MLB Injury Report: Dylan Cease sidelined with hamstring strain, Cole Ragans pauses his return after setback
In this week’s Injury Report, the Blue Jays lose Dylan Cease for at least the next two weeks with a hamstring strain. Cole Ragans will shut things down after suffering a setback in his last rehab outing. And Logan Webb appears on track to return by this weekend. All that and more as we look into all the latest relevant injury news around baseball.
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Dylan Cease (hamstring)
Cease’s start against the Pirates was cut short on Sunday as he departed in the fifth inning with left hamstring discomfort. The team placed him on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a left hamstring strain, sidelining him for at least the next two weeks. There’s no clear timeline yet, but the hope is that Cease will be ready to return when first eligible in early June.
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Cole Ragans (elbow)
Ragans made a rehab start with Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, giving up one run over 4 1/3 innings while reaching 68 pitches. While he pitched well, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters he “didn’t bounce back well” following the outing. Ragans is apparently feeling the same elbow discomfort that landed him on the injured list. He’ll be shut down from throwing for a few days before he’s reevaluated. It’s not the most promising development, but we hope to learn more about Ragans’ status by the end of the week.
Hunter Brown (shoulder)
We got more encouraging news regarding Brown, who responded well enough in his last batting practice session to begin a rehab assignment. He made a start with Double-A Corpus Cristi on Sunday, striking out five over two scoreless innings. Brown reached 35 pitches and reportedly hit 98 mph on the fastball. The 27-year-old right-hander needs a couple more rehab outings to build up his pitch count, the next of which will come with Triple-A Sugar Land. Barring any setbacks, he appears on track to return in early to mid June.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (hamstring)
Gurriel was removed from Friday’s game against the Rockies with left hamstring tightness and was initially considered day-to-day. The team opted to give him a full ten days to recover, putting him on the 10-day injured list. Manager Torey Lovullo stated the hope is to get him back after the minimum stay. The 32-year-old outfielder is slashing .228/.284/.304 with one homer, seven runs scored, 11 RBI, and one steal across 102 plate appearances. Tommy Troy was recalled to take his place on the roster. Troy is one of the team’s top prospects. He’ll have a week and a half to make an impression after posting an .846 OPS with three homers and six steals over 44 games at Triple-A Reno.
Max Muncy (wrist)
Muncy was removed from Friday’s game against the Brewers after he was hit by a pitch on the right wrist. X-rays came back negative for any fractures, but he’s sat out the three games since. The 35-year-old slugger avoided serious injury, but the team is giving him the extra time off as a precaution. Expect him back in the lineup by Wednesday’s game against the Rockies.
Wyatt Langford (forearm)
Langford was cleared to resume hitting on Monday and took batting practice before the team’s game against the Astros. The hope is that he’ll take live at-bats on Friday and begin a minor league rehab assignment over the weekend. Langford indicated on Monday that he is feeling better now than he did the last time he ramped up baseball activities. An optimistic timeline probably puts him back in the Rangers’ lineup at the start of June.
Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow)
Schwellenbach has finally been cleared to begin a throwing progression, starting with tossing from flat ground for a couple of weeks before moving on to bullpen sessions. It’s the early stages of the ramp-up process following surgery in mid-February to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow. The 25-year-old right-hander is expected to be an option for the Braves’ rotation in the second half of the season.
Garrett Crochet (shoulder)
Crochet is scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice session on Tuesday after checking out fine following a couple of bullpen sessions. As long as there aren’t any setbacks, the next step would likely be a minor league rehab start before rejoining the Red Sox rotation. Crochet has been out since April 29 with left shoulder inflammation.
Logan Webb (knee)
Webb, out since May 6 with right knee bursitis, made a rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. He tossed 62 pitches over 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Manager Tony Vitello said the 29-year-old right-hander could return to the Giants’ rotation sometime this weekend against the Rockies in Colorado. His activation from the injured list likely boots Trevor McDonald from the rotation.
Shane Bieber (elbow)
Bieber has been sidelined all season with elbow inflammation that delayed his ramp up process in spring training. He’s been brought along slowly, finally making his first rehab start in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League on Monday. Bieber struck out three over two scoreless innings. The 30-year-old right-hander will need at least a few more weeks of rehab outings to build up before he’s ready to join the Blue Jays’ rotation in the next month.
Francisco Alvarez (knee)
Alvarez underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee just two weeks ago, with a 6-8 week timeline to return. He’s apparently well ahead of schedule as manager Carlos Mendoza reported on Monday that the 24-year-old backstop has already resumed hitting. It seems there’s a chance Alvarez could at least meet the short end of his timeline and return before the end of June.
Francisco Lindor (calf)
The Alvarez update wasn’t the only good news for the Mets. Mendoza told reporters on Monday that Lindor has begun a running program and resumed baseball activities. He’s been sidelined for over a month with a left calf strain. While Monday’s update was the most positive news yet, he’ll likely also need a rehab assignment once he’s ready for game action after his lengthy absence.
