MASH Report (3/27/14)

• Four articles looking at the seemingly increase in pitcher injuries have recently been published.

• Clayton Kershaw will miss the Dodgers second opening day with an inflamed neck/back/shoulder.

 Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw was scratched from Sunday night’s start because of an inflamed teres major muscle, which stabilizes the upper arm near the upper back.

Kershaw underwent an MRI on Wednesday that showed the inflammation. A Dodgers news release indicated that Kershaw complained of discomfort playing catch at Tuesday’s workout. He wouldn’t say if he felt the discomfort while throwing 102 pitches in the season-opening win in Australia.
….

Kershaw said he “didn’t think” the compressed Spring Training, necessitated by the trip to Australia, “had anything to do with” his injury, nor did the long flight.

….
He said he feels the discomfort when he brings his arm forward “accelerating.”

He plans on pitching in the Dodgers home opener on April 4th. No need to raise the injury threat level yet beyond Guarded. Now if he is not able to make the start on the 4th, he definitely moves up to Elevated.

• Yu Darvish will miss at least one start because of a stiff neck.

Darvish was examined Wednesday by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. The right-hander will start a throwing program this weekend and won’t need any injections….Rangers general manager Jon Daniels says he expects Darvish will be put on the 15-day DL.

While Darvish and all his strikeouts had him rated as the second overall rated fantasy pitcher, he had some high risk injury indications coming into the season. He threw a high percentage of sliders, he had problems throwing strikes and most importantly, he went on the DL last season.

• Jean Segura may miss a few games to start the season or even be on the DL with a strained shoulder.

He underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday that came back negative, but the Brewers may decide to hold Segura out of the team’s remaining Spring Training games to preserve the option of a backdated stint on the 15-day disabled list.

“I’m not going to say it’s not [a possibility],” manager Ron Roenicke said.

Segura and Roenicke each stressed that team doctors have examined the shoulder thoroughly and do not consider the matter serious. The problem is not the rotator cuff or labrum, but a strained muscle, Roenicke said.

Doesn’t sound too serious for now.

• Mat Latos will make three more minor league starts before joining the MLB team.

It was Latos’ second Minor League game since returning from Feb. 14 surgery that repaired torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee. He also had bone chips removed from his right elbow in an October operation.

“The elbow feels great; the knee, I don’t feel anything,” Latos said. “The velocity was there with me not trying to let it go. It’s Spring Training, so who cares? The velocity was there, the curveball was there, the slider was there. I can’t complain with anything. I feel strong. I feel ready to go.”

The Reds expect Latos to begin the season on the disabled list, and he will remain in Arizona after the team leaves camp. The plan is for him to have at least five starts in spring before pitching in the regular season.

He should be ready for major league action around April 15th.

• Matt Kemp believes he will be activated from the DL on April 4th.

• Casey Janssen made his first appearance of the year with an unimpressive fastball.

One potential alarming part of Janssen’s outing was that he didn’t top 86 mph on his fastball, according to the radar gun at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. That’s a concern, but still not quite as big of a deal as it would be for some other pitchers. Janssen has never been an overpowering reliever, and he typically relies on control and a wide array of pitches to get through his outings.

Janssen averaged 90.1 mph on his fastball in 2013 according to FanGraphs, but his in first few outings of the year, he was typically throwing in the high 80s. He has a couple of outings remaining in the spring to get back to that level, and his expectation is that his velocity will continue to climb once the regular season starts.

If an owner is in need of Saves, they needed to pick up Sergio Santos yesterday.

• Jeremy Affeldt will start the season on the DL with a sprained knee. It seems like Affeldt usually wears a knee brace, which he didn’t for the outing he got hurt.

Manager Bruce Bochy said that Affeldt felt discomfort in the knee when he pitched against the Chicago White Sox last Saturday, when he yielded four runs in one-third of an inning. Bochy said that Affeldt wasn’t using the knee brace he typically wears.

Maybe next time he will wear it.

• Nolan Reimold will also start the season the DL and so will Louis Coleman (link)

• Chris Denorfia may not be healthy to start the season and neither is Shane Victorino (link) nor Omar Infante (link) nor Devin Mesoraco (link) nor Jose Reyes (link) nor Starlin Castro (link) nor Craig Breslow (link).

Players on or Probably 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

On DL

Probably on DL

Minor League Report