Mining Injuries & Roster Moves (10/11/24)
MLB.com has a unique news section where each team updates their injuries and transactions. I’ve found this information useful but it’s unique. Each team’s webpage (not an article) is in flux with information constantly appearing and disappearing. I plan to check for updates (each blurb is dated) and report any information. I’ll quote the page to preserve the information. The information disappears into the abyss so quoting the source is the only way to keep it.
I won’t report headline news but will try to dig a little deeper. Additionally, I want this article to be a quick reference so don’t expect a certain word count. I’ll provide the useful info and then fantasy managers can figure out how best to utilize it.
The last edition was on October 4th, so any news was taken on or after that date.
American League
• Mauricio Dubón had surgery on his thumb.
Dubón underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training. He suffered the injury sliding into first base on a single Sept. 6 and played with pain during the remainder of the regular season and playoffs.
• Luis Garcia should be ready to join the rotation to start next season.
Garcia was throwing live batting practice as the season ended and should be in the rotation to begin 2025. The right-hander suffered a setback when he showed up at the ballpark on Aug. 2 with a sore elbow, stymying his return from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in ’23. He had been a workhorse starter for the Astros in previous years.
He threw two minor league innings and I haven’t had any luck getting any velo readings.
• Lance McCullers Jr. is a ways from contributing to the major league club.
McCullers had surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, but suffered a setback in July 2024 and was shut down for the season. He hasn’t pitched since the 2022 World Series. McCullers still wasn’t throwing when the season ended on early October.
• Cristian Javier is looking to return in July next season.
Javier, who underwent Tommy John surgery on June 6, could return by the end of July 2025, GM Dana Brown said on Oct. 3. The right-hander was 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA in seven starts with the Astros this year, including three quality starts. Javier was moved to the 60-day IL on June 16.
• DJ LeMahieu still hopes to make it back for the postseason.
LeMahieu took on-field batting practice during the Yankees’ Oct. 4 workout at Yankee Stadium, continuing his progression as he hopes to be considered for postseason play. LeMahieu received a cortisone injection in his right hip on Sept. 12. His hip issue was lingering for several weeks before he landed on the IL, affecting his ability to rotate his hips and generate power at the plate. He said that surgery has not been discussed.
• JT Brubaker made some minor league rehab starts.
Brubaker made three September appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, marking a return to the mound after he sustained an oblique injury while making a fielding play during a July 11 Minor League rehab start for the RailRiders. The injury interrupted Brubaker’s recovery from Tommy John surgery performed on April 12, 2023. He was acquired from the Pirates on March 29.
In AAA, his slider (-1.4 mph), four-seam (-1.1 mph), and sinker (-0.5 mph) are all slower. His curve and change are holding steady.
National League
• Bryse Wilson was healthy enough to contribute in the postseason.
Wilson’s last outing was in Cincinnati on Sept. 1 and he was healthy enough to be an option for the Brewers by season’s end after throwing bullpen sessions on Sept. 17 and Sept. 20, along with a multi-inning live batting practice session on Sept. 23. But the way the Brewers’ postseason roster shook out, he didn’t make the cut for the NL Wild Card Series.
• Brandon Woodruff still has a long way to go before joining the MLB rotation.
Woodruff underwent shoulder surgery on his throwing arm in October 2023 and was non-tendered by the Brewers the following month. He signed a two-year deal with the club on Feb. 21, when he was placed on the 60-day IL, and has been rehabbing in Milwaukee throughout the season after beginning a throwing program in mid-February. He reached a milestone on Aug. 27 when he threw off the mound for the first time since surgery, but he stressed he still had a long way to go. He’s signed through 2025 with a mutual option for ’26.
• Shohei Ohtani has not yet begun throwing off a mound.
Ohtani has been making steady progress with his throwing over the past several months, but he will not advance to pitching off a mound against live hitters any time soon.
• Jeff McNeil will play two AFL games before rejoining the major league team.
The Mets successfully petitioned Major League Baseball to allow McNeil, who has been sidelined since Sept. 6 due to a fractured right wrist, to appear in AFL games as a way to see live pitching. He is scheduled to play on Friday and Saturday and receive as many at-bats as possible in those contests. Both he and manager Carlos Mendoza expect him to be ready for the NLCS beginning Sunday.
• Andrew Painter will work up to three innings in the Arizona Fall League.
Painter is completely healthy and has been medically cleared to resume pitching in games. He will pitch in the Arizona Fall League, hopefully building to three innings per start and throwing 20 innings overall. Painter has not pitched in a game since Spring Training 2023, when he suffered an elbow injury. He had Tommy John surgery in July 2023.
• Julian Aguiar may need Tommy John surgery.
President of baseball operations Nick Krall revealed that Aguiar has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that may require Tommy John surgery. Aguiar is getting a second opinion before deciding on if he will undergo the procedure. He is not expected to return until the 2026 season. Aguiar, who allowed seven runs in four-plus innings in his last start against the Braves, was placed on the injured list on Sept. 24, ending his season.
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.