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00:00I don't know that that affects Pablo Lopez, but this is a very big injury for the Minnesota Twins.
00:04Pablo has been really healthy the last few years, not an arm injury, lower leg injury for him.
00:09And this is a guy that really keeps himself in shape, too.
00:11So this caught me by surprise.
00:14Wyatt Langford, that's a tough one with an oblique.
00:16You know that's not a two-week injury, Joe.
00:18That's going to be a month.
00:19Nope.
00:19This is a shocker.
00:20Justin Steele.
00:21Oh, no.
00:22My gosh, he looks so good.
00:24And he's looked good now for a year.
00:26He's on the 15-day IL.
00:27So is Jackson Merrill.
00:30And then Matt McClain.
00:31I know he had been struggling through some injuries, too.
00:33He's going to miss some time.
00:34But you can sub somebody in for him in the lineup.
00:36But there's, like, no replacing Merrill and Steele.
00:40And, you know, I'm going to guess they'll be careful with Pablo as well.
00:43I don't feel like any of these are 10-day injuries, though.
00:46That's the thing that's really troubling here.
00:48I think McClain might be.
00:49I heard Terry Francona speaking about him.
00:52And they were hoping that he was going to play in the last series, too.
00:55And they were kind of waiting and trying to figure that out.
00:57But eventually it just didn't happen.
00:59And so they just decided, let's be safe rather than sorry.
01:02I mentioned Chase Mydrath right from the White Sox.
01:04He just got called up.
01:05There's a guy you could patch in there for a little while.
01:09IKF is playing pretty well right now.
01:10Maybe ride that wave until McClain comes back.
01:12So there's some options out there at the shortstop position where you could probably just get some decent play.
01:17In the meantime, McKinstry for Detroit plays all over the place.
01:20He's got a homer and eight RBI so far hitting .350.
01:23So to play the hot hand with McClain.
01:25But I expect him to be back because that was a retroactive IL stint anyway.
01:29Jackson Merrill, the hamstring.
01:31Again, you're going to be a little bit more careful here with this one.
01:33This is your premium player.
01:34So I think with Jackson Merrill, you're looking at when he's ready is when we'll let him be back.
01:39And not a moment before they dodged a bullet with Tatis too.
01:42That Tatis swing, I don't know about you, but my heart went into my throat when I saw him because I've got Tatis investments.
01:50That swing did not look good, but the swing yesterday looked good because he went yard.
01:54So I guess it wasn't that big of a deal, but I'm going to be holding my breath for another 150 games or whatever is left here because at any moment, can that happen again to Fernando Tatis?
02:04And is it more serious?
02:05Because he did have surgery on that shoulder.
02:08But Jackson Merrill, hopefully we're looking at a couple weeks for him and then he'll return.
02:13A tough one to replace.
02:14You missed him, Justin Steele.
02:15Now, some of the Steele injuries over the years have not been arm-related.
02:18He did have some tendonitis in the elbow last year, cost him the end of the season.
02:23Now it's back again.
02:24So far, no structural damage or issues.
02:26He's getting a second opinion.
02:27So hopefully it comes back with just rest and rehab, but it is troubling.
02:31And I think a huge blow to that Cubs rotation as well because the Cubs have designs on winning that division.
02:37Can they do that without Justin Steele?
02:39I'm skeptical that they can, despite the fact we went through that Brewers rotation and it looks pretty bad on paper.
02:46Reinforcements are coming.
02:47I don't know where the Cubs reinforcements are coming from.
02:50Wyatt Langford, you're 100% right.
02:51Anytime somebody has this oblique issue and the amount of oblique issues that we've had in the major leagues in the opening of seasons for the last five years is absurd.
03:00That's the study I want.
03:02My question is, does it have to do with launch angle?
03:04Does it have to do with these guys tweaking and turning that side, trying to get this extra launch angle?
03:11And is that what's happening to these guys?
03:14Because I know they work out these areas so much, trying to get stronger in their core.
03:17Is it leading to these oblique issues?
03:19That is the big question I have.
03:21Because if you look at the oblique injury rise and the launch angle rise, they coincide.
03:27It's the same exact line on the graph.
03:29That is the one that's interesting to me.
03:30Pablo Lopez, I think the solace is it's not an arm injury.
03:34So that is a good thing.
03:36So Pablo Lopez, hopefully we're looking at what, two to three weeks maybe for him to heal up.
03:40Probably need a rehab assignment start.
03:43So it's going to be a little while.
03:44They brought up David Festa, who, after two stars last year, was terrible, was really good the rest of the time.
03:51Struggled in the spring.
03:52Zebby Matthews has been terrific.
03:54So the Twins have some options there.
03:55They went with Festa first.
03:57That's not surprising.
03:58But don't be shocked if Zebby Matthews doesn't make an appearance sooner than later.
04:01And that's somebody to pick up at Fantasy Circles and stash him now, just in case.
04:05People might be running to the waiver wire to get Festa.
04:07But I think Zebby Matthews might be the guy that ends up sticking longer in that rotation for the Twins.
04:11But what do you think about the launch angle and the oblique injuries?
04:14Do you think that I'm on to something here or am I wearing a tinfoil hat?
04:18You know, I mean, it is possible.
04:21I think it's more likely, Joe, that these guys are just spending a lot more time in the weight room and more muscle mass means more potential for injuries.
04:28That's sort of the way that I view it from what I see and hear around the league.
04:33But, you know, not impossible.
04:34And a lot of theories are possible as well.
04:36But, you know, I think the oblique injuries this year, to me, not any more than last year.
04:41For me, it is the pitching, that every year it's more and more pitchers going down with arm injuries or shoulder injuries.
04:46And that's the case, too, with the Dodgers.
04:49They went out this offseason and fortified their rotation and sort of doubled down on getting deeper with Blake Snell.
04:55There's going to be no rush to bring him back.
04:57He's out with a shoulder issue.
04:59So, I mean, with the way Yamamoto was going and eventually Sasaki and Dustin May, I mean, the Dodgers are just not going to play around.
05:06They want Snell to be around in the second half of the season.
05:08So, I don't know what his first half is going to look like.
05:11Tony Gonsolin will come back eventually from his back issue.
05:14Kershaw, we list him here.
05:16We both know that this is a show up for the postseason situation if you can.
05:20You're not going to pick him up in fantasy.
05:21Gavin Stone with a shoulder.
05:23And then Shohei Otani will come back and he'll pitch at some point this season.
05:26I don't know when that's going to be either.
05:28But, Joe, they do this in the NBA as well.
05:31You know, they play the load management game.
05:33The Dodgers can play that game as long as they're getting in the playoffs.
05:36So, it was a lot of fun taking Dodgers in fantasy at the beginning of the season thinking they're on such a great team and everything's going to be amazing.
05:44And then you wake up and realize they don't care.
05:46Just check back at the end of the year.
05:48Make sure they're in.
05:49And I think that was the dynamic that maybe some people didn't factor in.
05:52And I do think they're going to take their sweet time with these players.
05:56Yeah, unfortunately, I tend to agree with you.
05:58They are going to take their sweet time.
05:59And why not?
06:00Although, they do need to be careful because clearly that division didn't get the memo that they're supposed to lay down and die for the Dodgers.
06:07Because the Padres are playing well.
06:09The Giants are playing well.
06:10The Diamondbacks are competitive.
06:11So, this is not the easiest division.
06:14Okay?
06:14They're not playing in the National League Central or the American League Central where they can just ho-hum their way to 95 wins.
06:21They're going to have to work for it.
06:22Now, Blake Snell, that's the disappointing one for me because I had some shares for him to win Cy Young.
06:26I thought this was a great situation that even if they had a six-man rotation, he could still win 20 games.
06:31That's how good I thought the Dodgers were.
06:32But you're right.
06:33It's about load management.
06:34People will pick up Clayton Kershaw.
06:36Mark my words.
06:37You'll see it.
06:38The name brand value of Clayton Kershaw.
06:39They will pick him up.
06:40They will be disappointed.
06:42But if you look at the rest of this rotation, when you get Otani back, we don't know.
06:45Yamamoto's pitched well.
06:46Glassnell struggled mightily last weekend.
06:49But he was so uncomfortable in that weather and on that mound.
06:52I'm not going to take too much out of that.
06:53I'm just happy he didn't come away with an injury.
06:55Tyler Glassnell also going, what is this, April?
06:58I'm pitching in April?
06:59This is not what I do.
07:00Usually I stroll in about June and then I leave at about, I don't know, the end of August.
07:04And that's kind of my season.
07:06So it's a little weird for Tyler Glassnell.
07:07He's going to have to adjust to actually trying to pitch for six whole months.
07:10We'll see how that goes for him.