WBC/ST Injuries
The love for baseball was rekindled upon the start of the World Baseball Classic and Spring Training. However, there were several injuries that derailed the joy and hope for some teams. Let’s look at three injuries that were headlines when they happened.
Edwin Diaz; Closer, New York Mets/Team Puerto Rico
When this injury happened, it was bad news for New York. Diaz, who re-signed to be the richest closer in MLB history, suffered a full-patellar tendon tear in his right knee after Team Puerto Rico won their game over Dominican Republic. Diaz was lights-out in 2022 with 32 saves, helping set the world ablaze with amazing theme music that was New York’s hottest thing since Mariano Rivera came in with “Enter Sandman”. While the celebration was not excessive, the injury does put New York in a tough spot. They re-signed Diaz and brought in David Robertson to solidify the bullpen with Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley, so the question becomes what impact the injury will have on the Mets as their season begins. The Mets will have a lot to contend with this year, as they try to shake off last year’s late collapse and a resurgent Atlanta and angry Philadelphia trying to claw to take the Mets down. With Edwin out for the year, the only thing we can hope for is a successful recovery.
Rhys Hoskins; 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
Non-contact injuries are always the worst thing to happen to players. With them being rare in MLB, we will look at one here and one later on. Rhys suffered a non-contact left knee injury in a Spring Training game against the Tigers. It was later found that he tore his ACL and is now lost for the season for the Phillies. Rhys was an instrumental piece for the Phillies’ run to the World Series last year and was playing on a contract year. Rhys hit four home runs in the postseason in 2022, including a memorable one in game three of the NLDS against Atlanta. If Rhys were to not play for the Phillies again, he will be a sought after free-agent once he is healed from his injury. The bat and glove will be missed hard for the Phillies as they try to defend their National League flag. The Phillies need to make moves to fill the hole as they want to attack and bring down the two-headed monster known as Atlanta and New York.
Gavin Lux: SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
The other non-contact injury mentioned in the Hoskins byline, Gavin was poised for a breakout year after LA lost Trea Turner to the Phillies. Gavin hurt himself in a Spring Training game and he tore his ACL and LCL, and as of writing, he has had successful surgery to go on the mend. Lux was the replacement for Trea and now ownership needs to look for replacements, specifically via trade, to try to plug the hole. Lux had a productive season last year, hitting a respectable .276 in 129 games. If he comes back better than when he got injured, the Dodgers will have something interesting on their hands. Now, the team has to worry about keeping Arizona and San Diego off their heels while they deal with this newfound injury. Can the Dodgers keep their reign in check while they deal with this unfortunate injury, or will we see a new horse take the lead in the NL West?
Submitted by Dave Hummel