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Julio Teheran’s lat problems won’t go away, as the Atlanta Braves ace will miss an extended period of time with a recurrence of the injury.

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Teheran to DL

Tuesday, August 2

The Braves announced Tuesday on Twitter that Teheran was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a right lat strain. 

Teheran left his start on July 22 against the Colorado Rockies following an at-bat in the fifth inning due to tightness in his right lat. He sat out the next seven days before making his return Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The 25-year-old Teheran did not look bad against the Phillies. He gave up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in five innings. 

After the game, Teheran said he didn’t notice anything physically wrong with his body during the start, per Pat James and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com: “I didn’t feel anything like I felt last game, and that’s something good to know. But just the one mistake I made [on the pitch to Jeremy Hellickson]—I think I was doing well until that point.”

If the Braves were competing for a playoff spot right now, they might be able to push Teheran through this injury. They enter play Tuesday with a 37-68 record, the worst in Major League Baseball. There is no need to overextend the right-hander in a lost season. 

Teheran is having the best year of his career with a 2.81 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and 119 strikeouts in 134.2 innings. His absence does leave a massive void in Atlanta’s rotation; MLB.com‘s depth chart currently lists a total of three pitchers, including Teheran. 

Finding even a competent rotation to get through the final two months of the season is a big concern for the Braves, but at least they are aware this a rebuilding year and can throw players on the field as needed. 

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The St. Louis Cardinals placed reliever Trevor Rosenthal on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a right shoulder injury. 

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Struggling Rosenthal on DL with Shoulder Inflammation

Tuesday, July 26 

The team recalled Dean Kiekhefer from Triple-A Memphis as Rosenthal‘s replacement on the major league roster. Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reported Rosenthal is dealing with inflammation in his rotator cuff.

Rosenthal, 26, is 2-4 with a 5.13 ERA and 2.04 WHIP in 40 appearances. An All-Star in 2015, Rosenthal has struggled all season and lost his closer job to Seung Hwan Oh in June.

“I’m not the first person this has happened to,” Rosenthal said, per Mark Saxon of ESPN.com. “I’m not going to be the last person, and all these guys know I work my butt off and I try every day. It’s all I can control.”

Rosenthal‘s performance hasn’t improved since being removed from ninth-inning duties. He was 0-1 with a blown save and a 5.68 ERA in the month of July and needed 32 pitches to get through one inning in his last appearance, a June 24 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jonathan Broxton should see an increased workload with Rosenthal out, but this may put the Cardinals on the market for a late-inning reliever. Broxton (2-2, 3.89 ERA) has been shaky for most of the season; Oh’s been their only shutdown option overall. With another handful of days before the Aug. 1 deadline, don’t be surprised if St. Louis is working the phones.

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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara suffered a strained pectoral muscle Tuesday night during the club’s game against the San Francisco Giants and has been placed on the disabled list. It’s unclear when he will return to the field.

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Uehara Placed on DL

Wednesday, July 20

Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reported the Red Sox recalled relief pitcher Noe Ramirez from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Uehara on the active roster.

Uehara Provides Red Sox With Bullpen Stability

Uehara registered a 1.86 ERA and 72 saves across his first three seasons with the Red Sox. The team still couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add flamethrower Craig Kimbrel during the offseason, but his trip to the disabled list had pushed Uehara back into the closer role.

The 41-year-old reliever’s health has been an issue in recent seasons. He was limited to 43 appearances in 2015 before a wrist injury ended his season early. He also missed time during spring training this year while dealing with general soreness.

The Red Sox will probably use a wide-ranging committee approach to fill the high-leverage situations with Uehara out. Robbie Ross Jr. and the recently acquired Brad Ziegler figure to see the most work in those key spots for the time being.

Uehara should slide back into his usual spot in the pecking order once he’s back to full strength. The Red Sox will hope he can avoid further setbacks, because the bullpen loses valuable depth when he’s not available.

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Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel has been placed on the 15-day disabled list and will undergo surgery on his left knee, according to WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable.

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Kimbrel Out 3-6 Weeks

Saturday, July 9

Kimbrel was ruled out Friday due to knee soreness, per the Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier. An MRI revealed the right-hander has a torn medial meniscus, according to MLB Roster Moves.

On Friday, the Red Sox announced they had acquired reliever Brad Ziegler from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for two minor-league players.

Ziegler has never been a hard thrower, and at 36 years old, he isn’t going to blow batters away consistently. But he has the repertoire necessary to hold down the fort while Kimbrel is on the shelf.

Not only do right-handed batters hit just .224 off Ziegler, but his changeup is notoriously difficult to make contact with.

According to FanGraphs’ August Fagerstrom, Ziegler’s changeup “was the hardest pitch in all of baseball to lay off last year” because it spun out of the zone 85 percent of the time. Remarkably, opposing batters swung at those offerings 54 percent of the time.

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New York Mets ace Matt Harvey will undergo surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in his right arm and will miss the remainder of the 2016 MLB season, his agent Scott Boras announced Friday.

Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reported the news, and Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball noted Harvey has been having trouble feeling his fingertips all season.

Boras commented on the surgery, per Rubin:

The doctors clearly recommended that he have this done, mainly so that he can be ready for ’17. The rehab on this is six months. Now, if there was a small window of a season, you might be able to take a shot. It’s actually Botox, which relaxes the muscles. That’s not a long-term solution.

The only way this is going to be treated appropriately — and obviously we don’t want to do anything to affect next year — is to get this surgically taken care of.

Harvey tweeted his disappointment about the diagnosis:

Harvey, 27, went 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 17 starts. He struck out just 76 batters in 92.2 innings and struggled with his command and velocity throughout much of the year.

The Mets placed him on the disabled list Wednesday after he complained of shoulder pain. Harvey left Monday’s start against the Miami Marlins, having given up six runs on 11 hits in 3.2 innings. It was the second straight game Harvey failed to make it out of the fourth inning.

Dr. Robert Thompson diagnosed Harvey with thoracic outlet syndrome Thursday, at which point he was presented with the option of surgery or taking a nerve blocker. Surgery offers a four-month time frame before Harvey could pitch again, while the injections could have brought him back to the rotation at some point this season.

“It’s unclear how effective that would be or for how long,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said, per Rubin. “… I do believe that surgery is probably inevitable and more a question of timing than anything else. So, obviously, to the extent that we’re backed up for a period of time, it begins potentially to encroach on 2017 as well.”

The Mets (47-38) are in second place in the NL East and are trying to build on a surprise World Series appearance last year. Harvey was one of the biggest reasons for New York’s ascent, earning NL Comeback Player of the Year honors after returning from Tommy John surgery.

Questions may now arise about Harvey’s usage during that 2015 campaign. As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, Harvey’s 216 innings (including postseason) were the most of any player in his first year back from Tommy John. Boras and the Mets had a disagreement behind the scenes last season about Harvey’s usage; there was concern about his going over a 180-inning limit set by Dr. James Andrews.

While the injuries are different, some will no doubt draw the line and conclude Boras was right to look out for the best interest of his client.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain is dealing with a hamstring injury, and the team announced Wednesday he was placed on the 15-day disabled list. 

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Cain Recovery Timetable Revealed 

Wednesday, June 29

Cain told reporters he is hoping to return to the Royals on the Friday after the All-Star break, which is July 15.

Royals Announce Cain’s Replacement on 25-man Roster

Wednesday, June 29

With Cain on the shelf, the Royals also announced they recalled outfielder Brett Eibner from Triple-A Omaha.

Cain Has Been Essential Piece to Royals Lineup 

It will be a difficult blow for the Royals if their starting center fielder is out for a significant amount of time.

Cain has always been a threat, but he truly turned the corner in 2015 during his fifth season with Kansas City. He set career highs in hits (169), runs scored (101), home runs (16), RBI (72), walks (37), stolen bases (28, same as 2014), on-base percentage (.361) and slugging percentage (.477), and he anchors the middle of the order as one of the team’s most dangerous weapons.

Cain also posted a career-best 7.2 offensive WAR, per ESPN.com, and he was responsible for 18 total defensive runs saved above average in center, per FanGraphs.

As a result, Cain made his first career All-Star Game in 2015 and helped the Royals win the World Series with 11 postseason RBI and six stolen bases. Thus far, he has followed up his tremendous 2015 with a .290 batting average, eight home runs and 39 RBI in 2016. 

Jarrod Dyson will likely replace Cain due to his status as the primary backup in center field.

Dyson is an incredible speed threat on the bases and reached the 25-steal plateau in each of the last four seasons. He covers ground in the outfield with his running ability as well and should slide into the lineup with relative ease, at least on the defensive side.

Dyson played all three outfield spots in 2015 and was responsible for 11 total defensive runs saved above average, per FanGraphs.

Dyson is a capable backup who will keep the loaded Royals afloat, but he is not the same threat at the plate as Cain. Kansas City needs its All-Star outfielder back in the lineup if it hopes to fulfill its potential in a chase for a second straight World Series title.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton exited Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning after being hit with a deflected fly ball. However, he is ready to return, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. 

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Hamilton Active vs. Nationals

Thursday, June 30

Mark Sheldon of MLB.com noted Phillips is in the lineup against Washington and is batting seventh.

Hamilton Is Slowly Improving at the Plate

When he was coming up through the Reds’ system, Hamilton earned a reputation for his prodigious baserunning and impressive defense. While those abilities have carried over to the majors, the 25-year-old also brought his lack of pop at the plate to Cincinnati.

According to FanGraphs, Hamilton had the third-lowest slugging percentage (.289), the fourth-lowest isolated power (.063) and was tied for the third-worst in weighted runs created plus (52) among batters with at least 400 plate appearances.

In 2016, however, Hamilton is making positive strides. He has a .255/.296/.385 slash line with three home runs and 12 runs batted in in 200 plate appearances.

Ground balls have been part of Hamilton’s success this year. A little under half (48.3) of his batted balls are ground balls, per FanGraphs, which allows him to fully utilize his greatest asset—his speed. In addition, he’s hitting more line drives, which further increases his chances of getting on base.

Hamilton previously missed time earlier in the year while recovering from a concussion. Almost immediately after making his return to the field, he made one of the catches of the year in Cincinnati’s 5-4 defeat to the Houston Astros on June 18:

Durability has been an issue with Hamilton the last two years. He only played in 114 games in 2015 and had shoulder surgery last September. Before the concussion, a nagging thumb injury also briefly kept Hamilton out of action in 2016.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Chris Young left Thursday’s game against the Chicago White Sox after suffering a hamstring injury while making the turn around first base. The team placed him on the disabled list, and it is uncertain when he’ll return to the field.

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Young Placed on 15-Day DL

Thursday, June 23

The Red Sox have yet to make a corresponding roster move, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. 

The 32-year-old veteran had to be helped off the field following the injury, which Raul Martinez of NBC Boston speculated was a hamstring issue since Young grabbed the back of his leg.

Young Off to Promising Start for Red Sox in ’16

Young has been starting recently for the Red Sox due to both Brock Holt and Blake Swihart being on the disabled list.

He is enjoying a solid season with a .277 batting average, six home runs and 15 RBI in 130 at-bats, but Boston may be forced to find an alternative if Young’s injury lands him on the DL as well.

Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts make up the rest of what has been a productive outfield for the Red Sox, but the only other regular outfielder on the roster currently is 27-year-old journeyman Ryan LaMarre.

LaMarre entered the game with just 26 career at-bats to his credit before replacing Young when he was forced to exit.

The Red Sox lead Major League Baseball in runs scored and batting average, so they should be able to continue putting up numbers even if Young is forced to miss some time.

His absence will undoubtedly hurt the overall depth of their lineup, though, and it will make life far easier for opposing pitchers, particularly southpaws, due to Young’s proficiency against lefties.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The Tampa Bay Rays announced Monday night that outfielder Mikie Mahtook suffered a fractured left hand in their 7-4 defeat to the Cleveland Indians. 

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Mahtook Placed on 15-Day DL

Tuesday, June 21

Mahtook injured his hand after getting hit by a pitch from Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin in the top of the second inning. He briefly remained in the game before being replaced by Taylor Motter in right field in the bottom of the third.

The Rays announced Tuesday they placed Mahtook on the 15-day disabled list, with Nick Franklin taking his spot on the active roster.

The injury comes at a terrible time for Tampa Bay. The team already has three outfielders—Brandon Guyer, Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza Jr.—on the 15-day disabled list. The Rays are also in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Baseball Prospectus gives them an 11.2 percent chance of reaching the postseason.

“We’re shaking our heads,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, per the Associated Press and ESPN.com. “It’s a frustrating time right now, there’s no doubt about it.”

Jaff Decker is the likeliest candidate to take over for Mahtook in right on a temporary basis. Franklin and Motter will also be options for Cash going forward.

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Minnesota Twins pitcher Glen Perkins will reportedly miss the remainder of the season due to a torn labrum and rotator cuff issues in his left shoulder, a source revealed to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. 

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Perkins Likely Will Require Surgery, Could Return for Start of 2017 Season

Thursday, June 16

Per Neal, “Perkins’ labrum is definitely torn, although it’s unclear how severe the tear is, the source said.” 

Perkins, 33, already had an MRI this week and received another opinion on the injury from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Anaheim, California, per Neal. He’s been on the disabled list since the first week in April. 

According to Neal, Perkins “had at least two known MRI exams and sought three opinions during his ordeal.” He tried to throw during his stint on the disabled list but experienced too much discomfort to make a return to the team this season.

Now, an optimistic timetable for his return is the start of next season, though his recovery could take him well into the 2017 campaign.

He appeared in just two games this season, giving up two runs while striking out three batters in 2.0 innings pitched. He’s served as the team’s primary closer since 2013, registering 102 saves in the prior three seasons.

But the last year has been a tough one for Perkins. After going into last year’s All-Star break with a 1.21 ERA and 28 saves in 28 opportunities, earning his third straight All-Star appearance along the way, he saved just four more games down the stretch and blew three save opportunities. His ERA ballooned up to 3.32, he battled injuries, and he eventually lost the closer role to Kevin Jepsen.

The fear in Minnesota will be that Perkins never fully recovers from this injury.

That fear is compounded by the fact that Jepsen has struggled in the closer’s role this season, blowing three saves in 10 opportunities while posting a 5.40 ERA. Perkins’ injury and Jepsen‘s struggles have made the closer’s role a major question mark for the team, both this season and beyond.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter. 

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