MLB

MLB Recent Player News


Date Player
3/25/2020 Noah Syndergaard, NYM, P
New York said Tuesday that Syndergaard needs reconstruction of his ulnar collateral ligament and will miss the season that's been put on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Analysis: An All-Star in 2016 when he went 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA, Syndergaard has an ERA that has climbed to 2.97 in 2017, 3.05 in 2018 and 4.28 last year, when he was 10-8 in 32 starts. He averaged 98.1 mph for his four-seam fastball last season, tops among qualified pitchers and just ahead of Gerrit Cole (97.4) and teammate Jacob deGrom (97.2). Syndergaard turns 28 in August and currently is eligible to become a free agent after the 2021 season.
3/19/2020 Chris Sale, Bos, P
Sale will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, an operation that would keep him out the entire 2020 baseball season if and when it resumes after the coronavirus pandemic.

Analysis: Sale is 109-73 in 10 major league seasons is entering the second season of a six-year, $160 million contract. After helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts last year, his fewest wins and starts and highest ERA in a full season since 2012.
3/13/2020 Trey Mancini, Bal, RF
Mancini underwent surgery Thursday to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. A timetable for the slugger's recovery won't be determined until lab results are completed.

Analysis: The best player on a dismal 2019 Orioles team, Mancini set career highs with 35 homers and 97 RBIs while batting .291 last season. He'll obviously have a hard time duplicating those numbers in 2020, though the good news is the surgery was deemed a success and the Orioles are expecting to return at some point this season.
3/11/2020 Michael Conforto, NYM, RF
Conforto strained an oblique muscle on his right side, and it's too early to determine whether he will be able to play in New York's opener against World Series champion Washington on March 26.

Analysis: Conforto was injured March 7 against the Nationals and returned to New York on Monday night to meet with Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek. ''We're going to back him off here from activities the next couple of days and then reassess him next week,'' Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. Conforto, an All-Star in 2017, set career highs last season with 33 homers and 92 RBIs while batting .257 with an .856 OPS in 151 games.
3/10/2020 Yordan Alvarez, Hou, LF
Alvarez is being held out of Grapefruit League games due to soreness in his knees.

Analysis: Alvarez was the AL Rookie of the Year last season. He hit .313 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs in 87 games after making his major league debut on June 9.
3/10/2020 Justin Verlander, Hou, P
Verlander had surgery on his right groin Tuesday and is expected to be out about six weeks. Astros GM James Click made the announcement. The timing gives Verlander time to heal before opening day, which had been pushed back to mid-May at the earliest because of the new coronavirus.

Analysis: Verlander dealt with the problem early in spring training. His first start was delayed until March 3 because of discomfort in his right groin. He made two starts pitching 4 2/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA. Verlander left his second start on March 8 with a mild strain of a back muscle and said at the time that it would be unlikely that he would be able to start the scheduled March 26 opener against the Los Angeles Angels.
3/8/2020 Willie Calhoun, Tex, LF
Calhoun says he has been cleared to resume workouts in his recovery from a broken jaw.

Analysis: Calhoun's jaw was broken when he was hit in the face by a fastball during a spring training game on March 8. The 25-year-old is projected to be the Rangers' regular left fielder after belting 21 homers in just 309 at-bats last season.
3/4/2020 Tyler Beede, SF, P
Beede will undergo Tommy John elbow and miss the entire season.

Analysis: Beede was competing for a spot in the Giants' rotation after going 5-10 with a 5.08 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) as a rookie last season.
3/3/2020 Aaron Judge, NYY, RF
Judge still has not resumed baseball activities. Judge did not play in any spring training games because of discomfort in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder that he felt when swinging. The Yankees said March 6 that he had a stress fracture to his first right rib, an injury likely dating from a diving catch late last season. Judge revealed last week he also had a collapsed lung and said he has recovered from that.

Analysis: Judge, who has remained at the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Florida while MLB is suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, has struggled with injuries since being named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2017 when he hit .284 with 52 home runs and 114 RBIs in 155 games. He was limited to 112 regular-season games in 2018 and 102 last season. Judge has combined to bat .276 with 54 home runs and 122 RBIs in those 214 games over the past two seasons.
3/1/2020 Miles Mikolas, StL, P
Mikolas (right flexor tendon strain) will begin the season on the injured list but hopes to make his season debut in late April.

Analysis: Mikolas has received two platelet-rich plasma injections in his forearm and is ticketed to resume playing catch on March 11. The right-hander was one of the NL's best pitchers in 2018 but slipped to a 9-14 record and a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts last season.
3/1/2020 Griffin Canning, LAA, P
Canning had an injection in his ailing right elbow Friday and will be shut down for 3-to-4 weeks.

Analysis: This will likely delay Canning's season debut until at least early May, if not later. The right-hander missed part of his 2019 rookie season with elbow issues, though the good news is he's not dealing with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. After striking out 96 batters in 90.1 innings last season, Canning had been expected to be a key part of an Angels rotation that isn't very deep to begin with.
3/1/2020 Stephen Piscotty, Oak, RF
Piscotty (intercostal strain) may not be ready for opening day.

Analysis: Injuries limited Piscotty to 93 games last season, and he hit .249 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs.
3/1/2020 Andrew McCutchen, Phi, CF
McCutchen is hoping to return in April as he continues to recover for a torn ACL.

Analysis: McCutchen was leading the NL in walks last season and produced a .378 on-base percentage as the team's leadoff hitter to go along with 10 homers in 59 games before getting injured.
2/27/2020 Chris Sale, Bos, P
Sale, who was slated to start the season on the injured list after reporting to training camp with pneumonia, has been diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left arm and will likely be out until May.

Analysis: Sale went just 6-11 with a career-high 4.40 ERA in 25 starts in 2019 before having his season cut short in August due to elbow inflammation.
2/27/2020 Giancarlo Stanton, NYY, RF
Stanton (right calf strain) said he's close to being cleared to run on the field. The slugger has been limited to using an anti-gravity treadmill since being diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain in late February.

Analysis: Stanton played in just 18 games due a number of injuries last season, batting .288 with three homers in 59 at-bats. He hit 38 homers in his first year with the Yankees in 2018, one year after a going deep a career-high 59 times in 2017 with the Marlins.
 

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