This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
It's happened. We have reached the final week of the 2020 MLB season, a truncated season that looked like it may never happen. Injuries have been a dominate storyline, unsurprising during a pandemic, and have shaped fantasy and real world standings. I hope I've been able to help guide your decision making, and you have positioned yourself atop your league's standings. I look forward to next season where I can hopefully be more of an injury analyst and less of an epidemiologist. While I keep my fingers crossed, let's take a look at the pressing injury concerns enter this final week.
Nolan Arenado: The five-time All-Star may have played his final game with Colorado. Arenado is slated to undergo additional testing on his aching left shoulder, and the team has hinted he may be shut down for the remainder of the season. His issue is linked to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint in the shoulder. An injury here can prevent an athlete from raising his arm overhead, an obvious limitation for a baseball player. Last week, I hinted that this was a real possibility and the odds of Arenado's season prematurely ending have only improved over the past seven days. Trevor Story hit from the clean-up spot on Sunday and should be in line for an increase in RBI opportunities.
Mike Clevinger: The Padres right-hander did not start over the weekend due to soreness and tightness in his biceps. Most people know the biceps as the upper arm muscle
It's happened. We have reached the final week of the 2020 MLB season, a truncated season that looked like it may never happen. Injuries have been a dominate storyline, unsurprising during a pandemic, and have shaped fantasy and real world standings. I hope I've been able to help guide your decision making, and you have positioned yourself atop your league's standings. I look forward to next season where I can hopefully be more of an injury analyst and less of an epidemiologist. While I keep my fingers crossed, let's take a look at the pressing injury concerns enter this final week.
Nolan Arenado: The five-time All-Star may have played his final game with Colorado. Arenado is slated to undergo additional testing on his aching left shoulder, and the team has hinted he may be shut down for the remainder of the season. His issue is linked to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint in the shoulder. An injury here can prevent an athlete from raising his arm overhead, an obvious limitation for a baseball player. Last week, I hinted that this was a real possibility and the odds of Arenado's season prematurely ending have only improved over the past seven days. Trevor Story hit from the clean-up spot on Sunday and should be in line for an increase in RBI opportunities.
Mike Clevinger: The Padres right-hander did not start over the weekend due to soreness and tightness in his biceps. Most people know the biceps as the upper arm muscle routinely shown off when an athlete flexes his arm. However, people often fail to recognize the biceps is an integral part of the shoulder joint. Like its name suggests, the biceps has two heads that both originate on the shoulder blade. The long head of the biceps enters into the cavity of the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder (the glenohumeral joint) and helps stabilize the humeral head while throwing a baseball or swinging a bat. As a result, any limitation to the area can prove problematic for a pitcher, altering their entire delivery. By skipping Clevinger's start and proactively addressing the issue, the San Diego medical team is mitigating the risk of a more significant injury somewhere else along the kinetic chain. The extra few days of rest appear to have helped, and Clevinger is expected to rejoin the rotation for the week ahead.
Bryce Harper: Harper was removed from Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays after reporting renewed lower back pain and stiffness. The All-Star outfielder has battled an ongoing back issue throughout the season but appeared to aggravate the injury late in the game. The Phillies are currently seventh in the expanded National League playoff picture and any kind of extended absence would be another blow to a suddenly injury plagued team. Consider him day-to-day for now, but manager Joe Girardi didn't sound particularly optimistic following Sunday's contest.
J.T. Realmuto: Realmuto's continued absence is a compounding factor for Harper's injury. Realmuto has not played since September 12 due to a hip flexor strain. The team has opted not to place him on the injured list and were hopeful he could return over the weekend. However, he did not make an appearance during the three-game series with Toronto and will not be available to catch on Monday. He could log a few starts as a DH, but it's clear the injured hip isn't ready for full-time catching duties. Fantasy players invested in the slugger simply cannot count on his availability for the final week of the season and may have to consider sending him to the waiver wire.
Justin Verlander: The former CY Young winner will undergo Tommy John surgery after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing elbow. Verlander was working his way back from a forearm strain when the new injury occurred. The timing of the sprain and impending surgery likely will cost Verlander the 2021 season and could be a major turning point in his career. His contract with the Astros will end following next season, meaning Verlander will enter free agency as a 38-year old coming off major surgery with a high career workload. He will get a look somewhere based on his resume alone, but his days as a top-tier fantasy option are likely over.
Check Swings
Tim Anderson: The White Sox shortstop was removed from Sunday's game after experiencing cramping in his right hamstring. Cramps are often painful but relatively easy to manage and treat. If Anderson avoided a low-grade strain, he should be fine moving forward. Consider him day-to-day for now.
Nelson Cruz: The hard hitting Minnesota DH did not play over the weekend with soreness in his right knee. Fortunately, the Twins are off on Monday, extending Cruz's recovery time. The injury does not sound serious, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Twins handle him conservatively in anticipation of the postseason.
Vladimir Guerrero: The 21-year-old infielder missed Saturday's contest after reporting dizziness. Guerrero was grazed by a pitch the night before but appears to have been cleared of a possible concussion. He was back in action Sunday but went 0-for-4 in his four plate appearances.
Dakota Hudson: The Cardinals do not expect Hudson to pitch again this season due to a right forearm strain. He has been placed on the 10-day IL and will finish with a 3-2 record and a 2.77 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Austin Gomber will take Hudson's spot in the St. Louis starting rotation.
Ketel Marte: The Diamondbacks second baseman continues to make progress from his wrist injury and has an outside shot at returning this week. Marte received an injection for inflammation in his wrist but has been cleared to swing a bat and hit off of a tee. It will be interesting to see how Arizona opts to use him over the last week, but he may log a few games before all is said and done. Tread cautiously here, as wrist injuries tend to linger and limit power at the plate.
Austin Meadows: The Rays placed Meadows on the 10-day IL with a Grade 2 oblique strain. While he is eligible to return September 29, it seems improbable to expect him to return. A Grade 2 strain is considered a moderate strain with partial tearing of the muscle or its tendon. Recovery for these types of the injuries is usually measured in weeks, not days. As a result, Meadows should be let go in one-year formats for a healthy and available outfielder.
