MASH Report (9/15/14)

• I would be weary of starting Danny Duffy tomorrow night after he experienced shoulder soreness in his last start. The team says he is fine, but he would not be pitching if the Royals had any other decent options for a starter (Liam Hendricks is the replacement).

• Michael Choice’s is probably done for the season with a strained hamstring.

• Mat Latos is also done for the season. I have not been a fan of his since coming off the DL (loss of velocity, -2 mph).

• Looks like Michael Wacha may be done starting this season.

“This is a young player where we had something going, missed a couple of months and all those are reasons for us to once again pause and just kind of take our time, make sure everything looks right before moving forward,” Matheny said.

The next step depends on how Wacha responds to the bullpen session.

A positive response could put the 23-year-old back in the Cardinals’ postseason pitching mix. Matheny said Wacha is still a possibility for the rotation, but he wouldn’t rule out a role in the bullpen.

I don’t think he is playable for the rest of season.

• Last week I reported Vic Black’s velocity was near a season low. Well, he went below the low in his last appearance and is off to see the doctor.

• Hyun-Jin Ryu may miss the rest of his regular season starts.

Manager Don Mattingly stopped short of ruling Ryu out of Wednesday’s game, but also said Saturday’s exam indicated soreness in the back of Ryu’s shoulder. When Ryu missed three weeks earlier in the year, the Dodgers said Ryu had a tired and inflamed shoulder.

“Very doubtful,” Mattingly said of Ryu making the start Wednesday.

In fact, the Dodgers don’t know if they will have Ryu back at any point this year.

Looks like a wait and see with him.

• Derek Jeter is playing out his final season with a sore shoulder. In August, he is hitting .116/.188/.140. He is unplayable for the rest of his career.

• Another hitter playing through an injury is Matt Adams. His oblique has cost him some production (.238/.314/.333 in August) and now he is missing some time.

• Stuart Wallace’s weekly take on a specific injury leads us to Melky Cabrera and his wrist.

A return to play in time for Spring Training next season are all but guaranteed for Cabrera. However, the extent of the injury sustained and the complexity of the surgical procedure will ultimately determine how well he bounces back and how much, if at all, the unfortunate break will affect his hitting and power.

• Additionally, Dan Farnsworth looked at hitter shoulder injuries in extreme detail at The Hardball Times.

Beyond that, there are no sweeping conclusions to be drawn from these cases, just as there should not be any sweeping assumptions made about hitters with shoulder injuries without proper context. There are unique characteristics that make each player a big league hitter, and without understanding those differences you cannot assume any one specific outcome. One theme shows up here as in all athletic moves: efficiency. When the body is working efficiently, with all the parts moving together toward the same goal, there is much less chance for physical problems.

Fastball speeds for pitchers returning from the DL

• Joe Thatcher’s velocity is near a season low.

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.

Unofficial Major League Report

Official Major League Report

Minor League