Last season I kept fantasy owners up-to-date with injury news regarding fantasy players across the leagues. With spring training underway and fantasy drafts starting up, Clinical Notes will keep you updated on all your injury news and fantasy analysis. It's a brand new season and the the waiting room is filling up...it's time to open the clinic.
Josh Hamilton - OF, Texas Rangers
Hamilton injured his left shoulder diving for a ball while participating in outfield drills about a week ago and Hamilton hasn't seen much action since the injury. Hamilton is slated to return to action this week as the team's DH, while Julio Borbon will man center field.
Much was expected from Hamilton last year after his breakout year in 2008 in which he belted 32 homers and drove in 130 RBI. The exact opposite happened as Hamilton played in just 89 games last season due to an assortment of injuries while only batting .268/.315/.426, 10 HR, 54 RBI. Before this latest injury setback, I wasn't a big fan of Hamilton (mostly due to the fact that he burned me last season) because of injury concerns and his lack of speed (He's never stolen 10 bases in any pro season). The current ADP 55.22 makes me believe that owners are expecting 2008 numbers from Hamilton, but I would pass on Hamilton and try to target fellow outfielders Shin-Soo Choo (66.99 ADP) or Andrew McCutchen (87.64 ADP) to help your outfield spots.
Jose Reyes - SS, New York Mets
Reyes was a nightmare for fantasy owners last season. Reyes battled with a right calf injury early in the season and was eventually shelved with a torn tendon behind his right knee. Reyes managed to muster a .279/.355/.395, 2 HR, 11 SB in just 147 at-bats last season before being shut down for good in September. Reyes reported to spring training "fully healthy", but has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut due to what is being reported as an overactive thyroid. The thyroid issue was revealed while Reyes was doing a follow up exam regarding his knee injury from last season. The Mets made an announcement about the issue, but stated further information won't be known until sometime next week after the tests are completed.
The latest saga with the Mets and injuries continues to live on. The recent news for Reyes isn't encouraging for fantasy owners, especially owners who are already on the fence about his stolen base numbers. Jose is currently in the top 5 in rankings at the shortstop position according BBP and is also touting a 23.40 ADP according to Mock Draft Central making him a late pick during the second round. With the most recent news, I fully expect that value to take a hit this weekend.
The last thing I want to do is add to the mass hysteria about the thyroid news, but it's just another nugget of information as you are preparing for your drafts. When more information becomes available, I'll provide an update later in the week.
Ted Lilly - SP, Chicago Cubs
The veteran left-handed pitcher is fully recovered from off-season shoulder surgery, but is still expected to miss the start of the season. Lilly made 27 starts last season while dealing with left knee and shoulder issues and ended the season with a 12-9, 3.10 ERA and 1.06 WHIP (not bad for a guy with multiple injuries, huh?). Lilly reported to spring training in fine condition but last week started noticing pain in his right knee. The MRI showed no damage, just wear and tear for the 34-year old pitcher.
With Lilly expected to miss the beginning of the season, most owners will simply pass on the pitcher. Lilly has a current ADP of 167.6 which currently slates him in the middle of most drafts, but I'll be bottom dollar you can probably acquire him towards the back end of the draft. He will be available in final rounds because he isn't slated to pitch during the opening month and owners will always shy away from guys recovering from throwing arm injuries. The other added incentive for adding Lilly to your fantasy team is due to this year being his "walk year". (BBP will have more on this later in our "Walk Years to Remember" series). Lilly is a fine addition that can easily add 140 plus innings to your team with 10 wins and a nice WHIP.
Brian Roberts - 2B, Baltimore Orioles
Roberts was reportedly dealing with kidney stones at first, but that soon changed to back spasms related to a small herniated disc in his lower back. B-Rob has been involved in fielding practice along with hitting some light batting practice, but has yet see his first Grapefruit League action. Orioles' manager Dave Trembley doesn't seem to concerned about the issue and said that "Roberts only needs about 30 spring at-bats to be ready for Opening Day 2010."
Russell Martin - C, Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers manager Joe Torre announced that Martin will miss 4-6 weeks (including opening day) with a pulled groin. Martin felt the "tweak" while running first to third earlier this week. After an MRI revealed the "little strain" for Martin, the Dodgers were quick to make the announcement that A.J. Ellis and Brad Ausmus will carry the catching duties until Martin can return. Torre also stated that Ellis will be the primary catcher in spring training with Ausmus remaining as the back-up.
Well this certainly dampens Martin's rebound season that all fantasy owners were looking forward to. In case you missed it, fellow BBP writer Nate Springfield had all the detail for Russell Martin in 2010 including his weight gain and the potential effects on his fantasy numbers.
Alex Gordon - 3B, Kansas City Royals
Sigh, another victim of the head-first slide into second base while attempting to steal the base. The Royals announced that Gordon could miss 3-4 weeks with a small fracture in his right thumb and may not be available for opening day. As you can imagine, the thumb injury limits Gordon's activity to throw and hit which will probably more than likely limit his ability to return to the lineup by opening day. The once uber-talented prospect has never fully lived up to his hype once hitting the scene in 2007 and this will certainly add to his long list of career issues.
Gordon was on every fantasy owner's list of "rebound" candidates for 2010, but the third basemen will surely fall even later in draft rounds due to the injury. Utility infielder Alberto Callaspo will most certainly receive a serious look at third base while Gordon is out along with recently acquired Josh Fields. If you have been following spring training battles, Callaspo is also a serious threat to replace current second basemen Chris Getz on the depth charts. Hand injuries can be serious business depending on the severity, so fantasy owners should proceed with caution on Gordon and limit their expectations as well.
Joe Nathan - RP, Minnesota Twins
Coming off a career year for saves, Nathan felt some soreness in his surgically repaired elbow after making his first spring appearance for the Twins this weekend. Nathan had off-season surgery in October to remove bone chips and spurs. The right-handed reliever reported to camp on time this year and complained of no complications during workouts prior to the game this weekend. He's flying back to Minnesota for more tests and obviously we'll keep you updated on the results. With any surgery, soreness and stiffness is expected but when talking about one of the top closers in the game, the Twins will show every precaution with Nathan. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire added that he believes Nathan will be "fine", but the Twinkie Nation is holding their breath.
The fantasy elite closer is causing quite a scare with owners with this most recent news considering the surgery in the off-season was "minor". As I mentioned above, the results from Nathan's tests won't be known for a few days, but this is news absolutely worth monitoring over the next few weeks. IF Nathan is out for any extended time, look for the Twinkies to possibly use a closer committee with Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier and Jose Mijare.
Update (3/9/10): It appears Nathan has a torn ulnar collateral ligament and is out indefinitely. Nathan will receive a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews before either opting for surgery (which would likely cost him the entire 2010 season) or resting and rehabbing the elbow and pitching with the injury.