It certainly seems like we have seen our fair-share of early season injuries so far in 2012. The most notable position to be hit so far has definitely been at relief pitcher with three of the top ten closers out with season-ending Tommy John surgery (Brian Wilson, Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria).
Several other relatively high-profile players are currently on the disabled list for a number of reasons, so you may be wondering how much longer you will have to wait to see them in action again. Luckily Roto Wizard has taken the guesswork out of that for you, so read on my friend and lets take a look at them together.
1. Jacoby Ellsbury (OF, Red Sox) - Jacoby was recently placed on the DL on Friday the 13th (go figure) when he suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder. This happens when the humerus bone goes out of the joint but does not completely dislocate. Although this injury doesn't need any surgery, Ellsbury is still expected to miss at least the next 6-8 weeks. Since this injury is on his throwing shoulder, it will also effect his fielding and hitting. His normal aggressive center outfield play may need to be cut down while the injury heals, and I wouldn't expect him to dive and go for balls that he normally would. It may also effect his swing since this is his lead shoulder, and it may force him to alter things to make it more of a comfortable swing.
Outlook: Negative
2. Michael Morse (1B-OF, Nationals) - Morse was put on the DL back in Spring Training due to a strained lat muscle, which was causing pain for him below his right shoulder blade. Initially Morse was supposed to be cleared in time to start the season right away, but various set-backs have forced his return to be delayed. After experiencing tightness again last week, Morse underwent further tests and the results were sent to the dreaded Dr.James Andrews. No updated have been released since then and the team's timetable on his return has now been changed to "indefinitely".
Outlook: Negative
3. Chris Young (OF, Diamondbacks) - Young injured his shoulder while diving into the center field wall while making an amazing catch on 4/17. The injury initially didn't seem to be a big issue since he was raising his arm above his head and moving his shoulder around. After an MRI was performed on 4/18 he received both good and bad news. The good news? His collarbone showed no fractures and there was no extended structural damage to the shoulder. The bad news? He experienced a deep bruise and a slightly torn AC joint in his right shoulder. After being told that the team should place him on the DL, Young resisted saying that he could play through the injury, but the Diamondbacks relied on common sense and placed him on the DL. He should be able to come back in 2-3 weeks and expects to make a full recovery. I asked Stephania Bell from ESPN about his timeframe and she gave me the following info:
"Hard to know an exact timeframe on the length of the DL stint, but it was a good move to allow recovery time so it wouldn't alter his swing".
Sounds like moderately good news.
Outlook: Positive
4. David Wright (3B, Mets) - David has a hairline fracture in the middle joint of his right pinkie finger, an injury he sustained while diving headfirst into first base on a pickoff attempt. The Mets injury staff has long been criticized for mis-diagnosing injuries and providing incorrect timeframes, but in this case they didn't mess up too badly. Wright initially sat out a few games but was encouraged by management to try and test it out. The result? A HR in his first at-bat and he's been on fire ever since. His pinkie will heal on its own over the course of time and he should be just fine.
Outlook: Positive
5. Brett Gardner (OF,Yankees) - Brett was recently placed on the DL for a strained right elbow he suffered while making a diving catch in the outfield. Although it wasn't enough to initially be considered serious, after a further look Gardner is now receiving more extensive tests on the elbow to see if further damage was caused. His outlook is currently somewhat murky because we haven't received an update from the MRI which is being performed, but after a video review of the injury it didn't appear to be terribly serious. Expect him to be out about 3 weeks, barring negative news.
Outlook: Positive
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