MASH Report (10/8/15)

• I completed going through the DL instances and looked for players who will likely be on the DL to start the 2016 season. If the return dates are March then April, there is a good chance the player will come back healthy, but they are close to being 100% yet. I am taking the conservative route and want to see them playing before I remove them from the list.

• Carlos Santana played through the 2015 season with a bad back.

Not once this season did Carlos Santana mention to reporters that he was bothered by a back issue that was plaguing his offensive production. A few hours before the Indians’ final game of the year on Sunday, the first baseman admitted that the ailment was a persistent problem.
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Heading into Sunday’s action, Santana was sporting a .232/.358/.397 slash line to go along with 19 homers, 29 doubles, 72 runs, 85 RBIs and 107 walks. His overall showing was not far off his production from last year, though his home run total (27 in 2014) and slugging percentage (.427 in ’14) took a hit.

Historically, back injuries don’t linger too much into the next season. Since he is now only 1B eligible, his 2016 value is minimal.

• The Red Sox are asking Hanley Ramirez to lose 15-20 pounds so he will put less stress on his body.

A couple of days after president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that the Red Sox wanted a more athletic and doubles-minded Hanley Ramirez for next season, interim manager Torey Lovullo confirmed that the club asked him to lose some weight before Spring Training.
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Ramirez looked noticeably bulkier when he reported to Spring Training before this season, perhaps because he was going to be hitting cleanup behind David Ortiz. But the added weight didn’t seem to serve the right-handed hitter well.
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“Stay healthy. Less stress on the body. All from a health standpoint. All for getting through a season and not having those aches and pains that a big body has,” said Lovullo. “We all know when you carry extra weight, it puts more stress on your joints. I think that’s the main reason why.”

Ramirez, who last played for the Red Sox on Aug. 26, left the club at the beginning of this week to start working with a personal trainer in Miami.

• Congrats on CC Sabathia for getting help with alcoholism. Looking towards 2016, the biggest issue surrounding him will be the unknown. Will he stay sober and get into better shape? Will he miss time with rehabilitation or even worse, relapse? As of right now, I would expect no production out of him, but pick him up late/cheaply. Any production will be a bonus.

• Alfredo Simon pitched through knee pain this season and he describes how the pain affected his production.

Simon said he pitched through it because he wanted to avoid the disabled list and make 30-plus starts. He said it affected him at times with a drop in velocity, as well as struggles to keep the ball down in the strike zone while dealing with pain in his landing knee.

“Sometimes I feel like I cannot pitch,” he said, “but I don’t want to get on the DL, and I have to handle the pain.”
Rand said the news surprised him when he received a phone call about it. Ausmus said he heard about the comments, but that Simon hadn’t said anything to him, and he hadn’t heard anything about it over the course of the season.

• Robinson Cano is going to have offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia. He should be 100% by spring training.

• Zach Walters may not be ready for the start of the 2016 season because of a torn labrum.

Walters’ surgery to repair the labrum tear was performed by Dr. Mark Schickendantz at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. The Indians indicated that the switch-hitter should be ready to resume baseball activities around March or April, putting him on target to potentially be ready for the regular season.

• Drew Pomeranz is deciding if he should have offseason shoulder surgery which cost him sometime during 2015.

A’s left-hander Drew Pomeranz will consider undergoing a clavicle resection to treat impingement in the AC joint of his throwing shoulder, as recommended by team orthopedist Will Workman.

Pomeranz dealt with the issue much of the season — even landing on the disabled list for a two-week period in May — before being shut down recently. He’s expected to seek a second opinion before agreeing to the operation, which typically requires a six-week recovery period.

Even if he has the procedure, Pomeranz is expected to be ready by Spring Training.

• Paco Rodriguez is going to have Tommy John surgery and will likely miss all of the 2016 season.

• Wilmer Difo broke his hand in the last game of the season and may need surgery on it.

• Three White Sox position players had minor offseason operations. Adam Eaton will have his shoulder cleaned out. Micah Johnson is had is knee scoped. Finally, Tyler Flowers will have arthroscopic surgery on his knee. All three expect to be 100% for the start of spring training.

Players on the DL in 2015

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.