Hitters Who Played Through a 2025 Injury
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
With the regular season over, it’s time to find out how hitters performed who didn’t let an injury heal and played through the pain. Whether these hitters cause permanent damage to their bodies or pick up bad habits, they continue to underperform their next season’s projections. Besides collecting the names myself, I’ve asked for some help (article) for this past season’s list.
First, here is a look at how 2024 hitters performed compared to their Steamer projections.
| Name | Steamer Prog | Actual | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Bregman | .805 | .821 | .016 |
| Alex Verdugo | .717 | .585 | -.132 |
| Anthony Santander | .792 | .565 | -.227 |
| Brandon Nimmo | .766 | .760 | -.006 |
| Brenton Doyle | .723 | .655 | -.068 |
| Brooks Lee | .720 | .654 | -.066 |
| Bryce Harper | .890 | .844 | -.046 |
| Carlos Correa | .797 | .734 | -.063 |
| Chas McCormick | .707 | .569 | -.138 |
| Christian Yelich | .794 | .795 | .001 |
| Cody Bellinger | .764 | .813 | .049 |
| Dansby Swanson | .716 | .717 | .001 |
| David Fry | .744 | .592 | -.152 |
| DJ LeMahieu | .690 | .674 | -.016 |
| Evan Carter | .739 | .728 | -.011 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | .879 | .814 | -.065 |
| Francisco Lindor | .790 | .811 | .021 |
| Freddie Freeman | .858 | .869 | .011 |
| Gleyber Torres | .738 | .745 | .007 |
| Heliot Ramos | .742 | .728 | -.014 |
| Hunter Renfroe | .739 | .483 | -.256 |
| J.T. Realmuto | .730 | .700 | -.030 |
| Jason Heyward | .703 | .494 | -.209 |
| Jazz Chisholm Jr. | .769 | .813 | .044 |
| Joey Ortiz | .729 | .593 | -.136 |
| Jonathan India | .752 | .669 | -.083 |
| Jorge Polanco | .685 | .821 | .136 |
| Juan Soto | .963 | .921 | -.042 |
| Julio Rodriguez | .819 | .798 | -.021 |
| Jurickson Profar | .763 | .787 | .024 |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | .708 | .595 | -.113 |
| Ketel Marte | .852 | .893 | .041 |
| Kris Bryant | .729 | .400 | -.329 |
| Luis Arraez | .769 | .719 | -.050 |
| Marcus Semien | .760 | .669 | -.091 |
| Mark Canha | .733 | .537 | -.196 |
| Masataka Yoshida | .785 | .696 | -.089 |
| Masyn Winn | .738 | .673 | -.065 |
| Mauricio Dubón | .688 | .644 | -.044 |
| Max Kepler | .728 | .691 | -.037 |
| Michael Massey | .733 | .581 | -.152 |
| Miguel Rojas | .680 | .715 | .035 |
| Nick Ahmed | .601 | .100 | -.501 |
| Nolan Jones | .723 | .600 | -.123 |
| Nolan Schanuel | .763 | .742 | -.021 |
| Ozzie Albies | .773 | .671 | -.102 |
| Rafael Devers | .854 | .851 | -.003 |
| Sal Frelick | .706 | .756 | .050 |
| Shohei Ohtani | .940 | 1.014 | .074 |
| Starling Marte | .719 | .745 | .026 |
| Thairo Estrada | .733 | .655 | -.078 |
| Trevor Larnach | .754 | .727 | -.027 |
| Tyler O’Neill | .753 | .684 | -.069 |
| Will Wagner | .756 | .603 | -.153 |
| Wilmer Flores | .731 | .686 | -.045 |
| Yandy Díaz | .818 | .848 | .030 |
| Average OPS Change | -.063 | ||
| Median OPS Change | -.045 | ||
| Avg Adj OPS Change | -.071 | ||
| Med Adj OPS Change | -.053 | ||
| # of Overperformers | 16 | ||
| # of Underperformers | 40 | ||
| Underperformed% | 71% |
Last season, the difference was less pronounced, especially after adjusting for league context. This year, the overall percentage of players down, along with the league-wide change in run environment, was the biggest hit I’ve tracked. Usually, the drop is 25 to 35 points of OPS. This year, it was around 50 points.
One item that stood out was the number of batters who missed their OPS projection by 100 points (15 or 27%). While some hitters, like Jorge Polanco, seemed to get healthy, most didn’t recover.
So here are the overall values over the years.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Total | 393 |
| Average OPS Change | -.043 |
| Median OPS Change | -.029 |
| Avg Adj OPS Change | -.045 |
| Med Adj OPS Change | -.031 |
| # of Overperformers | 131 |
| # of Underperformers | 262 |
| Underperformed% | 66.7% |
With the historic numbers out of the way, here are all the batters I could verify played through an injury. Please let me know if I missed anyone.
| Name | Injury with Link |
|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | Shoulder |
| Anthony Santander | Shoulder |
| Anthony Volpe | Labrum Tear |
| Brendan Donovan | Foot |
| Bryan Reynolds | Shoulder |
| Bryce Harper | Wrist |
| Colton Cowser | Ribs |
| Corey Seager | Calf |
| Elly De La Cruz | Quad |
| Ernie Clement | Hand |
| Ezequiel Tovar | Hip |
| Francisco Alvarez | Thumb |
| Francisco Lindor | Toe |
| Freddie Freeman | Neck |
| Jacob Wilson윌슨 | Hand |
| Jake Fraley | Shoulder |
| Jazz Chisholm Jr. | Shoulder |
| Jordan Westburg | Finger |
| Jose Altuve | Foot |
| Kyle Tucker | Hand |
| Lane Thomas | Foot |
| Lars Nootbaar | Rib |
| Lawrence Butler | Knee |
| Marcell Ozuna | Hip |
| Masyn Winn | Knee |
| Miguel Andujar | Quad |
| Mike Trout | Knee |
| Nick Castellanos | Knee |
| Nolan Arenado | Finger |
| Paul Goldschmidt | Knee |
| Rafael Devers | Back |
| Sean Murphy | Hip |
| Spencer Steer | Shoulder |
| Willi Castro | Wrist |
| William Contreras | Finger |
| Willson Contreras | Finger |
| Wyatt Langford | Oblique |
| Xander Bogaerts | Shoulder |
| Yoán Moncada | Knee |
And that’s it for this year.
Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.
FWIW Tucker didn’t really play through the calf strain, which he suffered on Sept. 2; he did not play again before being placed on the IL on Sept. 9, and while he may not have been 100 percent when reactivated on Sept. 26 that was only for three games. He did, however, play through the hairline fracture in his right hand which happened on June 1, as he returned to the lineup June 5 and never went on the IL. There was widespread speculation that it contributed to his following slump: https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/kyle-tucker-gets-day-off-after-recent-struggles-at-plate
Thanks