Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: April 6: Adam Dunn Has Appendectomy and More

Let’s take a look at this morning’s injury news and notes:

Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox

According to NBC Chicago (click here for the article), Dunn underwent an emergency appendectomy last night after the White Sox-Royals game.  The article says that he “is out for up to five days, including Thursday’s home opener at U.S. Cellular Field.”  The time frame seems a bit short, but who knows at this point, considering the initial reports regarding Matt Holliday and what appears to be the case.  All we can do is slide him to our benches and hope he returns quickly.

Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals

Joe Strauss is reporting on Twitter, “Holliday cleared for baseball activities, to make 10-game W. Coast trip. Availability still vague. No DL planned.”  So much for the original estimates of three to six weeks, huh?  The fact that the Cardinals have kept him active certainly has spoken volumes about his potential return.  Just sit tight, but at this point it appears that fantasy owners have dodged a major bullet.

Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins

“Stanton MRI reveals mild hamstring strain. Available to pinch-hit, but running only 60-65 percent” according to Juan C. Rodriguez via Twitter.  Obviously that’s not exactly what we wanted to hear.  He did make an appearance as a pinch hitter last night and drew a walk.  Of course, he was then immediately pinch run for.  At least it appears like he’s getting closer, though who knows when he will be able to play a full game.  Those in daily leagues should keep him on the bench for now and hope that he can return soon.

Mat Latos, San Diego Padres

Corey Brock (via Twitter) is reporting, “Looks like we will see Mat Latos in upcoming series against the Reds.”  The Padres are scheduled to face Cincinnati (in San Diego) from April 11-13.  With a seven game week, that means he should also face the Astros next week.  The situation certainly could’ve been a lot worse and Latos becomes a must use option in a two-start week.

Frank Francisco, Toronto Blue Jays  

On Twitter, MLB’s Gregor Chisholm is reporting that, “Francisco set to begin rehab assignment Thursday in Florida. Likely to make at least three relief appearances before returning.”  The clock is ticking on Jon Rauch’s time as closer, unless he can really string together a few strong appearances.  As I’ve said, the closing situation in Toronto will likely be fluid for a while (with Octavio Dotel also working his way back), so don’t drop any of them until someone steps up (and even then they could be worth stashing).

Jason Bay, New York Mets

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York is reporting (via Twitter) that “Jason Bay will start swinging a bat later this week, Terry Collins says.”  It's good news, but we still do not know for sure exactly when he is going to return.  He is eligible to come off the DL on April 9, but it is hard to imagine that happening at this point.  All we can do is sit tight as, once healthy, Bay still figures to be a big-time bounce back candidate.

Carlos Pena, Chicago Cubs

According to the Chicago Tribune (click here for the article), Pena was available to pinch hit in yesterday’s game.  Manager Mike Quade was quoted as saying, “I can probably use him if I needed to late”.  While he didn’t appear, it helps to show us that it shouldn’t be long until he returns to the lineup.  Monitor the pregame news if you are in a daily format.

Casey Blake, Los Angeles Dodgers

With Ivan DeJesus Jr. being sent back to Triple-A it appears Blake will be activated today.  At a shallow position he does have value in deep formats (and NL-only), though he’s more of a last resort option at this point.

What are your thoughts on these news bits?

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• Top 20 Catchers
• Top 20 First Basemen

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