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The Washington Nationals have been dealt a huge blow heading into the postseason next week, with All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos suffering a torn ACL during Monday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Nationals Announce Ramos Injury

Tuesday, Sept. 27

Per Comcast SportsNet Nationals, Washington manager Dusty Baker announced Ramos’ injury Tuesday. 

Ramos’ injury adds insult to what was a forgettable 14-4 loss by the Nationals on Monday. He was hurt during the sixth inning after coming down awkwardly while trying to catch a high relay throw from first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. 

The Nationals clinched the National League East title on Saturday, but they are ailing with just five games remaining in the regular season. 

Stephen Strasburg’s return is uncertain right now, though Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters Monday that the team “may be able to answer” if the right-hander can pitch in the division series on Tuesday, per the Washington Post‘s Jorge Castillo.

Daniel Murphy hasn’t played since September 20. Bryce Harper has been banged up most of this season and is dealing with a thumb injury that kept him out of the lineup Monday. 

Ramos’ injury is particularly devastating because a catcher with a .307/.354/.496 slash line and 22 home runs is a valuable commodity. He controlled the pitching staff and provided the lineup with more depth behind Murphy, Harper and Anthony Rendon. 

Jose Lobaton is a decent backup catcher who has been with the Nationals since 2014 and knows the pitching staff, but his production with the bat pales in comparison to what Ramos has done this season. 

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge suffered an oblique strain in his team’s 3-0 win Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s been placed on the 15-day disabled list, per Jesse Spector of Sporting News.

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Judge Likely Out for Season

Wednesday, Sept. 14

Speaking to reporters, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he doesn’t think Judge will return this year, per Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media.

The injury came in the bottom of the fourth inning. During an at-bat against Dodgers starter Julio Urias, Judge called for the trainer after swinging and missing on a changeup and fouling off a fastball:

Judge stayed in the game to finish the at-bat but made way for Jacoby Ellsbury to start the fifth.

The 24-year-old figures to be a big piece of the Yankees going forward. At the start of the season, Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the top player in the organization’s minor league system. He sits fourth on MLB.com following New York’s midseason acquisitions of Clint Frazier and Gleyber Torres.

Gary Sanchez’s breakout has largely resulted in Judge getting overshadowed, though. Judge is also batting .179 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 95 plate appearances.

While it would be nice for Judge to continue getting at-bats in the majors, there’s little sense in putting him at further risk for injury with so little time left in the season. The Yankees are still in the playoff hunt, but given his struggles at the plate, it’s doubtful Judge would help New York’s postseason chances all that much.

The Yankees announced Rob Refsnyder will start in right field for Wednesday’s 4:05 p.m. ET game against the Dodgers. An outfield of Ellsbury, Refsnyder and Brett Gardner is likely manager Joe Girardi’s preference going forward with Judge unavailable.

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The road to recovery for New York Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has begun after he underwent surgery on his right arm.

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Eovaldi Has Tommy John Surgery

Friday, Aug. 19

Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees announced Eovaldi had Tommy John surgery and underwent a procedure to repair his right flexor tendon. 

The 26-year-old Eovaldi last pitched on Aug. 10 against the Boston Red Sox, lasting just one inning in a start before experiencing elbow discomfort. He was placed on the disabled list almost immediately before it was later announced he would require surgery to repair his pitching arm. 

Eovaldi has battled injuries in the past, missing most of last September with elbow inflammation. He previously had Tommy John surgery during his junior year of high school in 2007, one year before the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the 11th round. 

The right-hander is a fascinating pitcher. He has the overpowering stuff to be dominant, with a fastball that has averaged 97.1 mph this season, per FanGraphs, yet the performance hasn’t matched the talent, as he has a 4.76 ERA in 2016. 

Eovaldi’s upside makes him one of New York’s most valuable assets. The Yankees also lack depth in their starting rotation. The group has remained healthy so far this year, with the exception of CC Sabathia’s stint on the disabled list.

New York’s front office has already started looking toward the future by trading Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran. Eovaldi will likely not be ready to pitch again until 2018, so the team will have ample opportunity to evaluate all of its pitching options before having to make a decision about how to use him. 

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New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz was held out of an Aug. 19 start against the San Francisco Giants due to a shoulder injury that was determined to be tightness. He is on the disabled list and it is unclear when he will return to the mound.

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Matz Placed on 15-Day DL

Monday, Aug. 22

The Mets announced the roster move, noting Rob Gsellman was recalled in his place.

Matz’s Diagnosis Revealed

Monday, Aug. 22

James Wagner of the New York Times reported that Matz’s examination showed “no structural damage.” He was diagnosed with a tight shoulder.

Matz to Miss Start with Shoulder ‘Discomfort’

Friday, Aug. 19

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN, Matz will be replaced by Seth Lugo on Friday.

Matz called the injury “discomfort” and said he is not concerned about it being a long-term issue.

Per Rubin, Matz also described how he picked up the ailment that will keep him off the mound Friday:

I was throwing on flat ground and I felt a little twinge in my shoulder. It was bothering me a little bit. And then, next day, I was throwing and I was still feeling it, so I didn’t throw my bullpen, hoping it would get better. I was just kind of taking it day by day. There’s some discomfort in there. I think you go through stuff all the time throughout a season, but it didn’t respond the way I’d like it to.

Matz Has Emerged as Key Piece to Mets Roster 

The 25-year-old lefty is enjoying a strong season with a 9-8 record, 3.40 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in 132.1 innings.

Every win is key for the Mets at this point in the season as they attempt to close a considerable gap in the standings, and being without Matz could go a long way toward preventing them from playing postseason baseball in 2016.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton suffered a left groin strain during Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. He has been ruled out for the season. 

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Stanton’s Season is Over

Sunday, Aug. 14

After the Marlins received Stanton’s MRI results, manager Don Mattingly revealed the 26-year-old would not be able to return this season, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. President of baseball operations Michael Hill announced the MRI showed a Grade 3 strain, per Sports Illustrated. 

“It didn’t look real good,” Mattingly said of the injury Saturday, per Frisaro. “If you’ve seen that replay, it looked like he kind of pulled something. He felt something in his groin area. They’re looking at him now. We’ll see what happens with that.”

Stanton’s Power is Irreplaceable for Marlins

Stanton is one of the league’s premier power threats and a cornerstone of the Marlins’ offensive attack. The slugger averaged better than 30 home runs per season across his first six years in the big leagues. His career high is 37, which he’s totaled twice.

Injuries have also been a story throughout his career, though. He’s played more than 130 games only twice. His 2015 season came to a premature end after he suffered a hand injury in June. And he dealt with a knee problem during the early stages of spring training this year.

The Marlins will probably use several different players in an attempt to fill the void. Ichiro Suzuki figures to get the first crack in right field, but Derek Dietrich could also see an uptick in playing time.

With that said, the Miami offense shouldn’t be expected to find much consistent success while its most potent hitter is in recovery.

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Chicago White Sox catcher Alex Avila is currently hampered with a strained right hamstring, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

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Avila Placed on Disabled List by White Sox

Sunday, April 24

The White Sox announced on Sunday that Avila would be placed on the disabled list and catcher Kevan Smith, 27, would be recalled to the active roster.

Avila, 29, is hitting .214 this season with a run scored. He has yet to register a home run or RBI. 

He was clearly disappointed to suffer this latest injury, as he said after Saturday’s game.

“I’ve been feeling great physically,” Avila said, per JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago. “I was really swinging the bat well and having some good at-bats the last few games, as well. It’s a little frustrating.”

Per the White Sox, Smith is hitting .345 with two home runs and six RBI in eight games with Triple-A Charlotte this season. He has no MLB experience and will likely serve as the team’s backup catcher behind Dioner Navarro.

Much like Avila, Navarro, 32, has had his own struggles at the plate, hitting just .100 with two RBI. If Smith brings a hot bat to the big leagues, he could very well find himself earning a big share of the playing time while Avila is shelved.

Despite the offensive struggles from the catchers, the White Sox have gotten off to a strong start, going 12-6 to open the season and finding themselves in an early lead in the American League Central. If there is one position where the team seems capable of handling an injury, it’s at catcher, so Avila’s setback shouldn’t be a major loss for the White Sox.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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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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