Minor League Injury Report – Spring Training

March 25, 2024 Dave Funnell In The News, MiLB 0

Samuel Basallo, June 21, 2022. Photo credit Bryan Green.
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Spring Training is winding down, and some interesting developments have occurred thus far. On the prospect side of things, many players have seen their stock rise and fall due to the injuries that they have sustained. Additionally, the players’ progress, or lack thereof, could indicate where they end up beginning their 2024 season. Here are the latest injury updates from around the Minor Leagues as we look to Opening Day later this week.

Samuel Basallo, C, Baltimore Orioles

Basallo came into this season with a ton of promise, but that was sidelined early on when camp broke for the Orioles. It was revealed that he would miss some time due to a right elbow stress fracture, and would not catch any games until April. Just this past week, we were given a positive update, almost a month after the original injury report.

Basallo had worked hard to get himself back into games, and he did so early in the week. He ended up going 0-for-2 in his Spring Training debut, but the overall consensus was that it was a great sign of things to come. Being back into games now will go a long way into making Baltimore’s next big thing behind the plate more of a reality in the near future. Keep in mind though, he will not play in games as the team’s catcher until later in April.

Brennen Davis, OF, Chicago Cubs

Davis has had his fair share of ailments over the years. Over the past four years, he has suffered an injury to his index finger, his right knee, his lower back, his core, and his head (concussion), all leading to 1220 professional plate appearances since 2018.  The hope was that he could put those behind him and move forward, possibly debuting with the Cubs this season. Instead, he’s once again going to miss time.

Yikes. Davis has progressed somewhat since then, as he has resumed baseball activities. Additionally, he has since been sent down to Triple-A Iowa and will begin the season in the minors. Since the demotion, he’s been inactive and hasn’t played at all. There are some concerns about something serious being the cause, but there’s no definitive answer just yet. One has to wonder if he will ever live up to the potential he was once perceived to possess many years ago.

Jake Eder, LHP, Chicago White Sox

Eder, acquired in the trade that sent Jake Burger to Miami, came to the White Sox last season. He struggled upon his arrival to the Windy City in Double-A Birmingham, but hopes that an offseason with his new organization would get things off to a positive and fresh start. The opposite of that happened as Eder was bothered by shoulder soreness early on.

Eder has since been sent back down to Double-A Birmingham in order to rehab and get back into game action. There’s a slight chance that he makes a debut for the White Sox later this season, if the team wants to give him a taste of things to come. Regardless, the hope is that this injury is minor and doesn’t derail a promising future.

George Valera, OF, Cleveland Guardians

Valera is another prospect listed here that has seen his potential derailed by injuries. He has suffered through all sorts of ailments from head to toe, and was looking for a fresh start in 2024 to possibly break through to Cleveland. He started off on the wrong foot, as he tweaked his hamstring early on in camp, setting him back quite a while.

Since that report, he has been rehabbing and sent back down to Triple-A Columbus to continue his progression. After missing so much time in 2023, he was considered an option for the Guardians who could use his talent in the outfield. It looks like they will have to wait for him to get healthy and then to the point of being MLB-ready. There is no word on when he will be ready for in-game action in the minor leagues.

Daniel Espino, RHP, Cleveland Guardians

Espino is the second Guardians prospect on this list with one-time massive potential that has been hindered by injury concerns over the years. Espino’s injury is a major one, however, that has caused him to miss an incredible amount of time. In May of last year, the right-hander underwent surgery to repair a right shoulder anterior capsule, resulting in a 12-14 month timeline for a return. It was recently revealed that he once again underwent some surgery:

This by all means destroys any hope that Espino had of pitching this season. There is no telling if and when he will pitch again. Once considered one of the best pitching prospects in the game, he will be almost three years removed from his last game when the season begins next season.

Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP, Detroit Tigers

Gipson-Long made his debut for the Tigers late last season and took the league by storm. He finished the season striking out 26 batters over 20 innings pitched, highlighted by an eleven-strikeout performance at the Angels in his second big-league game. He came into the offseason hoping to find a spot on the roster, other as a starter or a long reliever. Instead, he found himself on the team’s injury report after suffering a groin strain in late February. As time went on, he threw bullpen sessions, but ultimately, the decision at the end of camp was easy:

It was seemingly a long shot for him to make the team out of camp, and ultimately he will start the season on the Injured List. From there he will need to ramp himself back up to be game-ready. There is no timetable for his return, but the team does have big plans for him. He should be up with the Tigers at some point this season.

Diego Cartaya, C, Los Angeles Dodgers

Cartaya has been a top prospect within the Dodgers organization for many years. Over his five years with Los Angeles, he was hoping to make a good impression this year after a disappointing 2023 campaign. Things didn’t get off on the right foot in camp, as Cartaya suffered an injury early on.

With little to no room on the big league roster, the Dodgers would be wise to take things slowly with Cartaya. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him dealt at some point, as Will Smith seems to have the catcher position on lockdown for the time being. That said, the injury doesn’t appear to be overly serious and he should return to playing shortly.

Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees

Dominguez had himself quite the debut in 2023 that was derailed by injury. After having Tommy John Surgery late last year, he’s been on the mend and progressing well. Recently, he was seen throwing from an even longer distance than before with the anticipation of hitting from both sides of the plate in the near future. He’s also stayed with the team and worked on some fielding drills too.

While this is great to see, it’s important to remember that manager Aaron Boone has said several times that there is no rush for Dominguez to return. The Yankees have solid depth at the outfield position and there is no need to rush their prized prospect. Additionally, the team will be competing for a playoff spot, and, unless they are ravaged by injuries, bringing in a recovered prospect to learn things might derail those attempts for the postseason. It’s been stated that we could see him return in July, so fantasy owners everywhere need to remember that anything earlier than that is a bonus.

Dave Funnell

Dave Funnell covers the Minnesota Twins minor leagues for Prospects1500. Located just south of Toronto in the city of Hamilton, he's an hour away from Buffalo (and the Bisons). He's been a fan of baseball his entire life and doesn't have a favorite team, which hopefully gives way for objectivty in analysis. Dave is in multiple keeper fantasy baseball leagues and is active on Twitter at @sportz_nutt51.

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