We all know that injuries are a part of the game, but we certainly don’t have to like it. Not one bit. And it’s always particularly frustrating at this time of year as you watch teams rise and fall in the standings while you find yourself sitting there at the bottom, wondering if the number of crutches in your fantasy team’s clubhouse can be a scoring category. Well, until your league commissioner helps you out with that, you just have to roll with the punches and play the hand you’re dealt. Don’t worry, though. What goes around, comes around and your opponents will be dealing with their own issues soon enough. Here’s the latest on the injury front:

Day-to-Day

Josh Donaldson, 3B TOR – This is obviously a big one, folks. Especially if you’ve followed the Adrian Beltre saga. Donaldson re-injured his calf and is set for a full evaluation Friday. It is an injury that tends to linger and could be problematic if the club doesn’t handle it properly. You should probably expect a DL stint here as the only way to truly allow the calf to heal is time off. Stay tuned for updates throughout the day, but start preparing for the worst.

Todd Frazier, 3B CHW – It appears that the flu that ran rampant through the Red Sox clubhouse may have moved through the sock drawer and infected the south side of Chicago. Frazier was a late scratch Thursday with an illness and is considered day-to-day right now. There is speculation that he would return to the lineup Friday, so those in leagues with daily roster moves, keep a watchful eye on the lineups today.

Brett Gardner, OF NYY – Gardener was dealing with some neck and jaw stiffness after a collision with Rickie Weeks at first base Wednesday while trying to leg out an infield hit. This doesn’t appear to be anything serious and he should be able to play during the weekend series against the Cardinals which would be nice considering how Yadier Molina is struggling to throw out base-runners.

Mallex Smith, OF TB – He left Thursday’s game with a tweaked hamstring, but the club hasn’t yet provided a full diagnosis after the evaluation. If he is day-to-day, then expect him back maybe late this weekend, but if it proves to be more, he could land on the DL which would be a huge bummer given that Colby Rasmus is expected to start his rehab assignment soon (see below).

Jon Gray, SP COL – He re-aggravated the same toe injury he suffered late in spring training and will now be re-evaluated after a run of tests. X-rays and an MRI are likely on tap to determine just how long he really needs to sit. An extended stint on the DL would obviously hurt the Rockies rotation, but also fantasy owners who enjoyed his performance last year and expected him to take the next step this season. Look for updates throughout the day, but you may want to prepare for a possible DL stint here.

Matt Bush, RP TEX – Everyone’s favorite speculative add for saves this week suffered from a shoulder issue after a 29-pitch outing Monday and is now undergoing steady evaluations by the team’s medical staff. He went back to Texas to receive an injection in his shoulder and has just gone back on the road to meet the team in Seattle. The trainers will take a look at him to determine whether the injection was enough or if he is going to need some time on the disabled list, so don’t expect much in the way of news until Saturday or Sunday. It’s not yet clear as to whether this will give Sam Dyson a stay of execution or not, but if he doesn’t, as we’ve said all week, Jeremy Jeffress will be the guy to add.

Hector Rondon, RP CHC – After a collision during Wednesday’s game pushed Rondon to the bench with a knee issue, the club sent him for an MRI which, fortunately, came back clean. He is not expected to hit the DL and should be good to go after a couple of day’s rest. Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards Jr will handle the set-up work still.

On the DL

Buster Posey, C SF – He was listed as day-to in Tuesday’s piece as the concussion just happened, but the club put him on the 7-day DL immediately to ensure the face of the franchise ample time to heal. He is expected back when he is eligible, but the question is, how much is he going to work behind the plate moving forward? A foul-tip to the mask could rattle the cage a little or even a tough play at the plate. With the hole in left field, there is definitely the possibility the team explores a Brandon Belt to left move again to open up first base for Posey. If that happens, Nick Hundley becomes an immediate add as he would serve as the team’s primary backstop then.

Geovany Soto, C CHW – OK, if you’re using Soto, you obviously play in a deep two-catcher AL-only format, because no one in their right mind would use him in a mixed league, right? Well, hopefully not. Even with three home runs to start the season, you know he’s not keeping that pace up. If you do, then you’ve got even more problems as he lands on the disabled list with elbow inflammation. The club is hoping the stay on the disabled list will be enough for him to heal, but there’s obviously the chance of this being a recurring issue. Omar Narvaez will serve as the White Sox primary backstop. There’s not much power potential here, but he really can’t be any worse to use than Soto, amirite?

Stephen Drew, 2B WAS – When Trea Turner landed on the disabled list, it looked as if Drew would be a fantastic waiver add for fantasy owners. He was immediately inserted into the starting lineup and enjoyed a three-hit night. The following game, he went 0-for-3, left early with a hamstring strain and found himself on the DL shortly thereafter. The club hasn’t said if it’s a minimum 10-day stay just yet, but given Drew’s age and history, it could be a little longer. Until Turner returns, look for Wilmer Difo to pick up the slack. Grant Green was called up, but he’ll serve as bench depth.

Adrian Beltre, 3B TEX – When we last visited with the Rangers third baseman, the team put off his activation from the DL on Sunday and said they were going to do it Tuesday. Then news surfaced that Beltre felt something in his calf during a rehab game over the weekend and the Tuesday activation was nixed. An MRI revealed a Grade-1 strain which puts him almost back to square-one. There is no timetable for his return now and Joey Gallo will remain with the big club for the foreseeable future.

Franklin Gutierrez, OF LAD – We had him listed as day-to-day earlier in the week after he strained his hamstring during a stolen base attempt in Monday’s game. Unfortunately for him, the strain was severe enough that the Dodgers dropped him onto the DL to heal. They don’t expect him to miss more than his 10 days, however, the club called up Trayce Thompson to serve as the right-handed bat in the left field platoon and could have a potential controversy if Thompson powers up the way he did for a short while last year. It’s probably not a huge deal as Thompson still has minor league options while Gutierrez does not, but if Thompson gives them a reason to keep him up, Gutierrez could end up losing at-bats.

Clay Buchholz, SP PHI – You never want to relish in anyone’s injury but for those who own Buchholz, this is addition by subtraction. Literally anyone on waivers is a better option for your fantasy team. A nutless monkey would serve your rotation better. After an MRI, the diagnosis was a partial tear of the right pronator mass in his forearm and he was headed to Dr. James Andrews for that dreaded second opinion. Expect to hear “out for the season,” but even if you don’t, you need to stay far, far away.

Rookie Davis, SP CIN – The youngster was making his second start of the season and while the command issues persisted, he was getting himself out of trouble, en route to four innings of just one-run ball against the Pirates. Then Jameson Taillon hit him on the forearm with a pitch and it was game over. The injury didn’t appear to be that serious, but with the new 10-day DL, the club thought it best just to put him there, bring up another reliever to hold down the fort, and look to Davis again once his 10 days are up. He’s not really worth a look in any format, though maybe he could serve as a streaming option if you play in a super-deep NL-only league.

Andrew Bailey, RP LAA – What a shocker! After just three innings pitched and two vulture wins, Bailey hits the DL with shoulder inflammation. Anyone who gave him any remote consideration this year over Cam Bedrosian deserves to have their fantasy card revoked. This guy is useless.

On the Mend

Jason Kipnis, 2B CLE – We all got a little scare when Kipnis was removed from Wednesday’s rehab game after being hit on the hand with a pitch. The club said it was just precautionary, but he is likely to sit until this weekend where he will resume playing. It doesn’t appear to be serious, so his return timetable remains the same. He is on-track to return in about a week.

David Dahl, OF COL – He’s resumed running, throwing and regular weight-training here during his recovery from the rib injury, but Dahl still has not yet been cleared to swing a bat. While it hasn’t been scheduled yet, the team will send Dahl for a bone scan soon to check the healing process and will then determine exactly when he can resume regular baseball activities. Considering he is going to need either extended spring training or a full minor league rehab assignment, he is at least a few weeks away from returning and might not be able to return until the first week of May even. Keep holding onto Gerardo Parra as he continues to be the team’s primary left fielder.

Colby Rasmus, OF TB – He is apparently nearing a rehab assignment as he recovers from his groin injury, but the Rays haven’t said at which level he would start. Expect that decision to come over the weekend. It should be interesting to see what the Rays do with the speedy Mallex Smith once Rasmus returns. They could just send him down, but his speed offers an element to the Rays’ game that Rasmus does not have. Rasmus has much better power potential, but doesn’t seem to be anything different from the game Steve Souza or Corey Dickerson have. Of course, if Smith’s injury lands him on the DL, this will be easier for the Rays to handle.

Jorge Soler, OF KC – He’s been on the DL with an oblique strain since the season opened, but it appears that he will be ready for a rehab assignment pretty soon. He’ll be re-examined after taking batting practice this weekend and the club will determine his schedule after that. If all goes well, he should be with the Royals before the end of the month. They’ll likely ease him back in, but are probably hoping the power will show sooner than later and get his bat back into the lineup as quickly as they can.  

David Price, SP BOS – Your latest update has the lefty scheduled to throw a 45-pitch bullpen session Saturday with an elbow evaluation shortly thereafter. What ‘s significant here is that he will start to mix in his breaking pitches for the first time. Don’t get too worked up, though as it’s just the next step in a still-lengthy recover process. Barring any setbacks, we’re still looking at a mid-May return. Cross your fingers!

Rich Hill, SP LAD – He’s on the DL with the usual blister issue, but threw a bullpen session Thursday. The evaluation has yet to be released, so it is not clear as to when our least-favorite slow-healer is going to be ready to return. While I’d never use him, those of you waiting to get him back will just have to remain patient.

Sonny Gray, SP OAK – He is scheduled to throw a three-inning outing this weekend where the A’s medical staff will then evaluate and determine if he can ramp up the activity another notch. If so, he could be back on the bump in Oakland by the end of April. He’s a tough one to trust given the injury and last year’s poor performance, but he might be an interesting speculative add if you have the bench room to see how he performs early on.

Tyson Ross, SP TEX – He was just scratched from his rehab start Wednesday as he is suffering from some sort of back tightness. The club seems to think this will only push him back about five to seven days, but obviously, given his injury history, this is yet another red flag. The saber community was loving on him a few years ago which is probably why his name still turns a head or two, but even when he does return, you want nothing to do with him.

Carter Capps, RP SD – The Padres reliever (and future closer in many people’s opinions) threw a scoreless inning during a rehab appearance at High-A Lake Elsinore which was his first appearance in a game since spring training. He remains on-schedule in his rehab and will throw a few more sessions out of the bullpen while having his elbow examined daily. Barring any setbacks, it looks like he could be back in the Padres bullpen in about a week to 10 days.

Glen Perkins, RP MIN – Playing the long game here? Well, Perkins’ shoulder-healing progress remains steady as he threw a successful 25-pitch bullpen session earlier in the week. At 34-years of age, the recovery is going to remain lengthy which is why he’s sitting on the 60-day DL. He is not expected to return to the majors until at least early-June, so Brandon Kintzler owners need not worry.