Stephen Strasburg Lands on the DL with a Bad Back

Stephen Strasburg is a bit young to be having back problems, but that is apparently what has landed the Washington Nationals righty on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday after he was unable to participate in a bullpen session.

During his most recent start last Friday against the Atlanta Braves, Strasburg was pulled after just two innings with pain on his face while stretching his shoulder. He said after the game that his back had been bothering him during warmups for the past few starts, but the pain would subside once the game started.

The 24-year-old, who has a birthday next month, is 3-5 with a 2.54 ERA -- already halfway to as many losses as he suffered during his 15-6 campaign last year, his first full season following elbow surgery. Currently third in the NL East, the Nationals are one game under .500 and could probably use some healthy pitchers.

Strasburg joins fellow starter Ross Detweiler, out of commission since May 15 with a strained oblique, on the DL.

Stephen Strasburg Hindsight is 20/20

$15.1 million dollars and 15.1 million reasons why Mike Rizzo and Jim Riggleman are complete morons.

Happy Trails, Chipper Jones :(

It's not often that we throw a sad face into the title of a post, but upon hearing the news on Chipper Jones, we're super bummed out. Almost inconsolable... we definitely need a hug.

After injuring his knee on a sweet play at third base Tuesday night in the sixth inning of the Atlanta Braves' 4-2 win over the Houston Astros, Jones is out for the season.

Get Well Soon, Jake Peavy

The Chicago White Sox have placed Jake Peavy on the disabled list with a muscle tear in his pitching shoulder.

The right-hander suffered the injury in the second inning of his team's victory over the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday night. After delivering a 2-2 pitch to Mike Napoli, he leapt off the mound and lifted his right arm before walking straight to the dugout with a team trainer. Peavy then landed on the 15-day DL the following day, and will likely be shut down for the rest of the season. His reaction after Wednesday's MRI:

Half of Phillies Infield on the DL

Sucky news out of Philadelphia today: the Phillies just lost half of their starting infield to injury.

Second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Placido Polanco have both landed on the 15-day disabled list, with a sprained right thumb and sore left elbow, respectively. They have both been sent back to Philly to get checked out and see exactly how long they'll be out of commission.

Utley jammed his thumb while trying to stretch a single into double during the fourth inning of his team's 7-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds Monday night, but remained in the game until the ninth inning, when he was replaced by a pinch hitter because his thumb was tender.

Jason Heyward Finally Lands on DL

The Atlanta Braves and Jason Heyward have finally come to the realization that his pesky thumb injury, which he's been dealing with for over six weeks now, is not going to heal on its own.

The rookie right fielder sat out for a third straight game Monday before an MRI revealed a deep bone bruise in his left thumb. His average has slid all the way down to .251 in the midst of his 1-for-16 slump, but I'm sure it's kinda hard to play baseball with a busted digit.

After being placed on the 15-day disabled list, Heyward had this to say:

We're doing the best thing, I believe. Right now is a good opportunity to get it done, get the rest done, get the strength back so I'll be able to come back the second half.

The National League's Rookie of the Month for April and May should be eligible to come off the DL during the All-Star break, July 12-14. Sadly, this means All-Star festivities are pretty much out the question, even though he leads NL rookies with 11 bombs and 45 RBIs.

Matt Diaz, fresh off thumb surgery, has been activated from the 15-day DL to replace Heyward in the outfield. Diaz hit .313 with 13 longballs for the Braves last season, but was batting just .178 on May 15 before going under the knife.

Get well soon, Jay Hey!

[USA Today] | [Braves Blast] | [Fantasy Knuckleheads]

Sammy Gervacio Out of Commission

It's going to be a while before we see Sammy Gervacio's awesome wind-up again. Hopefully we didn't jinx him with our rave review of his amazing delivery.

The Houston Astros reliever is headed the the 15-day disabled list with his strained rotator cuff.

During the eighth inning of Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants at Minute Maid Park, Gervacio fielded a sac bunt by Eli Whiteside awkwardly, allowing Juan Uribe to score and Whiteside to end up at third. After the throwing error, the righty composed himself and got Eugenio Velez to ground out right to him.

After an RBI single by Aaron Rowand, Gervacio threw a wild pitch to Edgar Renteria and his arm pretty much fell off. Wilton Lopez will be called up to take Gervacio's place on the roster, and that bums us out.

Get well soon Sammy!

[MLB] | [Houston Chronicle] | [Crawfish Boxes]

Canadian Crusher Out for the Season

Due to a stress fracture in his lower back, Justin Morneau’s season is over.

The Minnesota Twins first baseman hurt himself while attempting a Nick Punto-style headfirst slide into first base last Friday, but has been playing through the pain much longer than that.

The good news for my Canadian Crusher and the Twins is that he doesn't need surgery. In fact, all he's supposed to do is rest for the next few months. Morneau, batting .274 on the season with 30 bombs and 100 RBIs says he's "99% sure" he'll be ready to play at his team's spankin' new stadium this Spring.

The Big Unit's Bones Are Creaky, Wang Sucks

Randy Johnson is one of those guys with a voice so booming that when he tells a joke, it rarely gets more than a courtesy chuckle.

However, Tuesday night he managed to make a funny regarding his recent accident at the plate:

Obviously the first thing I thought is that I won’t be able to do my instructional hitting video.

zing!

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Yankees Cut Off Wang

Chien-Ming Wang and the fans of his team have finally been put out of their misery.

The New York Yankees right-hander has struggled all year long with control issues and injuries, his latest being a problem with his throwing shoulder. After landing on the disabled list on July 5th, he made the decision to undergo arthroscopic surgery which will end his season.

There isn't a timetable for his return quite yet, but manager Joe Girardi says the team should know more once the procedure is done. Wang led the American League in wins in 2006 and matched that total in 2007, but missed the last 3 1/2 months of 2008 after hurting his foot running the bases. He’s 1-6 with an unsightly 9.64 ERA in just 12 games this season, missing a month early on with a [hip injury] bruised ego.

Tim Wakefield is Old [School]

Tim Wakefield, who will turn 43 on August 2nd, is headed to the disabled list with lower back pain. These things happen when you get old(er).

With room on their roster, the Boston Red Sox have recalled righty Clay Buchholz from the AAA Pawtucket Sox to start in Wakefield’s place tonight in the finale of their three-game series against the Texas Rangers, who just knocked the Sox out of first place in the AL East amidst a Josh Beckett complete game Tuesday.

The right-handed knuckleballer, sporting an 11-3 record with a 4.31 ERA, last pitched on July 8th against the Oakland Athletics. In that game, he surrendered three runs over six innings and got the win.

The move is retroactive to July 18th, which means Wakefield can return from the DL on his birthday. Apparently, the injury isn't serious -- according to him -- so Buchholz probably shouldn't get too comfy.

[Rotowire] | [Sports of Boston] | [Foul Territory]

Ryan Dempster: Twinkle Toes

Apparently, Ryan Dempster is sort of a klutz. The Chicago Cubs righty was hopping the railing from the dugout to celebrate Sunday’s win over the Milwaukee Brewers when one of his legs got tangled up and caught. He landed pretty hard and hurt his toe, resulting in a non-displaced fracture. (It's broken.)

Can we see the video on this please?

Dempster was supposed to pitch Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, but now he'll be missing at least his next three starts. In fact, he may miss up to a month. Smooth move, big guy. Gotta love a pitcher who lands on the DL due to an injury he sustained off the mound.

Check out Cubbies Crib and the blogs below for more on this ridiculous story.

[Chicago Tribune] | [FanHouse] | [Sports Rubbish] | [Bleacher Nation]

Beltran's Wounded Knee Won't Need Amputation

Nice catch, Fernando.

The New York Mets have finally gotten some good news. The second opinion (from Dr. Richard Steadman) on Carlos Beltran's hurt knee was the same as the Mets’ medical staff: no surgery required.

The Gold Glove center fielder will be re-evaluated later on this week and will most likely still be resting the bone bruise through the All-Star break. Beltran had been playing through the pain most of the season before landing on the 15-day disabled list last week, batting .336 with eight bombs, 20 doubles, 40 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Not bad for wincing.

Josh Hamilton to Return After All-Star Break

Josh Hamilton thanks you for drafting him so early.

The Texas Rangers outfielder will sit out for the next 5-7 weeks after undergoing surgery today to repair a partial tear in an abdominal muscle. Hamilton, injured May 17th after making a leaping catch and crashing into an outfield wall against the Los Angeles Angels, landed on the disabled list last week.

So Long For Now, Anna

Guess what?! Kris Benson is on the disabled list again. It's like a second home to this guy.

The Texas Rangers righty landed on the 15-day DL with tendinitis in his right elbow, retroactive to April 16th. Benson, who is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts this season, had been away from baseball since 2006. He skipped the 2007 season after shoulder surgery and pitched in the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system in 2008 before the Phils released him in August. He then signed a minor league contract with Texas last winter and miraculously made their opening roster.

Right-handed pitcher Scott Feldman, who is 0-0 with a 12.60 ERA in two relief appearances this season, will start in Benson’s place this Saturday.

[MLB]

Mike Hampton: My Groin Hurts

I'm not sure whether to laugh so hard I pee my pants or feel terrible for the guy, but the oft-injured Mike Hampton has tripped up once again, seeing yet another setback in his recovery from the pectoral muscle he originally injured.

Hampton -- by far the most over-paid pitcher in the history of the game -- was all set to return to the Atlanta Braves rotation after the All-Star break, but left Wednesday’s rehab start for Class-AA Mississippi after just two innings with a strained groin.

"I wish I had a magic cure, a magic pill that I could swallow," he said. "I wouldn’t sell my soul to the devil, but I’d get pretty close."

Well that's just pure laziness. No wonder he can't stay healthy!

Will someone please help this guy get in touch with a new rehab specialist? This is just getting ridiculous... in a depressing, horribly funny way. Pretty sure he could hurt himself just by thinking too hard.

[Major League Report] | [Chop n' Change] | [Sports Shovel]

There's a First Time for Everything

After 13 1/2 seasons and 1,927 regular-season games, Johnny Damon finds himself on the disabled list for the very first time.

The New York Yankees left fielder sprained and bruised his left shoulder after crashing into the left-field fence on a leaping catch during the Yankees' 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday. The swelling was worse on Sunday, and he was placed on the 15-day DL.

This is a pretty big blow to the 47-42 Bronx Bombers, who are 9 games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays heading into a 2-game set against them in New York on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old Damon was batting .319 at the top of the order with 6 homers and 34 RBIs on the season and is scheduled to return on July 20th if all goes well.

[AP] | [RotoDish] | [LoHud Yankees Blog] | [Yankees Kids Talk]

All Good Things...

Curt Schilling is out for the season, and possibly for the rest of his career.

The 41-year-old veteran righty, who hasn't thrown a baseball since Spring, underwent an MRI Tuesday and made the difficult decision to ditch his rehab program and finally have surgery on his ailing shoulder.

"My season is over and there is a pretty decent chance I have thrown my last pitch forever," he said. "If you use a scale of 1-10 and 10 is pitching in the big leagues, I’m at about 3 right now."

But, if he hasn't blogged about it, is it even true?

[Boston]

Paul Konerko No Longer Virgin to DL

Paul Konerko, who missed out on the brutality of Tuesday's 16-5 pounding of the Pittsburgh Pirates, has landed on the disabled list a strained left oblique muscle, marking his first career trip to the DL.

The Chicago White Sox veteran first baseman underwent an MRI after injuring himself in the batting cage Sunday.

"Right now, it’s painful to even raise my voice or even to laugh, or cough or anything like that," he said.

Konerko, who has struggled a bit this season with a .215 batting average, eight homers and 30 RBIs for the AL Central-leading Sox, says he'd like to be back after just two weeks. Wholesome teammate Ji-
Jim Thome hurt himself similarly last season and was out of commission for three weeks.

Nick Swisher, who’s pretty much awesome, made 13 starts at first this season and will cover that position until Konerko’s return.

[Chicago Tribune]

Bennett Breaks Soriano, Dempster Rules

Alfonso Soriano could be looking at a six-week vacation after getting nailed in the hand by a Jeff Bennett pitch Wednesday night during the second inning of the Chicago Cubs 7-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.

X-rays revealed a break in the superstar leadoff hitter's left hand, leaving him in a splint for three weeks.

On the bright side, this is Ryan Dempster's awesome amazing world, and we are all just riding the dream. The Cubs closer-turned-starter is undefeated (8-0) this season at Wrigley Field and 8-2 overall. He fanned eleven last night and lowered his ERA to 2.81.

[Chicago Tribune] | [Fastball Fans] | [Goatriders of the Apocalypse]