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As a long offseason begins for the Toronto Blue Jays, star slugger Edwin Encarnacion will be on the shelf for a period of time due to a sports hernia.   

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Encarnacion Undergoes Surgery

Tuesday, Oct. 27

According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca, Encarnacion had surgery to fix the sports hernia Tuesday and “will be fine” when the Blue Jays open spring training in February. 

Encarnacion also offered an Instagram update on the procedure:

Encarnacion has a $10 million team option for 2016 that is almost certain to be picked up. There’s no logical reason it wouldn’t be, as the 32-year-old is a bargain at that price after posting an OPS over .900 each of the last four seasons. 

The postseason was a struggle for Encarnacion, which may be explained in part by the sports hernia. He had just three extra-base hits in 11 games, including none in the first five games of the American League Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals.

Despite losing in the ALCS, the Blue Jays are set up to be playoff contenders again in 2016 with a potent lineup that features Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki.

Encarnacion has more than three months to recover from his sports hernia surgery before spring training starts, so there’s no reason to think he won’t return next season ready to post another 30-homer, 100-RBI campaign. 

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Yadier Molina, who is battling a thumb injury, was not in the lineup for Game 4 of the National League Division Series as the St. Louis Cardinals saw their season end at the hands of the Chicago Cubs.

Molina was originally in the lineup for the contest, but was scratched in favor of backup Tony Cruz.

He originally injured his hand when Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo slid into home on Sept. 20, suffering a partially torn ligament in his left thumb.

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Molina to Undergo Tests to Determine Severity of Injury

Wednesday, Oct. 14 

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Molina will undergo an MRI on his hand on Wednesday.

Matheny Comments on Molina’s Injury

Tuesday, Oct. 13

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said on Tuesday that Molina has “considerable weakness” in the injured left hand, per Goold. 

Molina Is Crucial to Cards’ Title Hopes in 2016

It wasn’t a surprise to see Molina struggling offensively in the NLDS, as this season had been a difficult one for the 33-year-old. He did play in 136 games, but his .660 OPS was his worst since 2006 and the third-worst mark of his career. 

Molina is a seven-time All-Star, a former Silver Slugger winner and a seven-time Gold Glove winner. The Cardinals’ pitching staff boasted a sparkling 2.79 ERA in games Molina caught before he went down with the thumb injury, per Nightengale. 

Now that St. Louis’ season is over, the team can allow Molina to get healthy before reloading for another run at a World Series title.

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A frustrating season for Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa will end early, as the 28-year-old is battling a hamstring injury.   

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Espinosa Done for Season

Thursday, Sept. 24

According to William Ladson of MLB.com, Espinosa is dealing with a hamstring issue that will likely take at least one month to recover from:

Espinosa last appeared in a game on Sept. 17, appearing in the ninth inning of a 6-4 loss against the Miami Marlins. Washington manager Matt Williams said, per James Wagner of the Washington Post, on Tuesday that an exam on Espinosa’s hamstring revealed a small tear that doesn’t require surgery. 

This marks the third consecutive season Espinosa will play in less than 120 games, reaching the 118 mark in 2015. He was once one of the best power-hitting second basemen in the league, racking up 108 extra-base hits from 2011-12. 

Injuries and poor performances since 2013 have led to Espinosa likely facing a career crossroads this offseason. He is eligible for arbitration, so the Nationals will have to decide if they want to bring him back in 2016 or move in a different direction. 

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The Texas Rangers‘ depth took a considerable hit as Josh Hamilton underwent knee surgery to repair a “slight tear” in his meniscus on Sept. 11, according to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News.  

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Rangers Remain Hopeful for Hamilton Return This Season

Thursday, Sept. 10

Although there is always concern when a player has their knee operated on, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the Rangers aren’t ruling out the possibility of Hamilton playing again in 2015.

There is still nearly a month remaining in the regular season. With the Rangers currently holding on to the American League‘s second wild-card spot, Hamilton may have even more time to heal up as Texas has a great chance to make the playoffs.

The surgery doesn’t come as a huge surprise since the 34-year-old slugger recently returned from a stint on the disabled list due to left knee soreness. He has since been wearing a brace and has been used primarily as a pinch hitter rather than a starter.

Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, as recently as last week, Hamilton wasn’t ready to throw in the towel on playing a big role for the club this season: “I haven’t given up on it. There is a month left. I know I can make an impact as a pinch hitter, but I think I can make more of an impact with four at-bats a game. The concept of being a pinch hitter only is nice, but I’m going to keep working to be a full-time guy.”

Since the Rangers reacquired Hamilton in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels in late April, he has contributed to the tune of a .257 batting average, six home runs and 21 RBI.

That production is a far cry from the player who made five straight All-Star appearances and won the 2010 AL MVP Award with the Rangers, but he is still a dangerous hitter when he is healthy.

Hamilton has an uphill climb when it comes to returning despite the Rangers’ optimism. But with the likes of Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo and others in the lineup, they have enough offensive depth to be a threat in the AL without him.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams has been out of action since May with a quad tear, and his progress toward a return has hit a stumbling block.  

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Adams Suffers Setback in Recovery from Injury

Tuesday, Sept. 1

The Cards have thrived without Adams in the lineup as they are 85-46, which is the best record in Major League Baseball. Even so, Adams’ return would be huge for an offense that is somewhat lacking in terms of power.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals and their fans, the 27-year-old slugger revealed to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he recently suffered a setback while rehabbing in Jupiter, Florida:

We’re back to taking it day by day. It’s nothing too serious. Just running the bases, it got kind of sore. … It’s something we’ve got to take care of before it gets out of control and we’ll revisit it whenever the time’s ready and get back, hopefully, in time to play some games. That was the goal. … It’s disappointing but stuff happens. You’ve got to have a good mindset with it and know it’s nothing too serious and I’ll be able to get back before the year’s over.

While Adams seems optimistic despite the setback, there is certainly some cause for concern as only one month remains in the regular season. The Cardinals are a surefire playoff team, which gives Adams some extra time, but there is no guarantee that he’ll be back.

The news is particularly disconcerting since rookie outfielder Randal Grichuk is currently on the disabled list as well with an elbow ailment.

Mark Reynolds and Brandon Moss have filled in at first base during Adams’ absence, and while they have 14 home runs combined, they are hitting just .238 and .222, respectively.

Adams was hitting .243 with four homers and 20 RBI before going down, but he previously hit .288 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI in 2014.

He is a feared lefty in the middle of St. Louis’ lineup, and the fact that he is out of action certainly limits what the Cards can do offensively.

It hasn’t come back to bite St. Louis yet, but if Adams is ultimately unable to return by the end of the season, it could potentially prevent the Cardinals from making a run to the World Series.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The Miami Marlins‘ disappointing season has gotten worse, as star outfielder Christian Yelich has landed on the disabled list with a knee injury. 

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Yelich Out with Knee Contusion

Saturday, August 15

Per the Marlins’ official Twitter, Marcell Ozuna has been called up to take Yelich’s spot after he was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to August 10. 

Even though Yelich’s power hasn’t shown up this year—he’s slugging .376 in 2015—his .343 on-base percentage trails only Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton, who is also on the disabled list, among the team’s regular starters. 

With the Marlins entering play today with a 46-69 record, they are smart to play things safe with Yelich to ensure he’s 100 percent before playing again. The 23-year-old is a big part of the future for the franchise and will be instrumental in the team getting back into contention as soon as 2016. 

Stats via Baseball-Reference.com

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Sonny Gray is having his best season as a professional, but the Oakland Athletics star will have to put it on hold, at least temporarily, as he missed Thursday’s start. 

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Gray’s Status Improving

Friday, Aug. 14

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Gray is feeling much better after throwing for about 15 minutes on Friday. Slusser added that it’s possible for Gray to start in the team’s upcoming series. Jane Lee of MLB.com reported the earliest Gray would start is Monday.

Gray added, per Slusser, that he was excited to face Kershaw in the start the he missed, but didn’t want to put his team in a bad position.

Gray, 25, made his first All-Star team this season and has been one of the lone bright spots for an Oakland team that has struggled this year, establishing himself as a clear No. 1 starter. He showed his promise a year ago, going 14-10 with a 3.08 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 183 strikeouts in 219 innings, but this season, he’s proved to be one of the American League‘s top arms. 

In 23 starts, the 2011 first-round pick is 12-4 with a 2.06 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 136 punch-outs in 161.2 innings, making him a leading candidate for the American League Cy Young Award.

“You never know which Sonny is going to show up,” Athletics first baseman Ike Davis said of the team’s ace before the All-Star Game, per John Hickey of InsideBayArea.com. “Sometimes it’s All-Star Sonny. Sometimes it’s Cy Young Sonny.”

That makes the loss devastating for a team that’s already struggling this year. Gray’s starts are the team’s best chances at victory, and his continued development and ascension to stardom has been one of the reasons why the Athletics aren’t worse than their 51-64 record indicates.

A playoff berth is highly unlikely regardless of Gray’s status with Oakland currently nine games back in the wild-card race. If the dominant righty is unable to return soon, though, any remaining excitement surrounding the team will essentially be gone.

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New York Mets reliever Jerry Blevins hasn’t pitched since April 19, and it’s unlikely he’ll pitch again in 2015 after aggravating a previous injury.  

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Blevins Scheduled for Surgery Next Week

Thursday, Aug. 6

In what proved to be a 7-6 win for the Mets on April 19 against the Miami Marlins, Blevins was forced to exit after getting hit by a line drive off of the bat of Dee Gordon which fractured his forearm:

On Thursday, Matt Ehalt of the Record reported Blevins reinjured the forearm while walking and slipping off of a curb. He’s expected to miss the remainder of the season and will undergo surgery next week.

ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin provided a little more context about the injury:

The Mets acquired Eric O’Flaherty on Monday, which Rubin seemed to indicate at the time wasn’t made as a contingency plan for Blevins not coming back in 2015.

With New York locked in a tight battle with the Washington Nationals for the National League East crown, having an experienced lefty like Blevins in the bullpen would’ve been a nice luxury for the team. Managers love adding relievers when rosters expand to 40 men.

By adding O’Flaherty, the Mets at least won’t be scrambling to find an alternative. Plus, they’ve already played much of the season without Blevins, so losing him for the rest of the year shouldn’t have a major impact.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has landed on the disabled list with a thumb injury two weeks after he was called up from the minors. 

Continue for updates. 

Buxton Placed on 15-Day DL

Friday, June 26

According to MLB Roster Moves on Twitter, the Twins called up Danny Santana to take Buxton’s spot on the roster:

LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Buxton could miss four to six weeks.

Buxton, who was injured sliding into second base against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, has struggled in his brief big league tenure. The 21-year-old has 15 strikeouts in 37 at-bats with a .189/.231/.270 line. 

Injuries are starting to pile up for Buxton. He played only 31 games last season due to a wrist injury and concussion. He’s still young enough to think these are just fluke incidents, but at some point, it will start to become a concern for the Twins. 

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Cincinnati Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco will undergo hip surgery on June 29 and will miss the remainder of the 2015 season.

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Mesoraco to Have Surgery, 4-6 Month Window for Return

Saturday, June 20

MLB.com’s Robert Bondy reported on Twitter that Mesoraco will undergo rehabilitation for four to six months and figures to be ready in time for the 2016 campaign.

Beacuse of the nagging injury, the Reds attempted to deploy Mesoraco in left field earlier this month after he’d reaggravated his hip while doing catching drills.

As recently as Wednesday, it seemed Mesoraco was all but resigned to the option of surgery.

“I wanted to continue to get to the point where this is my only option, this is the only thing I can do. I’m definitely pretty close to that now,” said Mesoraco, per Cincinnati.com’s C. Trent Rosecrans. “We’ve done eight to 10 different things to try to make it feel better, but every time we try something, it continues to get (aggravated) in there.

John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer recently analyzed how Mesoraco’s persistent absence has impacted a club that’s already been bitten by the injury bug:

Mesoraco hit 25 homers and drove in 80 runs a season ago in just 114 games, but he never really got a chance to build on that momentous year. He played in just 23 contests this season and batted .178. The 27-year-old’s WAR slipped from 4.8 in 2014 to -0.2, per ESPN.com.

So now Cincinnati is without its talented backstopper amid a year of pitching struggles. The Reds ranked 19th in baseball in team ERA at 4.01 entering Saturday’s action. At least Mesoraco will have ample time to make a full recovery and hopefully be fit to return to form in 2016.

Unfortunate as Mesoraco’s injury is, Cincinnati will at least get a longer look at the likes of young catcher Tucker Barnhart. He figures to see the field occasionally while veteran Brayan Pena fills in on more of a full-time basis. 

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