AJ Pollock left today’s game with what the White socks Announced as tightening the right thigh muscles. Pollock had just singled himself but appeared to pinch his hamstring while spinning for first base and had to be replaced with a pinch runner. While Pollock’s long injury history (including a strain in the right hamstring that sidelined him for over two weeks last September) raises fresh concerns, Pollock said James Fegan from The Athletic and other reporters after the game that today’s injury wasn’t nearly as severe as last season’s hamstring problem.
Coincidentally, Pollock was already prepared to miss some time. The outfielder and his wife are expecting their second child, and Pollock was due to go on paternity leave tomorrow. He will use the absence to rest his hamstring and hopefully not become the last White Sox player to make the injured list. Crochet Garrett was lost for the season due to Tommy John’s surgery while the 10-day IL features Lance Lynn, Yoan Moncada, Yo Kelly, Jermin Mercedesand Ryan Burrplus Luke Giolito will now also miss at least his next two starts.
More baseball injury updates…
- There is “no set timeline set in stone at this point” for when Tommy LaStella could return from the injured list, Giants Manager Gab Kapler said Maria Guardado of MLB.com and other reporters. La Stella underwent Achilles surgery in October and is still in pain, although he told the media doctors said it was not uncommon. Despite the lack of clarity, the Giants considered using La Stella as a DH early in the season, so it seems like he’s relatively close to playing. “It was just one of those things where we wanted to make sure we weren’t sacrificing long-term success in this process now for short-term gains and make sure I was well set up for the rest of the season,” La Stella said.
- Anibal Sanchez could miss its scheduled launch on Monday as the nationals Right handed has to do with neck pain. The Nats have already pushed back Sanchez’s start to give him time to heal, but as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes, the club may now have to face either the bullpen or possibly a minor league call-up Josh Rogers or Aaron Sanchez to take the start. In Aaron Sanchez’s case, the Nationals would first have to clear a 40-man roster spot in order to select his minor league contract.
- blue jay Manager Charlie Montoyo updated reporters (including TSN’s Scott Mitchell) via paused pitchers Ryan Borucki and Nate Pearson. Borucki is on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain but came out of a simulated two-innings game feeling good. Pearson will start light pitching after missing time due to mononucleosis, but since Pearson missed a significant portion of spring training, Mitchell writes that from a prep standpoint, the right-hander is “essentially starting from scratch.” As such, Pearson may not be fully ramped up until mid-May.