MASH Report (8/14/14)

• Justin Verlander is out collecting opinions on his sore shoulder. Dave Cameron and Eno Sarris both looked at Verlander’s velocity decline. Right now, I think Verlander is trying to find anyway to continue pitching this season. If he does continue to pitch, I would expect the same lower production from earlier in the season to continue.

• Manny Machado is on the DL with a sprained knee and he doesn’t expect to be back in just 15 days.

The O’s haven’t given a timetable for Machado’s return. He’ll be eligible to return from the DL on Aug. 27, but chuckled at the suggestion that he could return in two weeks. He says he’ll return when he’s able “to go out there and be Manny Machado.”

So in a couple of weeks, team rosters expand and all the players on the 40-man rosters can be added to the MLB club. Even if Machado isn’t Macado yet, he could be taken off the DL and pinch hit. Just remember, if he comes back September 1st, it doesn’t mean he is 100% ready to go.

• Joey Votto won’t start baseball activities for a couple of weeks.

“I don’t like to throw dates out there, but it’s reasonable to think that some time in the next week and a half to two weeks that baseball activity would start back up again,” Reds manager Bryan Price said.

And at least a couple more weeks of rehab after starting up. He may just be droppable in redraft leagues at his point. Teams in keeper leagues and in contention may want to move him for a player(s) who can help this season.

• Mark Trumbo is finally getting his strength back in his legs.

“I cut it loose all the time. It’s just a matter of getting the right spin on the ball and being in the right position to hit,” Trumbo said. “I don’t think my legs were underneath me as well as they could have been. Any time you have a lower body injury and you miss time, some of the leg strength is going to be sacrificed as well. But I think at this point, I’ve played enough games to kind of get it back.”

• Homer Bailey is going to miss some time with sore elbow and neck. The injury has bothered him “the whole year”. It looks like it is bothering him more as his Zone% as dropped like a rock over the last few starts.

• Stuart Wallace continues looking in-depth at injuries at Beyond the Box Score. This time he looks at Tiger guts.

• George Springer was prescribed two weeks of rest which will put his return into September.

• The Rockies will be without Troy Tulowitzki for the rest of the season and likely Carlos Gonzalez.

• Edwin Encarnacion is expected to join the Blue Jays Friday night.

• Ricky Nolasco will return then also.

• And Michael Bourn.

Fastball Velocity Watch for Pitchers Returning From the DL

• Michael Pineda’s velocity was up from the start of the year, but down from last season.

• Matt Lindstrom’s velocity is near his three season low.

Zach Putnam’s velocity is a bit low, but acceptable.

Players on the DL

(*) 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