Major League Baseball Injury Report – Part 1
Major League Baseball has picked pace into the second half of the season and the intensity of competition has undoubtedly increased. Teams are now looking forward to play with full-strength squads and rotate players to avoid further injuries at this crucial
stage of the tournament.
The leading teams in the Majors will be intensely fighting for the World Series and thus will have a constant eye on their disabled list. A list of deactivated players will not be of much help to the leaders as they look forward to sustain and excel their
current performances.
Following is an epigrammatic report of the injured players in MLB and the affect of their injury on the team’s performance.
The Philadelphia Phillies are making it count this season. They are by far the best performing team currently with a win-loss record of 61-36 and a league-best winning percentage of .629. Their success can largely be attributed to their pitching which is,
according to statistics, the best pitching outfit in the Majors.
Their injury concerns have not been that serious this season. No major player has been deactivated and placed on the disabled list for a stretched period and thus the consistency and the team chemistry.
Placido Polanco is the only renowned player to be currently on the disabled list due to lower back inflammation. He was placed on the DL on July 5 for a 15-day period and is expected to make his return on July 22 against the San Diego Padres after taking
an anti-inflammatory shot on July 21.
Roy Halladay is not injured but left a game early after heat exhaustion. The medical staff of the Phillies has ruled out any serious threat and Halladay will now make his next start on July 24 as scheduled.
The San Francisco Giants are leading the National League West Division and are four games ahead of second placed Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants are strong contenders for the playoffs this year, given that they remain good on form and fitness.
Miguel Tejada was placed on a 15-day disabled list on July 19 citing lower abdominal strain. Tejada has been brilliant this season for the Giants. He has compiled 28 runs thus far with 26 RBIs and four home-runs. His experience of 14 years in the Majors
is colossal for the Giants and they will be hoping that the injury is not serious in nature.
Jonathan Sanchez has been on the disabled list since June 25 due to left biceps tendinitis. The left-handed pitcher had been outstanding in the 16 games that he started for the Giants. He conceded just 68 hits and 43 runs in 89.2 innings pitched thus far
in the season. More importantly, he has bagged 92 strike-outs at an ERA of 3.81 which is decent at this level.
However, Sanchez featured in a rehab start this past Sunday on July 17 but was unsteady. He went on to give away six hits and six runs in 2.2 innings, signalling a need for more practice before reactivating on the big scene.
Sanchez is expected to make another start on Friday, July 22 with Triple-A affiliate Fresno. His return to the Giants’ rotation in MLB will be based on how he performs in the game and how does his replacement Barry Zito performs for the Giants.
Continued in Part 2
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