Fantasy Baseball: Injury Updates - 3/30/09

With the start of the 2009 major league baseball season less than two weeks away, injuries are becoming more and more worrisome for fantasy baseball teams. Here is an injury update of recently injured players, as well as updates on prior injured players.

Lance Berkman - 1B - Houston Astros
Berkman will be sidelined for at least a couple of days, with a shoulder soreness and biceps tendonitis. Berkman has said he originally injured the shoulder early in a spring training game, however he kept playing through it, and the injury has since gotten worse. Luckily for fantasy baseball teams, there is no sign of any structural damage in Berkman's shoulder, so it seems to just be a waiting game right now. With a few days off to rest his shoulder, Berkman's playing status for opening day will become more clear.

Derek Jeter - SS - New York Yankees
Jeter bruised his left hand and pinkie finger in a first base collision during Saturday's spring training game against the Atlanta Braves. Luckily everything appears to be fine with Jeter, as his hand was only bruised and nothing fractured. No worries here for Jeter and his fantasy owners.

Brian McCann - C - Atlanta Braves
McCann suffered a bruised finger, after a foul tip hit his throwing hand while catching during Saturday's spring training game. Luckily no bones are broken, so McCann should be back in the lineup in a day or two and healthy for Opening Day.

John Lackey - SP - Los Angeles Angels
The one thing fantasy baseball teams do not want to hear, is that there #1 starting pitcher is experiencing elbow pain. Unfortunately this is exactly where Lackey is at, with the 2009 season just two weeks away. Lackey has received a cortisone shots to his right elbow, and will stop all pitching activities until the pain subsides. As of now, Lackey is more than likely to open the 2009 season on the disabled list.

Ryan Braun - OF - Milwaukee Brewers
Originally injured during the World Baseball Classic, Braun is currently experiencing an intercostal strain. Luckily however an MRI revealed no structural damage, which is excellent news for fantasy teams wondering if Braun is still worth a 1st round pick. Assuming Braun doesn't re-injure anything, he is on schedule to be ready and starting on Opening Day for the Brewers.

Chad Billingsley - SP - Los Angeles Dodgers
After feeling discomfort in his right groin muscle during his last pitching appearance, Billingsley has since thrown a 64-pitch simulated game on Sunday, and has said there was no continued discomfort. Billingsley should not miss any regular season time, and he is expected to make his first start of the season on April 8.

Joe Mauer - C - Minnesota Twins
As is typical with back injuries, Mauer's back pain seemingly changes on a daily basis, and his Opening Day status is doubtful. With not much progress and his back pain still lingering, Mauer has a great possibility of entering the 2009 season on the disabled list, and possibly even missing the first month of the season.

Trevor Hoffman - RP - Milwaukee Brewers
Hoffman who has been sidelined for much of spring training with a strained oblique muscle, has begun playing catch on a regular basis. Unfortunately, Hoffman will still likely begin the season on the DL and miss the first couple of games.

Justin Duchscherer - SP - Oakland Athletics
Duchscherer will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow this week, and will miss at least the first month of the 2009 season. A mid-May return seems like the best bet for him at this point.

Ervin Santana - SP - Los Angeles Angels
Santana, who had been sidelined for a couple of weeks with a sprained ligament in his elbow, has begun throwing long toss again. Without any setbacks, Santana is scheduled to return to the Angles starting pitching rotation in early May. The great news for fantasy teams is that ligament surgery does not seem to be needed at this point.

Matt Lindstrom - RP - Florida Marlins
The projected closer for the Marlins, Lindstrom has been dealing with shoulder soreness since his stint in the World Baseball Classic. He threw a successful bullpen session on Sunday, which is encouraging news that he is getting healthy and will likely be ready for Opening Day.

Garrett Atkins - 3B - Colorado Rockies
An injured groin has limited Atkins play thus far in spring training, however all signs are encouraging, as he is getting healthy and looks to be ready to start on Opening Day for the Rockies.

Max Scherzer - SP - Arizona Diamondbacks
Scherzer a top Diamondbacks starting pitching prospect, will begin the 2009 season on the disabled list. Scherzer has been experiencing problems with shoulder soreness for a couple of weeks now, and this move by the Diamondbacks to place him on the disabled list will make Scherzer eligible to come off of the DL in mid-April. The continued shoulder soreness is a bit worrisome for fantasy baseball teams, so bumping Scherzer down a few in your starting pitcher rankings would be smart.

Joel Zumaya - RP - Detroit Tigers
Zumaya has been placed on the 15-day DL by the Tigers, as his shoulder discomfort continues. This DL move means Zumaya will likely not be ready and available on Opening Day. On the other hand, this is great news for Brandon Lyon owners, as Lyon will receive the save opportunities in Detroit for at least the beginning part of the 2009 season. If you are in a deep mixed league, Zumaya is worth stashing on a DL spot on your team. Otherwise Zumaya does not belong on any fantasy baseball rosters right now.

Dontrelle Willis - SP - Detroit Tigers
Willis has been placed on the 15-day DL by the Tigers due to a confirmed anxiety disorder. With hopes of regaining his elite starting pitcher status to begin the 2009 season, Willis has been absolutely horrible during spring training as he has surrendered 12 earned runs, 17 hits and 7 walks in just 8.2 innings pitched. As of now, Willis should not even be considered a starting pitcher option in mixed fantasy baseball leagues, unless you are in a deep league and can afford to waste a roster spot. I guess the only good thing about Willis right now is that he is not experiencing any elbow or shoulder problems, which means if he can ever clear up his head (think Zack Greinke a few years ago), Willis has the potential to once again be a very good fantasy baseball starting pitcher.