MASH Report (6/25/15)

• Dustin Pedroia was just placed on the DL with a strained hamstring. Currently, there is no news on a possible return date.

• Freddie Freeman was eventually forced to the DL because of his bruised wrist. He could be out for as long as two months.

While the Braves and Freeman were comforted that Monday’s MRI exam showed no structural damage, there is uncertainty regarding how long he will be sidelined with the bone bruise. The veteran first baseman would be eligible for activation July 3. But as of Tuesday, it would be optimistic to assume he could return on that date.

“We’ve had a couple of those [bone bruises] and it takes a while,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

The Braves filled Freeman’s roster spot by recalling Joey Terdoslavich, who was sidelined for nearly two months after he suffered a bone bruise when he landed awkwardly on his left wrist during a March 21 Grapefruit League game.

• I am not buying this bit on Nelson Cruz’s hip being fine.

The 34-year-old said he initially thought he injured his right hamstring, as he first felt a pull higher up on his backside.
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The pain grew worse, Cruz said, when Kansas City center fielder Jarrod Dyson singled to right with two outs in the top of the seventh. Cruz broke quickly toward the ball and said it was difficult to jog after that point. Outfielder
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Cruz said trainers laid him down and were able to pop his pelvic bone back into place. He said he then iced on Monday and tested his pelvic bone with exercises early on Tuesday but has not felt any pain since Monday night.
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“I was surprised, too,” Cruz said of his quick return. “I thought it was something pretty bad, but thank God it was something that can get fixed right away.”

I could see his production suffer for a few weeks.

• Chase Utley’s will rest his ankle which has bothered him after injuring it this past offseason.

The Phillies announced after Tuesday night’s 11-6 win over the Yankees that they have placed him on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right ankle. It is the same ankle that Utley badly sprained in January during offseason workouts, and the same ankle that forced him to miss the beginning of Spring Training.

“It’s hard to tell,” Utley said, asked how much the ankle has affected him at the plate. “Obviously, it’s been bothering me for a little while. Most players have aches and pains through the year. So I’m not shocked with that. It’s really showing no improvement. So I think it’s a good time to get it right. We will have a cortisone shot tomorrow. We’ll take a little time off, and hopefully that will get it squared away.”

• Nori Aoki fractured his leg and will miss an undetermined time.

• Travis d’Arnaud is back on the DL, this time for a sprained elbow.

• Corey Hart’s shoulder has been bothering him for a while and will go on the DL with the hope it will get better.

Pirates’ first baseman Corey Hart was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Tuesday, with a “left shoulder impingement,” and right-handed pitcher Chris Volstad was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced Wednesday.

Hurdle said the injury is something that has bothered Hart for quite some time, but not one instance caused it.
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“After yesterday talking with him, we feel that this is the proper time to get him some rest, to get it right, and then get him some at-bats, and see where we can take it,” Hurdle said.

• Brendan Ryan is back on the DL with a strained back.

• Justin Verlander’s back is ailing after an 117 pitch outing.

Verlander’s road back is halted after two starts off the disabled list, where he spent the first two months of the season recovering from a right triceps strain. He threw 117 pitches over 6 2/3 innings in a loss at Yankee Stadium last Friday, and he said on Wednesday night that his back tightened up around the fourth inning. He went through his normal between-starts routine, including a short throwing session on Tuesday afternoon, but he couldn’t shake the tightness in the middle of his back.

“It fatigued a little bit on me in the game in New York,” Verlander said. “I felt it a little bit, but once I got loose it was OK, and I think I’d be able to do the same thing this start. But that be-ing said, you also don’t want to put your team in a bind.”

Verlander needs to get over himself a take it easy. There was no reason to throw 117 pitches except to have his ego filled.

• Jason Hunt at FakeTeams.com does an injury update on some of the game’s top prospects.

• Lance Lynn and Miguel Gonzalez both will come off the DL today to make starts. Jarred Cosart will also come off the DL, but is expected to join Miami’s bullpen.

Velocity Readings

• Danny Duffy’s average fastball velocity was even to even a bit up in his return from the DL.

• Ivan Nova’s velocity is back to 2013 levels before ne needed Tommy John surgery.

• Stephen Strasburg’s velocity was near a three-year high in his first start off the DL.

• Joel Peralta’s velocity is down 2 mph compared to before he went on the DL.

• Enrique Burgos’s velocity is up about 2 mph compared to earlier this season.

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.