Here we go on another installment of the weekly Prospect Injury Report. Now, while I would certainly never wish injuries on any player, during the past two weeks these guys have certainly made my job a little too easy.
For the second week in a row, injuries were held to a minimum, although some recognizable names will be missing some significant time. While a talented quartet of prospects in Homer Bailey, Carlos Gomez, Justin Masterson and Adam Miller made their ways off of our list, we have five new players taking their place. But two of them are not truly on the list for injuries.
First on the docket is the talented youngster, Desmond Jennings. Jennings put up a stellar 2007 campaign to the tune of .315 / .401 / .465. The soon to be twenty-one-year old looks primed to make the jump to being in High-A in 2008 despite the speed bump that is minor knee surgery. The knee injury is not seen as being serious in any way and Jennings is expected to be ready to play ball again no later than Spring Training 2008. Despite the good news on the lack of severity of the surgery, we will keep an eye on Jennings to see if he loses any of that phenomenal stolen-base potential (45 steals in 60 attempts this season).
Jair Jurrjens went by the way of other Tiger pitching prospects this past week in getting injured after being rushed to the big league club. After injuring his shoulder, the young righthander was in so much pain that when asked how bad it was on a scale of 1-10, he exclaimed it was an eight, later going on to say that he was worried now that his career had just slipped away. After running Jurrjens through examinations, the Tigers claim that he merely is suffering from an inflammation of the rotator cuff. Forgive me for not being a believer just yet, but I will be watching out to see how this progresses in the near future. For Jurrjens to be in as much pain and worry about his career as much as he did immediately following the injury, I cannot chalk this one up to inflammation just yet. Stay tuned…
Finally, the surprising Bubba Bell in the Boston Red Sox organization has gone on the disabled list with a strained quad. The 39th round pick in the 2005 Amateur Draft has come on strong as of late and is making a push to perhaps become a quality 4th outfielder down the road. The 24-year old had been impressive this season, going .337/.420/.584, while slugging 26 home runs, 105 RBI, and maintaining a very good batting eye (62BB:56K). Throw in 14 stolen bases on the year and you have yourself a quality reserve player in the making, which is something hard to come by these days. Bell is expected back shortly and will look to continue his success, likely progressing into Triple-A come next season.
As always, the newest injuries and updates are up front while the older injuries with no updates are down below. In the middle, you will find a list of players who have been taken off of the list altogether due to their now being healthy. In addition, all rankings shown are as of the latest rankings put out by ProjectProspect.com that are applicable to the player in question.
| Injuries not listed last week/injury updates | ||||||||
| Top-75 No. | Player | Pos | Injury | Age | Org | Level | Out Since | Return |
| NR | Jeremy Jeffress | RHP | Sticky Fingers | 19 | MIL | A | 8/28 | July 2008? |
| While not really an injury, it is worth noting that Jeffress will miss a significant portion of 2008 (45 games) due to his dance with Mary Jane. It remains to be seen if he will play in Fall and/or Winter leauges, but should be available for the fimling of Half-Baked 2. | ||||||||
| NR | Andrew Miller | LHP | Ineffectiveness | 22 | DET | AAA | 8/20 | Spring Training 2008 |
| Again, not an injury but worth noting nonetheless. Miller was rushed to the Big Show and now is paying the price. While word isn't official, it is assumed Miller is being shut down for the year to work with Chuck Hernandez in preparation for 2008. | ||||||||
| NR | Bubba Bell | OF | Strained Quad | 24 | BOS | AA | 8/18 | Early September |
| The power hitting outfielder with a tremendous eye went down with a strained quad on August 18th. The last few weeks of the season will be crucial for the 24-year old and his ascension through the minors, so we'll keep an eye on his one. | ||||||||
| NR | Desmond Jennings | OF | Minor Knee Surgery | 20 | TAM | A | 12-Aug | Spring Training 2008 |
| A potential star in the making, Jennings suffered a minor knee injury that required surgery, putting an end to his 2007 campaign. While a timetable is not set, it is safe to assume that he will be shutdown through the Winter and be ready for Spring 2008. | ||||||||
| NR | Jair Jurrjens | RHP | Inflammation of the Rotator Cuff | 21 | DET | AA | 26-Aug | Late September |
| This is one to keep an eye on. While the Tigers claim Jurrjens' pain was simply due to inflammation, Jurrjens said that on a pain scale of 1-10, it was an 8, later saying he thoght his dreams of pitching in the Majors was now slipping away. | ||||||||
| Removed from the list: Jusin Masterson, Carlos Gomez, Homer Bailey, and Adam Miller. | ||||||||
| Old Injuries | ||||||||
| Top-75 No. | Player | Pos | Injury | Age | Org | Level | Out Since | Return |
| 25 | Fernando Martinez | CF | Fractured Hamate Bone | 18 | NYM | AA | 7/30 | Spring Training 2008 |
| Pay no attention to that GCL Mets box score that show Martinez going 0-3 on the 16th of August. It was a recording error and Martinez is still on the mend after having surgery on his hamate bone. Timetable for return has not changed. | ||||||||
| 36 | Jose Tabata | RF | Wrist & Hand Injuries | 18 | NYY | A+ | 8/9 | No Timetable |
| This hand and wrist injury is becoming quite the problem for the amazingly talented OF. Although unconfirmed, belief is that this is the same injury that hit Tabata earlier in the season. Hopefully this time off is what he needs to get back into form. | ||||||||
| 64 | Scott Elbert | LHP | Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery | 21 | LAD | AA | 4/16 | Spring Training 2008 |
| The Dodgers' top pitching prospect is out for the year after finally going under the knife in June. Scarring was found on Elbert's labrum, prompting the need for surgery. Elbert should be ready by next spring; however will not be allowed to throw again for several months. | ||||||||
| 69 | Jaime Garcia | LHP | Elbow | 21 | STL | AA | 7/18 | Spring 2008 at the earliest |
| The Cardinals have to choose between bad news or worse news for their prospect's ailing elbow; rest or surgery. The Cards are opting for the former, but it is looking like surgery might be the end result. If so, Garcia will more than likely be out for all of 2008. | ||||||||
| NR | Joaquin Arias | SS | Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery | 22 | TEX | AAA | 6/29 | Late September |
| Arias had suffered what Texas GM Jon Daniels described as "just a little bit more than normal wear and tear." The Rangers hope to have him back on the field by late September; however, expect him to be out until 2008 | ||||||||
| NR | Thomas Diamond | RHP | Tommy John Surgery | 24 | TEX | AAA | Season | Spring Training 2008 |
| In a surprise to even the Doctors that operated on him, the supremely talented Diamond needed Tommy John Surgery. He will be back and ready to go next Spring, as Texas will look to add him to their rotation mid-year if all goes as planned. | ||||||||
| NR | Anthony Lerew | RHP | Tommy John Surgery | 24 | ATL | AAA | 5/20 | Mid-August 2008 |
| Lerew clearly was not his usual dominant self during his short stint with the Braves earlier this summer, which was later confirmed by Lerew's need for TJ Surgery. Lerew will look to take the mound again sometime in the late Summer of 2008. | ||||||||
| NR | Humberto Sanchez | RHP | Tommy John Surgery | 24 | NYY | AAA | Season | Spring Training 2008 |
| Sanchez was supposed to be to the Yankees what Joba Chamberlain is having to do right now -- be their verion of Joel Zumaya. With his elbow at last repaired. Sanchez may at last be able to stay on the mound for more than a few months at a time. | ||||||||
| NR | Greg Reynolds | RHP | Shoulder Tendonitis | 22 | COL | AA | 6/19 | Spring Training 2008 |
| Reynolds' shoulder was causing him discomfort all year long, so shutting him down for the remainder of the season was a smart thing for the Rockies to do. Hopefully the talented 1st rounder can return to form in 2008. | ||||||||
| NR | Dellin Betances | RHP | Enflamed Right Elbow | 19 | NYY | A | 7/15 | No Timetable Set |
| Don't be surprised if the Yankees shut down their 19-year old flamethrower for the rest of the season. Throwing in the high-90s, the 6' 7", 185 lbs. Betances puts a tremendous amount of strain on his elbow, thus the injury. Better to be safe than sorry when you have a talent like this guy. | ||||||||
| NR | Kyle Drabek | RHP | Tommy John Surgery | 19 | PHI | A | 6/15 | Late 2008 |
| The Phillies' 2006 top pick had to undergo surgery in July which will put him out for most, if not all, of 2008. The team says it doesn't expect this year off to set Drabek's progression back any, so expect him to advance into Double-A in late 2008. | ||||||||
| NR | Shane Lindsay | RHP | Surgery on Frayed Labrum | 22 | COL | A | Season | No Timetable Set |
| Lindsay had surgery on a frayed labrum last October and was expected to begin throwing again in March. It is now August and the Rockies seem to be hush-hush on Lindsay's status. Assume he is out for the year until we hear otherwise. | ||||||||
| NR | Brahiam Maldonado | OF | Fractured Metacarpal - Middle Finger | 22 | NYM | A | 8/4 | Late August |
| The Mets surprising 10th rounder has done nothing but dominate down at Class A Savannah since signing. A damaged metacarpal is not uncommon and should not be looked upon as a major injury. Brahiam will be back in action soon. | ||||||||
| NR | Landon Powell | C | Torn ACL | 25 | OAK | AAA | 7/2 | Spring Training 2008 |
| Only days after getting promoted to Triple-A Sacramento, Powell went down with a torn ACL that will keep him out at least until next spring training. Powell has been a promising prospect for the A's, but his age coupled with his injury certainly do not bode well for his future. | ||||||||
| NR | Ryan Kalish | CF | Fractured Hamate Bone | 19 | BOS | A | 7/16 | Spring Training 2008 |
| What is it with OF's and hamate bones? After an absolutely torrid Class-A campaign (.368 / .471 / .540), Kalish will attempt to pick up next year where he left off. The bone was not displaced, therfore surgery is trying to be avoided since the injury heals much better if healed naturally. | ||||||||
| NR | Dexter Fowler | CF | Broken Pisiform Bone | 21 | COL | A+ | 6/17 | Arizona Fall League |
| Fowler broke his pisiform bone while crashing into the outfield wall. The break required two pins to be inserted into his risk. While it was expected that the Rox would bring him back in mid-August, they thought it better to hold him out until the AFL now. | ||||||||
| NR | Chris Garcia | RHP | Knee & Tommy John Surgery | 21 | NYY | A+ | Season | Spring Training 2008 |
| The knee was a minor setback that won't set the timetable for this talented arm back at all. Look for Garcia to continue the success he had in 2006. He will not continue rehabbing again until November. His elbow is on track for Spring 2008. | ||||||||
| NR | Andrew Brackman | RHP | Tommy John Surgery | 21 | NYY | R | Season | 2009 |
| Brackman finally opted for Surgery, ending his chances of beginning his career with the Yankees in 2008. $13.4 million for a pitcher to have TJ surgery is quite a roll of the dice. It will be interesting to see if the Yankees know what they are doing. | ||||||||
| NR | Matt Bush | RHP | Tommy John Surgery | 21 | SD | A | 8/9 | 2009 |
| What an unfortunate free fall for such a talented youngster. We finally received official word that Bush needs elbow surgery, further setting his career back. Hopes are he will take the mound again in early 2009. | ||||||||
| <<< August 28th Injury Report | ||||||||
Brandon can be reached at btcharpied@projectprospect.com