery, but he has to play for the Giants due to a right foot bone bruise. It’s hard to expect much here with Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rookier and Tyler Soderstrom all injured (among many others). Maikel Garcia returned after missing nearly two months with a hand injury, recorded hits in each of his first four games back, then promptly went back on the IL with a hamstring strain. It’s just not going to be the follow-up campaign many were hoping to see from the 2025 All-Star and World Baseball Classic MVP. The Royals are playing much better, though, and a healthy Vinnie Pasquantino is making a difference. Losing Hunter Greene for the rest of this year (and next) is a brutal blow both for the Reds and for Greene, who had his second Tommy John surgery. Remember when the Nationals were two games over .500 on July 28? Well, they’re 6-18 since then. That’s what happens when the lineup is missing All-Star outfielder James Wood — and now All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams. The Mets are still missing a ton of pieces, but don’t tell them that. They’ve been playing much better baseball lately despite being without Juan Soto (calf strain), Devin Williams (shoulder strain) and Mark Vientos (fractured hand). Jorge Polanco’s injury-riddled disaster of a first year in Queens is also officially over after season-ending ankle surgery. If you’re wondering how this year in Seattle is going, Brendan Donovan was just scratched from a game after getting hit in the head by a pitch in the batting cage, and the Mariners have lost Bryce Miller’s past two starts by scores of 22-0 and 19-2. Whatever hope the Tigers have of sneaking into the playoffs after selling at the deadline, it’s getting slimmer by the day. They’ve lost eight of their past nine games, and it doesn’t help that the offense is without Riley Greene (hamstring strain) and Kerry Carpenter (plantar fasciitis), Byron Buxton is back, but he hasn’t looked like himself since returning from his hip issue. It’s hard to envision the Twins contending for a final playoff spot if they don’t get All-Star right-hander Joe Ryan back soon from a glute strain. Shortstop Oneil Cruz’s return is a welcomed sight, but the Pirates’ offense still looks rather lifeless. Losing Ryan O’Hearn to injury last month really hurt. They haven’t had a winning month since May, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change in August after getting swept at Dodger Stadium over the weekend. Maybe rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin’s expected return from a finger injury in July can provide a late-season spark. Slugger Samuel Basallo is back for an Orioles lineup that could use the extra thump. It will be interesting to see what Felix Bautista, who began a rehab assignment, can provide for the bullpen down the stretch as he works his way back from shoulder surgery. The Astros did nothing to address their rotation at the deadline, a decision they might already regret. Their starters rank 28th in ERA since the start of July, and Houston got outscored 23-7 by the Angels last week before dropping a series to the A’s. That kind of week should probably be automatic grounds for removal from a division race, but this is the AL West we’re talking about. One team will win it despite its best efforts. Keep an eye on starter Mike Burrows, who has looked better on his rehab assignment. (See above.) The Rangers have been basically a .500 team all year … which might be enough to win the division. We’ll see what deadline addition Logan O’Hoppe can provide after his call-up, but the offense could really use the return of third baseman Josh Jung, who’s still out after straining his calf a month ago. Infielders Andres Gimenez and Josh Smith are both dealing with hamstring issues. More importantly, though, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has returned from his concussion. Can he find his power stroke in time to save the Blue Jays’ season? Losing both Hunter Dobbins and Andre Pallante to arm injuries will be tough for the rotation to withstand. Meanwhile, shortstop Masyn Winn (sore thumb) didn’t start any games this weekend as the Cardinals were swept by the Phillies. The Guardians did what they had to do last week against the Giants and Rockies, and it might be a sign of things to come with a cakewalk of a schedule to end the year. It helps that the roster is relatively healthy, and most of the injured guys (Rhys Hoskins, Slade Cecconi, Shawn Armstrong) should be back at some point down the stretch. The Marlins have compiled the lowest rotation ERA in the National League this month despite being without All-Star Max Meyer (neck strain). It’s still unclear when he might return, but they should be getting outfielder Kyle Stowers (hamstring strain) and reliever Anthony Bender (shin stress reaction) back soon. We still have more questions than answers after Ketel Marte no-showed for a game Monday, was placed on the restricted list, then was shifted to the injured list with knee inflammation. The situation took its latest bizarre turn Friday when Marte was spotted at a casino during Arizona’s game. Not great while your team is fighting for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Michael Soroka is back on the IL as the D-backs await the potential returns of injured pitchers Corbin Burnes, Ryne Nelson and Zac Gallen in some capacity before season’s end. Chicago’s starters have the worst ERA of any rotation in the American League this month. The White Sox really need Davis Martin to find his early season form when he returns from a blister issue. He was 9-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 18 first-half starts and is 0-2 with an 8.03 ERA in six starts since the break. Meanwhile, Kyle Teel is getting close to a rehab appearance, which should be helpful for a Sox team that has gotten little production from their catchers all year. The offense is about to get some reinforcements. All eyes are on Roman Anthony as he gets closer to his return, which could happen as soon as this week. Infielders Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are also closing in on a return. The Phillies are the hottest team in baseball, riding a nine-game winning streak. The offense is finding its groove — as are depth starters Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter — which made this weekend a bit concerning when Luis Arraez and Derek Hill both departed Saturday’s game early. Then Bryson Stott did the same on Sunday after fouling a ball off his foot. X-rays were negative on Stott, and Arraez felt good enough to replace him in the game. Max Fried is back on the injured list with a recurrence of his elbow bone bruise, Ryan Weathers is now sidelined with a forearm strain, and Giancarlo Stanton is in danger of missing the rest of the season. On the bright side, Cody Bellinger is back, and Aaron Judge is at least swinging a bat again. The Yankees need all the offense they can get right now, but the pitching is still performing despite the absences. Deadline addition Casey Mize left his latest start with an ankle sprain. It might seem like the Padres’ rotation is in a tough place until Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove can return, but the starters in place have done their part to keep the vibes strong and the arrow pointing up in San Diego. Reynaldo Lopez has started a rehab assignment as he works his way back from knee inflammation, but it remains to be seen when, if or in what role Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow surgery), Spencer Strider (elbow inflammation) and Hurston Waldrep (arm discomfort) will be able to contribute this year. The depth pieces in the rotation have picked up the slack in the meantime, but the offense has gone cold. If all goes well, injured pitchers Ben Brown, Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, Hoby Milner and Shelby Miller could all be back helping the staff sometime before season’s end. Meanwhile, utility man Matt Shaw is on a rehab assignment, an important development considering shortstop Dansby Swanson is sidelined with an oblique injury. The Orioles seem to have the Rays’ number, taking series against them both on the road and at home over the past couple of weeks. Griffin Jax (elbow discomfort) and Cole Sulser (back spasms) are both on rehab assignments, so pitching reinforcements should be due back soon in Tampa Bay. The Dodgers have started to right the ship after a couple of lackluster months, and now their rotation is getting close to full strength with Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani set to return to the mound as soon as this coming week. The outfield, meanwhile, took a big hit with Andy Pages’ hand injury, but catcher Will Smith could be back to assist the lineup by the first week of September. The impending return of right fielder Sal Frelick should provide an extra jolt of energy, but the health of star second baseman Brice Turang is something to watch as he manages his knee pain the rest of the way. He hasn’t hit a home run this month, and the Brewers are going to need him as a presence in the lineup.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports