A long-absent Tigers left-hander looked impressive on his rehab assignment
By Scott White
• 4 min read
We've recently learned thatAaron Judge, the No. 1 pick in many leagues who's been out since June 3 with a sprained big toe, in fact doesn't have just a sprain but a tear.
You might argue it's a distinction without a difference -- a sprain is a tear, technically -- but the gist is that it's more serious than we were led to believe, such that manager Aaron Boone wouldn't fully commit to Judge returning this season.
But he should, right? Boone intimated that much as well, though it doesn't sound like there's any real timetable. This tweet from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com caught my attention:
Spoke to a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone who has not treated Aaron Judge, but he believes "optimistically, my best guess would be [that Judge could return] two months from the date of injury."
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 24, 2023
That would be on or around Aug. 3.
That's something, at least, but the caveats are important. The orthopedic surgeon giving the estimate doesn't know a lot of the specifics, so in the end, we're left to guess when Judge might be back, only knowing that it won't be particularly soon.
Well, so what? We're obviously still stashing him. This is a player who could deliver 20 homers in two months' time. The impact Judge could have for your team down the stretch is more significant than anything else you might do with that roster spot, so if you're wondering why he's still so highly ranked here, that's it.
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A couple other injury notes:
- If you haven't moved to pick up Tarik Skubal yet, now's the time. He just wrapped up his rehab assignment, and his fastball is up nearly 2 mph from last year, when he was nonetheless enjoying a fair amount of success.
- Merrill Kelly was recently added to the IL because of a blood clot in his calf, which sounds like a potentially serious situation. Manager Torey Lovullo pointed out, though, that Ian Kennedy had a similar blood clot last year and missed only 2 1/2 weeks. Kelly has already resumed throwing.
- Logan O'Hoppe, who at one point seemed almost certain to miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, is so far hitting the milestones necessary to make it back for September. He was one of the most impressive rookies in April and is at least worth stashing away in two-catcher leagues in light of this news.
Too valuable to drop, period
| 1 | Julio Urias Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| strained hamstring - looked good in rehab start Sunday, expected back Saturday | |
| 2 | Yordan Alvarez Houston Astros DH |
| strained oblique - going through pregame exercises but no baseball activities yet | |
| 3 | Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF |
| sprained toe - more severe than initial indications, could keep him out at least until August | |
| 4 | Carlos Rodon New York Yankees SP |
| strained forearm/chronic back issue - likely needs just one more rehab start | |
| 5 | Bryan Reynolds Pittsburgh Pirates LF |
| back inflammation - nearly avoided IL and isn't expected to be out long | |
| 6 | Brandon Woodruff Milwaukee Brewers SP |
| strained shoulder - throwing off a mound, no word on rehab assignment yet | |
| 7 | Max Fried Atlanta Braves SP |
| strained forearm - throwing off a mound, no word on rehab assignment yet | |
| 8 | Merrill Kelly Arizona Diamondbacks SP |
| blood clot in calf - isn't expected to miss significant time, has already resumed throwing | |
| 9 | Eduardo Rodriguez Detroit Tigers SP |
| ruptured finger pulley - may need only one more rehab start | |
Also really difficult to drop
| 1 | Oneil Cruz Pittsburgh Pirates SS |
| fractured fibula - out of boot and playing catch; August return remains possible | |
| 2 | Hunter Greene Cincinnati Reds SP |
| hip discomfort - will be back in second half, but maybe not until August | |
| 3 | Nestor Cortes New York Yankees SP |
| strained rotator cuff - could throw a bullpen session soon, likely back after All-Star break | |
| 4 | Tarik Skubal Detroit Tigers SP |
| flexor tendon surgery - potentially back Tuesday, velocity has been up on rehab assignment | |
| 5 | Ryan Helsley St. Louis Cardinals RP |
| forearm tightness - cleared to begin throwing, but Jordan Hicks is filling in capably | |
| 6 | Liam Hendriks Chicago White Sox RP |
| elbow inflammation - close to throwing, but likely not back until after All-Star break | |
| 7 | Riley Greene Detroit Tigers CF |
| stress fracture in leg - taking batting practice and running sprints; rehab assignment forthcoming | |
| 8 | Brandon Lowe Tampa Bay Rays 2B |
| herniated disc - on rehab assignment, could return at the start of next week | |
| 9 | Ryan Mountcastle Baltimore Orioles 1B |
| vertigo - on rehab assignment, could return any day now | |
| 10 | Chris Sale Boston Red Sox SP |
| stress reaction in shoulder - not eligible to return until August, but expected back this year | |
| 11 | Kyle Wright Atlanta Braves SP |
| strained shoulder - throwing off flat ground, possibly back before August | |
| 12 | Triston McKenzie Cleveland Guardians SP |
| sprained elbow - at least a month from throwing again, could be back in August or not at all | |
| 13 | Dustin May Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| strained forearm - still hasn't started throwing, no timetable for return | |
| 14 | Drew Rasmussen Tampa Bay Rays SP |
| flexor strain - no updates since landing on 60-day IL in mid-May, still hoping to return this year | |
Still a priority on some level
| 1 | Ke'Bryan Hayes Pittsburgh Pirates 3B |
| back stiffness - hoping for minimal stay on IL | |
| 2 | Jorge Polanco Minnesota Twins 2B |
| strained hamstring - same injury sidelined him for two weeks in May, but this one is worse | |
| 3 | Edward Cabrera Miami Marlins SP |
| shoulder impingement - no official timetable, but short absence expected | |
| 4 | Nick Lodolo Cincinnati Reds SP |
| stress reaction in tibia - hasn't begun throwing, but August return possible | |
| 5 | Trevor Story Boston Red Sox 2B |
| elbow surgery - won't be able to play shortstop until August but could potentially return sooner as DH | |
Stashing is purely a luxury
| 1 | Alex Cobb San Francisco Giants SP |
| strained oblique - looked good on rehab start, likely back this week | |
| 2 | Jose Quintana New York Mets SP |
| stress fracture/tumor in rib - needs 1-2 more rehab starts | |
| 3 | Tyler O'Neill St. Louis Cardinals LF |
| strained back - doing full baseball activities, set to begin rehab assignment | |
| 4 | Alejandro Kirk Toronto Blue Jays C |
| lacerated hand - could be just a minimal stay, which would put him coming back this week | |
| 5 | Zachary Neto Los Angeles Angels SS |
| strained oblique - will resume baseball activities this week, could return around All-Star break | |
| 6 | Jose Urquidy Houston Astros SP |
| shoulder inflammation - throwing bullpen sessions, potentially back in second half | |
| 7 | Cal Quantrill Cleveland Guardians SP |
| shoulder inflammation - began rehab assignment Sunday, may be ready for activation | |
| 8 | Mason Miller Oakland Athletics SP |
| sprained elbow - has begun throwing program, but still has a long way to go | |
| 9 | Frankie Montas New York Yankees SP |
| shoulder surgery - has begun throwing program, could return at some point in the second half | |
| 10 | John Means Baltimore Orioles SP |
| Tommy John surgery/strained back - has resumed throwing after back strain, still aiming for August | |
| 11 | Edwin Diaz New York Mets RP |
| torn patellar tendon - progressing quickly, could return near end of season | |
| 12 | Logan O'Hoppe Los Angeles Angels C |
| torn labrum in shoulder - has begun light tossing, hoping to return in September | |
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