This article is part of our Fantasy Baseball Injury Report series.
Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija
Two key components of the San Francisco rotation will be missing on Opening Day, as injuries will shelve both Bumgarner and Samardzija. Bumgarner's injury is more significant as the leftie, ace suffered a fractured hand after being hit by a line drive during Friday's Cactus League outing.
The hand comprises five bones known as the metacarpals. These bones bridge the tiny carpal bones of the wrist and the long bones of the fingers with the distal ends of the metacarpals forming the knuckles of the hand. This positioning and a lack of surrounding fat or muscle make the metacarpals vulnerable to injury, especially following a direct blow or an axial load.
The necessary recovery time for a broken metacarpal often depends on a variety of factors, including the specific metacarpal fractured. Breaks to the second and third metacarpals, located below the pointer and middle fingers, are easier to manage as they're anchored to the bones of the wrist and are largely immobile. The fourth and the fifth metacarpals, located beneath the ring and pinkie fingers respectively, are more mobile in order to allow motion at the wrist and pinkie. The mobility here often necessitates additional healing time.
The other major factor influencing recovery time is the nature of the break. If the broken pieces of bone remain aligned, it's considered a nondisplaced fracture. Nondisplaced fractures are generally treated conservatively without surgical intervention.
Conversely, if the position of the fragmented bone shifts, the break is considered
Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija
Two key components of the San Francisco rotation will be missing on Opening Day, as injuries will shelve both Bumgarner and Samardzija. Bumgarner's injury is more significant as the leftie, ace suffered a fractured hand after being hit by a line drive during Friday's Cactus League outing.
The hand comprises five bones known as the metacarpals. These bones bridge the tiny carpal bones of the wrist and the long bones of the fingers with the distal ends of the metacarpals forming the knuckles of the hand. This positioning and a lack of surrounding fat or muscle make the metacarpals vulnerable to injury, especially following a direct blow or an axial load.
The necessary recovery time for a broken metacarpal often depends on a variety of factors, including the specific metacarpal fractured. Breaks to the second and third metacarpals, located below the pointer and middle fingers, are easier to manage as they're anchored to the bones of the wrist and are largely immobile. The fourth and the fifth metacarpals, located beneath the ring and pinkie fingers respectively, are more mobile in order to allow motion at the wrist and pinkie. The mobility here often necessitates additional healing time.
The other major factor influencing recovery time is the nature of the break. If the broken pieces of bone remain aligned, it's considered a nondisplaced fracture. Nondisplaced fractures are generally treated conservatively without surgical intervention.
Conversely, if the position of the fragmented bone shifts, the break is considered displaced. Injuries of this magnitude are often treated surgically to insure a proper union of the bone with pins or other surgical hardware inserted at the injury site.
Bumgarner's official diagnosis was a fractured fifth metacarpal that required the insertion of three surgical pins. He's expected to miss the next six to eight weeks recovering. Even if he's able to return on the early side of that timeline, additional time will be needed to build his arm back up to his standards. As a result, fantasy owners should expect to proceed without Bumgarner until June.
Sadly, this marks the second straight season a fluky injury will cost Bumgarner a significant portion of the season. He spent nearly two months on the DL during the 2017 season with a severe AC joint sprain sustained during a dirt bike accident.
Samardzija's injury is less severe but still will cost the right-hander three to four weeks. Samardzija suffered a strained pectoral muscle that was confirmed by further testing. The "pecs" are located on the upper portion of the chest and are generally associated with pushing exercises like the bench press. However, few people realize the pectoralis major actually attaches to the upper arm bone, the humerus. As a result, the pec is active during multiple shoulder movements, including flexion, extension and rotation of the upper arm. It also pulls the arm toward the midline of the body in a motion known as adduction.
Based on these facts, the issue needs to be addressed almost like a shoulder injury. Doing so will insure that it doesn't have a trickle down effect on the rest of his upper extremity, including the elbow. As a result, don't be surprised if Samardzija's return is on the latter end of his announced recovery timeline.
The Padres up-and-coming starter will start the season on the disabled list with pain in his pitching elbow. Lamet was unable to finish his final start of the spring though a MRI performed on the area failed to uncover any structural damage. However, San Diego is planning to proceed with caution and expects him to remain sidelined for the first month of the season. Elbow injuries are scary enough without a team failing to provide specifics surrounding the problem. Fantasy owners will need to proceed with caution here and consider alternatives for both the short and long-term.
Check Swings
Greg Bird: After ankle surgery limited the Yankees slugger to just 48 games in 2017, Bird was hoping for a bounce-back campaign. Unfortunately, Bird may find himself on the DL once again as his surgically repaired ankle has become inflamed. Bird is set to meet with his surgeon, renowned specialist Dr. Martin O'Malley. The meeting should help clarify specifics and help design Bird's treatment options. However, Bird will remain a high-risk player regardless of Monday's findings.
Michael Brantley: The veteran outfielder will open the year on the DL as he continues to work his way back from offseason ankle surgery. He showed flashes in limited playing time, including a home run in his first start of the spring. However, the team is taking a cautious approach with his recovery. The former All Star is a definitive injury risk but could be worth a stash if your team is healthy to start the season.
Michael Conforto: Despite being ahead of schedule in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery, Conforto will begin the year on the DL. Conforto went under the knife to repair a posterior capsule tear in his left shoulder. The capsule of the shoulder surrounds the joint and aids in stabilization. Surgery to the area is designed to treat instability caused from an acute or chronic injury. Recovery is measured in months not weeks, though Conforto has progressed nicely. Still the Mets want to insure he's completely healthy to reduce his risk of re-injury and plan on holding him out until May 1. Continue to exhibit patience here and wait out this situation.
Zack Greinke: The former Cy Young winner will not be the Diamondback starter on Opening Day, but it looks like he may avoid the DL. Greinke has been dealing with a mild groin injury but was able to take part in an intrasquad game Wednesday. He reported no setbacks with his groin and could be slotted into the back end of Arizona's rotation. Consider him day-to-day for now.
Chris Sale: The Red Sox expect their ace to take the mound on Opening Day despite a minor hip injury. Sale was struck by a line drive over the weekend. X-rays on the area were negative, and the injury was diagnosed as a contusion. The team has modified his throwing leading up to Thursday but he should still be utilized as normal for fantasy purposes.
