MLB injury report for Saturday, June 10

Intro

MLB injury report: Saturday, June 10th

Yordan Alvarez (oblique), Houston Astros — Already trailing the Texas Rangers in the AL West, the Houston Astros are going to have to try to make up ground without their MVP candidate for a while. The team placed its star outfielder/DH on the 10-day IL on Friday afternoon with what’s being called right oblique discomfort.

The injury first arose during Thursday night’s loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, when Alvarez was forced to leave the game after his first at-bat with pain in his side. The team has yet to release any sort of preliminary timetable, saying only that Alvarez would be heading back to Houston for further evaluation. We should have a better idea of how long the All-Star might be out in the next couple of days, but if it is indeed an oblique strain, it’s an injury that has led to some lengthy absences in the past.

Pete Alonso (wrist), New York Mets — As if New York’s brutal loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night wasn’t bad enough, New York will now have to try and claw out of this early-season hole without the heart and soul of its lineup, as first baseman Pete Alonso is headed to the IL with a wrist injury.

Alonso first suffered the injury on Wednesday night when he was hit in the wrist by a 97-mph Charlie Morton fastball. X-rays came back negative, but the two-time All-Star was apparently in enough pain that the Mets sent him back to New York yesterday to undergo further testing. Those tests apparently revealed both a bone bruise and a sprain of Alonso’s left wrist, with a timetable for return of around 3-4 weeks.

Chris Sale (shoulder), Boston Red Sox — Speaking of a star’s injury news going from bad to worse! Sale was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL on Friday afternoon. The lefty was initially diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, but further testing revealed a stress reaction his shoulder blade, prompting the team to rethink his timeline for return.

The lefty will be shut down for at least the next 3-4 weeks, at which point Boston’s staff will see where his shoulder is at and whether he’s ready to resume a throwing program.

Eloy Jimenez (calf), Chicago White Sox — Finally, some okay news. The South Side held its breath when Jimenez — no stranger to lower-body injuries in his career — pulled up lame while running to first base on Thursday night. But manager Pedro Grifol told reporters that the slugger is just dealing with some calf tightness that isn’t expected to force him onto the IL. He’ll likely miss all of this weekend’s series against the Miami Marlins but should be back early next week.

Julio Urias (hamstring), Los Angeles Dodgers — Reports surfaced on Friday that Urias would make his long-awaited return from the injured list on Sunday in Philadelphia, but those appear to have been premature:

Urias’ bullpen on Thursday apparently didn’t go as well as hoped, and it sounds like a setback that could keep him from fully ramping up for a little bit. Urias was initially thought to have a relatively mild hamstring issue, but it’s proven tricker than anyone imagined — and will likely keep him out for at least another couple of weeks. With Noah Syndergaard also on the IL now, the Dodgers will need Michael Grove and Gavin Stone (as well as someone from the Minors, maybe Emmet Sheehan?) to step up.

Vinnie Pasquantino (shoulder), Kansas City Royals — One of the lone bright spots in an otherwise putrid Royals offense, Pasquantino was forced to leave Friday night’s game in the seventh inning with what’s being called shoulder soreness.

It’s unclear when and how exactly Pasquantino suffered the injury, or how long he might be out, but we should know more after he undergoes further evaluation. The first baseman is hitting .250/.328/.443 this year.

Akil Baddoo (leg), Detroit Tigers — Man, this is tough. Baddoo had really stepped up for the Tigers in Riley Greene’s absence, but his golden opportunity may have come to a close prematurely on Friday night after the outfielder appeared to tweak something in his leg.

No word yet on what exactly the issue is or how much time Baddoo might miss. With Matt Vierling also out, Detroit is running low on viable outfielders — although Kerry Carpenter did return from the IL on Friday night.

J.D. Davis (hip), San Francisco Giants — Davis has been enjoying a breakout year of his own, with a 135 OPS+ for San Fran so far this year. But the third baseman was a late scratch from the Giants’ lineup on Friday night with what the team is calling hip tightness. It doesn’t sound too serious, but we obviously won’t know for sure until we see how Davis bounces back this weekend.

Gio Urshela (back), Los Angeles Angels — Urshela was also a late scratch on Friday, missing the team’s game against the Seattle Mariners with tightness in his lower back. He’s considered day-to-day for the time being, though back injuries are notoriously tricky and can tend to linger.

Lars Nootbaar (back), St. Louis Cardinals — Speaking of: Nootbaar, who’s been on the IL since May 30 with his own lower back pain, apparently reported feeling some lingering discomfort when he tried to swing a bat on Thursday.

The outfielder will obviously be shut down until he’s pain-free, which means he’s still likely a good ways away from returning to the lineup.

Graham Ashcraft (calf), Cincinnati Reds — The vibes are good around the Reds right now with Elly De La Cruz adding to his highlight reel on a nightly basis, but the future of the team’s rotation is a bit banged up right now. Hunter Greene had his start pushed back a few days with hip tightness, Nick Lodolo has been on the IL with a leg injury for over a month and now Ashcraft has joined him.

The young righty — who’s struggled to a 6.78 ERA in what was expected to be a breakout year — sustained a calf contusion on a comebacker during this week’s start against the Los Angeles Dodgers. X-rays came back negative, so hopefully Ashcraft will be able to return in a couple of weeks once the swelling and pain subside.