David Chao, MD
2 min read • April 10, 2023
Posted in
The Padres ace has yet to make his season debut after suffering a left big toe fracture on February 27. However, he is getting close to joining the San Diego rotation and has one more scheduled rehab start.
Manager Bob Melvin told reporters Sunday that Musgrove “tweaked” his shoulder trying to make a play in his last rehab start and could have his final rehab start pushed back a day or two.
That would, in turn, push his expected return back from April 16 to April 18 at the latest.
From the start, the Pro Baseball Docs have expressed optimism that Verlander could return before the end of April. Now, Verlander has publicly echoed that optimism and said his return could come well before May hits.
However, the 40-year-old is still reportedly dealing with minor inflammation near the back of his shoulder and will need that to be gone before starting a rehab assignment.
Seattle’s high-leverage bullpen piece was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to April 7 after suffering a deltoid strain. While there’s no news on the severity of his injury, his placement on the injured list is likely a precautionary move this early in the season.
The Pro Baseball Docs believe he has a good chance to miss just the minimum 15 days before rejoining the Mariners.
The 2021 AL Cy Young landed on the 15-day IL April 1 after suffering a Grade 1 left flexor strain. Seattle’s plan is reportedly to shut him down for two weeks then re-evaluate him with a rough return timeline of four-to-six weeks.
That could see Ray back in early May or mid-May, depending on how he recovers and how cautious the team wants to be when ramping him back up. For now, the Mariners will have to find another option in the starting rotation for likely the next five turns.
Although the Guardians ace hit the 15-day IL prior to Verlander with the same muscle strain, the word around the team has been more concerning. The initial plan was to shut McKenzie down for at least two weeks, but the team also said he could be sidelined for up to two months.
The good news is McKenzie will reportedly begin a throwing program later this week, meaning he could rejoin the rotation before the end of April.
The 12th-year pro will undergo season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery without making a regular season appearance for the Braves. On paper, the loss of Odorizzi isn’t a major impact, but the team is now down three starting pitchers at the moment in Max Fried, Kyle Wright and Odorizzi.
Fried is recovering from a hamstring strain and Wright is still building up his shoulder, but the team shouldn’t be without those two for a long stretch of the season.
Odorizzi is a free agent next offseason and may struggle to find interest coming off of major shoulder surgery.
Written by David Chao, MD
