We have had a ton of star injuries so far this season in MLB. deGrom started the wave and looks to be on his way back next month, meanwhile a slew of stars have gone down this past week alone. Let’s take a look at some of the injuries and the impact they will have.
Bryce Harper
Harper fractured his thumb after an HBP on Saturday night. Harper is one of the games great competitors and his reaction after being hit is amazing.
This injury probably has the largest team impact. The Phillies had been disappointing again this season, but they are 17-6 since firing Joe Girardi and are in the hunt for a playoff spot. Harper was playing like an MVP again and his injury massively caps this teams ceiling. Nick Castellanos will have to get it together and start hitting to pick up some of the slack. After a career year last season, Castellanos is only slashing .252/.306/.387 with 7 home runs. The Phillies lost the heart and soul of their team indefinitely, it will be up to other to keep this hot streak alive.
Mookie Betts
Betts was placed on the IL a week ago with a cracked rib. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has already come out and said their two-week timeline was overly optimistic so, it seems like Betts will be on the shelf a bit longer. The Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 games, so the organizational depth has stepped up to the plate. It is still hard to replace a player that is the caliber of Betts so the longer he remains out the more likely someone falters. The Dodgers still have the 2nd best record in the NL so they can afford to let their star heal up fully.
Ronald Acuña Jr.
This one stinks. MLB was deprived of a full season of Acuña last year and he finally came back and started raking again. He fouled a ball off his foot and right not cannot put any pressure on it. There is no fracture which is good news, but the red hot Braves need their star outfielder back. Their 14-game win streak earlier in June was the longest by any defending champion since 1961. Acuña is one of the league brightest stars and his energy is what baseball needs to continue attracting younger audiences.
With the All-Star game right around the corner, hopefully some of the game’s greats can start to make their return to the field. Baseball is better when deGrom and Scherzer are pitching every five days and guys like Harper, Betts and Acuña are in their respective line-ups.
