MASH Report (2/3/14)

• Jeremy Hellickson will be out until at least mid-May after elbow surgery last week.

Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last week and expected to be out until mid- to late-May, the Times has learned.

Hellickon, 26, had loose bodies removed from his elbow by Dr. Koco Eaton in what is considered a minor procedure, and is likely to miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season.

Jake Odorizzi will now get a chance in the Rays rotation.

• It still looks like Matt Kemp’s foot/ankle will not allow him to be ready to start the season.

“I don’t have a timetable right now,” Kemp said during an appearance at the club’s FanFest at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. “My shoulder feels great. My foot is still healing. ”

Kemp said he hasn’t run outdoors yet and doesn’t know when he will, but he simulates running on an “Alter-G” machine.

“I’m not going to rush to get back,” Kemp said. “I’m going to be 100 percent when I start playing. When it’s right, it’s right.”

Right now, I think an owner can only project him out to 400 plate appearances and I may go on the low side. Now, I do think owners may be scared away from him and he might be a nice DL stash. If he is waiting to be 100%, as he states, his stats may look good once he comes back.

• Manny Machado will also likely miss opening day.

Until he gets cleared to start playing, Manny Machado isn’t confident he will be ready for the Orioles’ Opening Day game on March 31 against the Red Sox.

First, the 21-year-old — who had a torn medial patellofemoral ligament repaired in his left knee — will essentially relearn to run with the hope being that he will be cleared at his next appointment in approximately six weeks to start playing in Spring Training games. Machado, who acknowledged mid-March is the earliest date he can take the field in a Grapefruit League game, was cleared to start easing into baseball activities on Friday and said it’s impossible to predict a return until then.

“Once I start playing I can give you a better, more or less, of an idea,” said Machado, who underwent surgery Oct. 14 and will now begin running outside, taking ground balls and hitting. “Not a full-go yet. It’s a process. Little by little, I’ll be able to get back out there. It was definitely good to hear some good news from the doctor.”

So if everything goes perfectly fine, he will be on the field in mid-March for his first spring training games.

• Yasmani Grandal thinks he will be ready for opening day which would put him on track for a month or two earlier than expected return.

Although the surgery to reconstruct the ACL in his right knee was just six months ago, Grandal says he will be ready by Opening Day – and the club is cautiously optimistic that he will be although the rehab for such an injury is usually nine to 12 months.

“He says he feels good and he certainly looks good,” Byrnes said of Grandal. “Opening Day is possible for him. But that day simply starts a six or seven-month process. We have to hold him back somewhat during spring training even if he feels 100 percent. We will monitor him during spring training.”

Wait and see. Players are more opptimistic than teams. If he does play, he may not be close to 100%

• Dylan Bundy looks to be on schedule to return to the mound one year after TJS ($$$).

Bundy played catch from 60 feet with minor league medical coordinator Dave Walker, who’s in charge of the righthander’s rehab, and believes he can pitch in a “competitive” game on the one-year anniversary of his surgery.

“I’m throwing without pain for the first time in a year, so that’s always a positive,” Bundy said. “I’m up to 60 feet now. It feels great. Now it’s just a progression to get out to 200 feet and then get on a mound. I think the plan is hopefully to be on a mound or a half-mound at the end of spring training.”

• A hamstring injury to Alexander Guerrero in the Dominican winter league way keep him from being the Dodgers starting 2B.

Nobody had ever heard of Miguel Rojas until about a month ago, when the Dodgers started dropping his name as a legitimate alternative at second base. Considering Rojas is a career .234 hitter in the minor leagues, that’s a pretty good clue they’re having their doubts about Guerrero’s readiness for Opening Day.

Guerrero’s attempt at accelerating the learning curve transitioning from shortstop was derailed by hamstring injuries in the Dominican winter league.

In shallow or NL only leagues, I would worry a bit about Guerrero going a full season. Maybe look for a 2B with guaranteed plate appearances.

• Brandon Beachy will begin spring training with no limitations.

• Mark Teixeira expects his wrist to be tight until at least June.

To this point, he said, everything has gone well with the rehab. He has had no pain, and doctors say the tendon sheath is healing as expected. Teixeira said he feels tightness in the wrist, and while that itself is not a concern, it is a reminder that he is eight months out of a major surgery, with just a handful of weeks before spring training begins.

Teixeira’s doctors have told him that it will take a year for the wrist to feel fully normal, and that the tightness will likely remain throughout. It should improve, however, with every therapy session he completes and every swing he takes.

“I’m expecting until June, and maybe even through this entire season, it’ll be a little tight,” Teixeira said.

In all but the shallowest of leagues, I would not count on any early season production from him, but may look to buy in at the All-Star break.

• Jesse Crain may not be ready for the season’s start.

Being available on opening day remains a possibility for the reliever but is not guaranteed. Crain, 32, signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal as a free agent this offseason.

Fall reports said he should be 100% ready for the start of the season. I fully expect him to get the Astros closer role when healthy and flipped for a prospect later in the season.

• In great cause of injury news, Joe Ortiz will miss three months after having his foot ran over by a motorcycle.

Possible Players on the DL to Start the 2014 Season

(*) 15 Day Disabled List
(**) 60 Day Disabled List
(***) 7 Day Concussion List
(****) Free Agent
Red colored entries are updates since last report.

Major League Report

Minor League Report