Sports
MLB News: Injury Updates on Jacob deGrom, Masahiro Tanaka and Cole Hamels
Julio Cortez/Associated PressThe start of the 2020 MLB season is less than one week away on Thursday, but most teams are facing some level of uncertainty either because of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on their roster or the fact that some key players are dealing with injuries.While the delayed start of the 2020…
Julio Cortez/Associated Press
The start of the 2020 MLB season is less than one week away on Thursday, but most teams are facing some level of uncertainty either because of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on their roster or the fact that some key players are dealing with injuries.
While the delayed start of the 2020 campaign allowed some big-name players to get healthy and ready for the start of the season, others are still nursing injuries and are question marks for their teams' opening games.
Here is a rundown of the latest news regarding some of the top MLB players who are currently working through injuries.
Jacob deGrom
New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is dealing with muscle tightness in his back, but he is optimistic that he will be able to make his scheduled Opening Day start next Friday.
According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, deGrom participated in a Zoom call with reporters Thursday and said “the plan is to be able to pitch Opening Day.”
An MRI on deGrom's back revealed no structural damage, and he even took part in a throwing session earlier Thursday.
While deGrom has high hopes regarding making his start against the Atlanta Braves, Mets manager Luis Rojas refrained from making any commitments on that front: “We're excited for the news that came out from the MRI obviously being clean, but this is a day-to-day approach that we're taking. We're all hopeful for a lot of things—that Jake can throw, that Jake can [go] Opening Day, but right now it's a day-to-day approach that we're taking.”
The 32-year-old deGrom is arguably the most dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball, as he has won the National League Cy Young Award in each of the past two seasons.
While deGrom's collective record over the past two seasons is just 21-17, his peripheral numbers have been fantastic. He led the NL with a 1.70 ERA in 2018 and then posted a 2.43 ERA last season to go along with an NL-leading 255 strikeouts in 204 innings.
The Mets have a fighting chance to win the NL East this season due primarily to their pitching, especially in a shortened 60-game season that could lead to some unpredictable results.
Perhaps New York can afford to be without deGrom for one turn through the rotation, but anything beyond that would severely damage the Mets' chances in a truncated season.
Masahiro Tanaka
New York Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka returned to the mound Thursday less than two weeks after taking a line drive to the head and suffering a concussion.
Tanaka suffered the injury on July 4 while facing live batters when Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit a comebacker off Tanaka's head:
SportsCenter @SportsCenter
Masahiro Tanaka took a line drive to the head from Giancarlo Stanton during Yankees batting practice.
After several minutes on the ground, he was helped off by his teammates. (via @MaxTGoodman) https://t.co/AI9lmQh4FO
While it was a scary moment, Tanaka is already making significant progress in his recovery. According to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said Thursday that Tanaka threw a 30-pitch bullpen session:
“He did about 30 pitches total and much probably higher intensity than we initially maybe expected coming in, which was really encouraging. So he was right around 88-91 [miles per hour] in the bullpen, and I think it was good to see him be able to step on it and show all his pitches. He was very crisp for the first bullpen so I feel really good about where he's at.”
Ackert noted that since Tanaka is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Sunday, it likely means he won't pitch during the first time through the rotation.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone hasn't yet ruled it out, but said he's be a “little surprised” if Tanaka is able to start the first time through.
The 31-year-old Tanaka has been New York's most consistent and reliable starter since signing with the team in 2014. He is a two-time All-Star with a career record of 75-43 and career ERA of 3.75.
Tanaka's ERA was up last season, as he went 11-9 with a 4.45 ERA, but he was still named an All-Star and came up big during the playoffs with a 2-1 record, 2.25 ERA and .148 batting average against.
While Gerrit Cole is the Yankees' new ace, Tanaka figures to slot in as either No. 2 or No. 3 starter depending on where James Paxton is positioned. New York's other likely starters are J.A. Happ and Jordan Montgomery.
If Tanaka gets skipped on the first turn, the Yankees could either go with a four-man rotation or use an opener such as Chad Green.
Atlanta Braves veteran starter Cole Hamels likely won't be ready to go when the 2020 regular season commences next week.
Hamels missed spring training with left shoulder inflammation, and while he threw a side session this week, triceps tendinitis caused him to miss one last week.
Per MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Braves manager Brian Snitker said: “We'll see where he is when we get back in here on Saturday. I don't know if there is time for him to be ready to go in the beginning. But we'll see where he's at after his side [session] today.”
Atlanta signed the 36-year-old during the offseason to essentially serve as the lefty veteran replacement for Dallas Keuchel, who signed with the Chicago White Sox.
Hamels, a four-time All-Star and one-time World Series MVP, was solid last season with the Chicago Cubs, as he went 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 27 starts. He also struck out 143 batters in 141.2 innings for his best strikeout rate since 2015.
When healthy, Hamels should be an important part of a Braves rotation that mostly features younger arms such as Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb.
Josh Tomlin, Kyle Wright and Tucker Davidson are all options to fill in for Hamels in the rotation until he is ready to return.
Hamels has yet to throw live batting practice, and given how much time he missed due to the shoulder inflammation he experienced in spring training, it could still be quite some time until the Braves have Hamels available to them in a game situation.
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