How latest spring injuries could impact tight AL East race
The AL East has been decimated by injuries this spring, with five clubs facing difficult setbacks across their 26-man rosters. Here’s a look at the latest on the division’s injury front.
The AL East has been decimated by injuries this spring, with five clubs facing difficult setbacks across their 26-man rosters.
Managers come into spring with the intention of bolstering their chances to win over the course of 162 games, but often they’re just holding hope that they don’t get worse.
With the division race shaping to be a dog fight for every last win come the end of September, here is the latest on the health of each club.
When Daulton Varsho stepped to the plate for his first spring at-bat and pulled a change-up deep over the wall in right field, it was hard to tell he was recovering from right shoulder surgery.
The Gold Glove centre fielder has been progressing with reps at DH, but there are still more steps to take before Varsho can return to the field. While the team is still taking it day by day, Myles Straw and Joey Loperfido are candidates to replace some of his at-bats if he’s not ready.
Pitching injuries continue to be an issue in Dunedin, Fla. as Erik Swanson experienced right elbow discomfort on Feb. 14 and hasn’t thrown since. An MRI revealed no structural damage but the righty is scheduled to meet with Dr. Keith Meister and is lining up to begin the season on the injured list.
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Fellow reliever Ryan Burr (shoulder fatigue) is another arm dealing with issues and has less than three weeks to get back on track, but still could be ready come Opening Day. Toronto could opt for Zach Pop or Tommy Nance as replacements for any open bullpen spots.
It’s been a bit of a different story this year for the Blue Jays as opposed to the rest of the division, their stars and rotation are still currently intact, but it’s worth noting veteran Max Scherzer had his March 13th start pushed back with right thumb soreness.
The biggest blow was dealt to the Yankees with the announcement All-Star Gerrit Cole is to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season.
Starting pitcher woes are the theme in the Bronx as Luis Gil was diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain on March 3 and was shut down for six weeks. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year didn’t make it into a spring game and will need time to ramp up before he returns to the field.
Their lineup is also facing problems as Giancarlo Stanton is scheduled to be on the injured list for the beginning of the season. The 35-year-old has torn tendons in both of his elbows and has been receiving platelet-rich plasma injections. DJ LeMahieu is also in doubt after leaving his spring debut with a tweak in his calf on March 1st and currently has no timetable for a return.
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New York is heading into the season down a ton of star power, but the Yankees remain the favourites to win the division both in Fangraph projections and sportsbooks’ odds.
Positive news is that right-hander Clarke Schmidt made his spring training debut on Tuesday, after he was shut down earlier this spring with a sore back. Aside from Schmidt, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, their rotation has thinned out incredibly quickly, and will be a massive talking point at the start of the season.
The Orioles are being dealt a similar hand, Gunnar Henderson leaped to make a catch on Feb. 27th and was diagnosed with a mild right intercostal strain. The 2023 Rookie of the Year returned to the batting cage on Tuesday and will take the field as a next step.
If Henderson is not ready for Opening Day, the Orioles have a plethora of young players poised to fill a role at shortstop, including Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, or MLB Pipeline’s 14th-overall prospect Coby Mayo.
Baltimore came into the season a threat to battle the Yankees for top spot in the division. However, if a run materialized, it was expected they’d need to add to their rotation with Kyle Bradish still recovering from Tommy John, and Corbin Burnes leaving in free agency.
When it was announced that Grayson Rodriguez (soreness in elbow/triceps) would begin the season on the injured-list, that need seemingly grew much larger. Their rotation is now headlined by Zach Eflin, followed by Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and 35-year-old Japanese rookie Tomoyuki Sugano.
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Their bullpen also suffered when newly signed reliever Andrew Kittredge underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery last week and will miss the first few months of the year. However, closer Felix Bautista is slowly ramping up and is progressing toward a spring appearance after he missed all of last season, providing a massive jolt if he is healthy for the start of the year.
What started as speculation on what position Rafael Devers would play has now become a question of whether he will be ready to go, period. He is working back from sore shoulders that he experienced over last season and is scheduled to make his first spring start this weekend.
The injuries are mounting for the Red Sox, right fielder Wilyer Abreu continues to recover from a gastrointestinal illness and Masataka Yoshida is slowly recovering from shoulder surgery. With Abreu and Yoshida reportedly set to begin the season on the injured list, questions around Devers loom as he awaits his spring debut.
Shortstop Trevor Story was scratched from a game on Tuesday with back tightness, but is expected back in the lineup for their next contest.
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They have longer absences brewing in their improved rotation as Brayan Bello (right shoulder inflammation) is behind schedule and will not accumulate enough of a workload to break camp. He joins Kutter Crawford on the sidelines for the first few months after he failed to recover from an ailment last season with right patellar soreness.
They seem to have caught a break after Lucas Giolito left his Tuesday start with a tight left hamstring. He is set to undergo an MRI but initial reports indicate it’s not serious.
The Red Sox made quite the splash with their off-season additions and were gaining confidence to compete with the Yankees and the Orioles for the top of the division. A massive factor in that chase will be the health of their rotation and their All-Star third baseman.
The big news in Tampa is who’s healthy. After not pitching last season, Shane McClanahan has returned to the mound this spring and is expected to be ready for his first regular-season start since August of 2023.
Starting the year on the injured list is newly signed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, though he is expected to return from shoulder surgery toward the start of May.
Taylor Walls is set to start the season in his place, but he exited his start last Saturday with a quad issue. He sat out the next two games but is expected to return on Wednesday after a Rays off-day.
Elsewhere on their roster, catching prospect Logan Driscoll was sidelined on Feb. 25 after rolling his ankle and is expected to begin the year in triple-A after earning a call-up last September.
The Rays face the longest odds to reach the top of the division, but their starting pitching staff is once again healthy and gearing to be a dangerous group.
