10 injured players who could impact playoff races with September returns, including Luis Severino and Tyler Glasnow
Five of the 10 have not played a single MLB game in 2019
By
Mike Axisa
•
5 min read
This coming Sunday is Sept. 1, which is the day teams can expand their active rosters from 25 players up to 40 players. The September call-up rules will change next year -- teams will only be able to carry up to 28 players -- but, for now, they are the same as always. Up to 40 active players starting Sunday.
Top prospects like Yankees righty Deivi Garcia and Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux typically get the most attention as September call-ups and that is understandable. They're the shiny new toys and oftentimes we've never seen them play before, so we can imagine them becoming pretty much anything. Next year's Rookie of the Year, a future Cy Young candidate, whatever.
September is also a time when teams welcome players back from the injured list. Once healthy, clubs can activate players without sending someone else down, and it's easy to believe an established player will contribute down the stretch now that he's over his injury. That can be risky, especially with pitchers, but it happens each season and will again this year.
Several big name players are expected to return from the injured list in September, after rosters expand, and those players will have a chance to impact the various postseason races. Here are 10 currently injured players expected to return next month and likely to affect the postseason picture.
The Indians have been without Carlos Carrasco (leukemia) and Corey Kluber (broken forearm) most of the season, plus they traded Trevor Bauer at the deadline, yet their rotation remains rock solid. Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale has done nice work filling in. Kluber suffered what might have been a season-ending abdominal injury in his most recent minor league rehab start, but Carrasco's rehab assignment is going well, and he's expected to join the team when rosters expand Sunday. The Indians are planning to use him out of the bullpen, where he'll presumably pair with closer Brad Hand in the late innings. Cleveland is battling for the AL Central title with a wild-card spot serving as Plan B.
Cubs catchers are hitting .211/.297/.311 in August, with the Victor Caratini/Jonathan Lucroy tandem trying their best while Willson Contreras works his way back from a hamstring strain. He recently started agility drills and throwing, but is still more likely to return in mid September than early in the month. Whenever it is, the Cubs will take it. Contreras was having a fine season before getting hurt and Chicago is right in the thick of the wild-card race, and still relevant in the NL Central race.
The Astros have a comfortable nine-game lead in the AL West, so there's no need to rush Carlos Correa back from his back injury. That said, Houston is battling the Dodgers and Yankees for the best record in baseball and thus homefield advantage throughout the postseason, and Correa can make a difference there. Yeah, the Astros clinched the World Series in a Game 7 on the road two years ago. They also played an ALCS in which the home team won every game. Homefield advantage can make a big difference.
Tommy John surgery ended Johnny Cueto's 2018 season in July and he is five starts into a minor league rehab assignment. So far everything is going well and the expectation is Cueto will join the Giants in the first 7-10 days of September. San Francisco has faded since their midseason hot stretch, but the team remains only 4 1/2 games behind the second wild-card spot. Getting, say, four starts from Cueto in September could improve the team's postseason chances quite a bit.
The Rays lost breakout righty Tyler Glasnow to a forearm strain -- and later to a setback -- in mid May. He is scheduled to face hitters and throw live batting practice Tuesday, and Tampa Bay is planning to bring him back as a reliever. Stretching him out to start is pretty much impossible at this point. There's not enough season left. Glasnow, who is ahead of Blake Snell with his rehab, can make a difference out of the bullpen for a Rays team that is a three-team fight for the two American League wild-card spots.
Supposedly the Dodgers are holding out hope Rich Hill can be in their postseason rotation. He's been down since mid June with a forearm strain and stretching him out to start seems awfully ambitious at this point. The good news is the Dodgers don't necessarily need Hill to start. They can use him in relief and, frankly, they need help in the bullpen more than in the rotation anyway. Los Angeles has an enormous 20-game lead in the NL West, but homefield advantage throughout October is still up for grabs.
The Mets gave Jed Lowrie a two-year deal worth $20 million over the winter and he's yet to play a game this season. Knee, hamstring, and calf injuries have slowed him. Lowrie recently started a minor league rehab assignment though, and he should be an option for the Mets at some point in September. Todd Frazier has scuffled in the second half and Lowrie could step right in at the hot corner. New York is currently two games behind the second wild-card spot.
Adding Homer Bailey and Tanner Roark at the deadline bolstered the Athletics rotation, so the need for starting pitching isn't as dire as it was a few weeks ago. That said, there's no such thing as too much pitching, and lefty Sean Manaea has the ability to contribute in a big way in September. He's on the mend following September 2018 shoulder surgery and has already made eight minor league rehab starts. The A's are in tight wild-card race and will take all the help they can get.
We could include three or four different Yankees in this post, but Luis Severino stands out as the obvious candidate given the state of the team's rotation. Severino faced hitters Tuesday and could begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend. That doesn't leave him enough time to get stretched out to 100 pitches before the postseason, but even 60-70 pitches Severino is better than none. The Yankees have a 9 1/2-game lead in the AL East but are trying to lock down homefield advantage.
Brandon Woodruff would seem to be the obvious Brewers candidate for this post, but he is still in the "playing catch" phase of his rehab, meaning his return is weeks away. Brent Suter, who had Tommy John surgery last year, has already made eight minor league rehab appearances. Not extended appearances (16 2/3 total innings), but appearances nonetheless. Given their pitching needs and the way they use their staff, the Brewers will find a way for Suter to contribute as they fight for a postseason spot.
Honorable Mentions: Dellin Betances, Yankees; Jay Bruce, Phillies; Ramon Laureano, Athletics; Nick Markakis, Braves; Aaron Sanchez, Astros; Blake Snell, Rays; Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees; Ross Stripling, Dodgers; Alex Verdugo, Dodgers; Brandon Woodruff, Brewers; Bradley Zimmer, Indians
