MASH Report (3/21/16)

Brad Boxberger will miss about eight weeks with a core injury (hernia).

News Friday that the nagging discomfort Brad Boxberger felt in his core area resulted in surgery to repair a muscle tear means the bullpen will be without its only experienced closer for at least the first six weeks of the season, and potentially into early June.

Which means to say hello to Alex Colome or Danny Farquhar or Steve Geltz or someone else who hasn’t done it much trying to protect ninth-inning leads for a team expecting to compete in the American League East.

It will be interesting to see who picks up the Saves in Tampa. In shallow leagues, I may stay away from the situation, but in deeper leagues where every Save is huge, I would take a chance on Colome.

Sam Fuld will miss three weeks with a sprained shoulder.

Victor Martinez will likely not be ready for Opening Day with a strained hamstring.

With the Grapefruit League season nearing its conclusion and April 5 approaching, the next logical question is whether it’s possible Martinez won’t be healthy enough to be on the Tigers’ Opening Day roster.

“Is there any possibility? Of course there is,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, before turning on a sarcastic tone. “There’s a possibility that everyone in camp might not be ready. I wouldn’t say it’s trending that way.”

When pressed further about Martinez not being ready for the season, Ausmus said: “It’s a possibility.”
Martinez has been undergoing treatment and taking part in workouts, but he has yet to swing a bat.

V-Mart was a player I was targeting late in drafts. He could put together another season like 2014 or it could stink. By not investing much in him means he can be released back into the waiver wire pull with little to no regret.

• It is getting close to the point when Kevin Gausman will start the season on the DL. He will probably need to start pitching this week or will miss regular season time.

Brennan Boesch fractured his wrist and will be out for over a month. This gives me a chance to remind people about my average DL time for various injuries tool.

• From what I can tell, Matt Wieters will start the season with the Orioles. I am pretty sure his shoulder will not be 100%. If he struggles, don’t be surprised.

Jacoby Ellsbury is dealing with some wrist pain from a hit-by-pitch. It will be touch-and-go to see if he will be ready by opening day.

• Free agent, Justin Morneau, will be out until the All-Star break after having elbow surgery this past winter.

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.

Players possibly on the DL in 2016





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.

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Atreyu Jones
8 years ago

Doesn’t the linked and excerpted story suggest that Victor Martinez likely WILL be ready for opening day, not the opposite?

Either way, it’s something to keep an eye on.