MASH Report (7/7/16)

• Matt Harvey is on the DL with a sore shoulder, but may have thoracic outlet syndrome. I expect quite a bit more news over the next few days.

Harvey is being examined for suspicion of thoracic outlet syndrome, which is why he’s seeing the top specialist based in St. Louis. #mets

— David Lennon (@DPLennon) July 6, 2016

For fantasy, I would expect him to be out at least a month with missing the rest of the season a real possibility.

• It seems like Matt Carpenter is headed to the DL with a strained oblique especially since most oblique strains take a month to heal (Note: Now he is officially on the DL)

• Taijuan Walker is on the DL with tendinitis in his ankle.

Taijuan Walker was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday and will fly to Charlotte, N.C., to see a foot and ankle specialist on Sunday as the Mariners look for answers on the health of their young right-hander.

Walker was pulled after four innings in a 5-2 loss to the Astros on Tuesday after giving up three home runs, while again dealing with a flare-up of tendinitis in the arch of his right foot, an issue that has affected his last four starts and led to a 10-day rest late last month.
…
Servais said the club still believes Walker is dealing with tendinitis in the arch, but the skipper wants to make sure there are no structural issues that might be causing Walker’s pain when he pushes off on his right foot.

It seems like the trip to the doctor is precautionary, but we will find out more soon.

• Marco Estrada will use the extra time available for the All-Star game to rest his ailing back.

Estrada has been dealing with soreness in his lower back since the middle of June, and received multiple cortisone shots on Monday. The right-hander was initially scheduled to start Thursday’s series opener against the Tigers, but the Blue Jays will hand the ball to right-hander Drew Hutchison in Estrada’s place.

The Blue Jays had discussed pushing Estrada back to start either Friday or Saturday, but the decision was made to give him extra rest through the break.

“It’s something that I didn’t want to hear,” Estrada said prior to the series finale against the Royals on Wednesday. “I thought I was going to be able to find my way through it, but I think we’re doing the right thing. It was taken out of my hands. I was told today, ‘Listen, this is what you need to do and you’re going to have to go on the DL.’ It’s something I didn’t want to hear, but I know this is the best thing to do right now. We still have a lot of games to play, and I need to be healthy for this team.”

• Justin Bour was finally placed on the DL with a sprained ankle after missing several games because of the injury.

“Unfortunately with J.B., that play in Atlanta he rolled the ankle and it wasn’t getting any better,” Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. “We opted to DL him, and allow him to take the time to rest it.”

Bour twisted his ankle Saturday in Atlanta, and he hasn’t played since. The left-handed-hitting first baseman, who has 15 home runs and 46 RBIs, is on the DL retroactive to Sun-day, and he is eligible for reinstatement on July 18, which would be the series opener at Philadelphia.

• Daniel Norris was placed on the DL with a strained oblique.

Norris spent Tuesday morning undergoing an MRI exam, which revealed a Grade 1 oblique strain. Recovery is expected to last 10-14 days, manager Brad Ausmus said Tuesday.

“He’d probably do a [rehab] start, I would imagine,” Ausmus said. “But if it’s only two weeks, I wouldn’t think it would be much more than that.”

Pitchers are almost a minimum month on the DL for any oblique injury. There are the days off, which number 10-14 in this case, with an equal number for the recovering pitcher to build his strength up. Return time should be in 3-4 weeks.

• Brandon Moss is out with a sprained ankle.

• Alex Avila will miss some time with a strained hamstring.

• Brayan Pena is out until at least August with a knee tendinitis.

• Shane Robinson is on the DL with a sprained ankle.

• Cory Gearrin looks to be out for maybe the minimum time with a strained shoulder.

• Andrew Chafin is also going to miss some time with shoulder tendinitis.

• Bryan Holaday will be out with a bruised thumb.

• Justin Miller is on the DL with a strained oblique.

Fastball velocity reading for pitchers returning from the DL

• Tyler Chatwood’s average fastball velocity was at season high and in line with his 2013 values in his first start back form the DL.

• Alex Colome’s velocity was a little down from his average.

• Adam Ottavino’s velocity is trending down over his last three appearances. I would not be surprised to see him going back on the DL soon. is down 4 mph from last year. Hopefully, he can begin to build up his speed.

Note: Initially, I used the wrong graph for Ottavino and here is the correct one.

 

• Hyun-Jin Ryu will start tonight for the Dodgers which is his first MLB start since the 2014 playoffs. His velocity is down from the last time he pitched (91 mph to 87 mph).

Using the rule of thumb that each 1 mph loss means an increase in ERA or FIP of .28. His 2014 talent level was around a 3.00 ERA, so he should probably be considered a 4.10 ERA starter which puts him in company with the 2014-2016 production of Jimmy Nelson, Ervin Santana, and Justin Verlander. Not great, still playable in most leagues.

Players on the 2016 DL

The Red players have had updates since the last report. Click on the “Date” for a link to go to the latest article on the player.