Top Five Contending Teams That Will Benefit From Returns of Injured Players

Some Major League Baseball playoff contenders will receive a bigger boost than others from injured players returning to action to lend a hand (or a bat) down the stretch.

There are some talented players currently on the disabled list throughout the major leagues who could return to help their respective teams earn a playoff berth.

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and New York Mets lefty Steven Matz are just a few of the individuals who could make a difference over the final month of the season.

Getting healthy players back in the lineup can make the difference between making the playoffs or not. Some teams, such as the Dodgers, are so banged up they can use all the help they can as they hold off the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

In such a grinding sport, no one is fully healthy this time of year. As you will see, some teams are in rougher shape than others. Without further adieu, here are the top six playoff-contending teams who figure to benefit most down the stretch from players returning from injuries:

Next: Honorable Mention: Houston Astros

Honorable Mention: Houston Astros

Though this list is lacking big names, Colby Rasmus and Lance McCullers are still important to the ‘Stros and their chances of catching one of the AL East teams for a wild card spot or the Rangers for the AL West Division crown.

Rasmus has had a down year after being one of three players to accept his qualifying offer this offseason. He had limped to a .638 OPS with 108 strikeouts in 90 games prior to the injury. So why do the Astros need him back?

Last season Rasmus was an average hitter from April to August until he really came on in September, helping to propel the ‘Stros to an unexpected playoff berth. He hit for an even 1.000 OPS and eight home runs in 22 games after August. Anything close to that would be much welcomed by an Astros team struggling to find outfielders that can hit outside of George Springer.

McCullers is a different story than Rasmus as he has been quite effective this year. In 14 starts McCullers has pitched to a 3.22 ERA with an equally impressive 3.00 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) score. With rookie Joe Musgrove struggling in his last two starts, the team is in dire need of starting pitching due to the average seasons by 2015 standouts Dallas Keuchel (4.55 ERA) and Collin McHugh (5.01 ERA).

Preston Tucker is the only other player the Astros expect back from the DL this year. As much as they want Luis Valbuena back, he just recently underwent season-ending surgery. Tucker has struggled in his time this year, but was an effective bench piece last year. As an outfielder with some pop (13 HR in 300 AB in 2015), Tucker will be a welcome addition to the bench when rosters expand Sept. 1.

Next: 5. Detroit Tigers

5: Detroit Tigers

Two games behind the Indians with 32 to go, the Tigers are hoping to get their key players back as soon as possible. With the Orioles faltering without Chris Tillman in the rotation, now would be a perfect time to strike and claim a wild card position.

Starting third basemen Nick Castellanos was in the midst of a career year before breaking his hand earlier this month. Casey McGehee has replaced him as the starter, and produced a disappointing .537 OPS thus far. Castellanos and his .831 OPS are much needed to add to the already powerful lineup that includes Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez, Victor Martinez and a surging Justin Upton.

Jordan Zimmermann was off to a historic start, opening the season with a sub-one ERA in April. Since then, things have gone downhill. After April, Zimmermann has pitched to a 6.44 ERA in 11 starts. Tigers fans are sure hoping that he returns to something resembling his April form. His comeback will be welcomed even with his recent poor performances as somebody needs to take the struggling Anibal Sanchez’s spot. His season-long ERA (5.92), is almost as bad as Zimmermann’s during his poor stretch of games.

Mike Pelfrey is the last player coming back for the Tigers, as he is on a similar track as Zimmermann. Pelfrey has been below average this season, but was effective as recently as last year for the Minnesota Twins when he pitched to a 4.26 ERA in 30 starts. Even if Pelfrey cannot bump youngsters Daniel Norris (3.63 ERA) or Matt Boyd (3.98 ERA) from the rotation, he would be a welcome addition to a bullpen that is 13th in the American League in ERA.

Next: 4. New York Mets

4. New York Mets

The Mets are only two games above .500 as of August 29, but are only two-and-a-half games behind the Cardinals for the last wild card spot. While many have viewed this year as a lost season of sorts, the Mets are still very much alive for a playoff spot.

Sifting through the Mets DL was difficult as they have many impact players who are not going to be returning this year. David Wright and Matt Harvey are out and Lucas Duda is a longshot to return. At the same time, the team still has a number of pieces that should be rejoining the team rather quickly.

First and foremost, Steven Matz should be coming back within the current week after a quick DL stint to bolster the pitching staff that now has Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo starting games.

Even if it is a down year, the Mets can head to the playoffs with possibly the best rotation in baseball if Matz can return effectively. If the Mets make the playoffs and advance past the wild card game, no team will want to face Cy Young candidate Noah Syndergaard (2.55 ERA), Jacob DeGrom (2.96 ERA), Matz (3.40 ERA), and Bartolo Colon (3.44 ERA).

The other injured players pale in comparison to Matz but can still provide plenty of value. Sticking with pitching, Jon Niese shouldn’t be out too long, though he struggled horribly in his six games back with the Mets after being traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the deadline.

Zack Wheeler is the other intriguing pitcher as he has not pitched since 2014. Initially expected to return early this year, Wheeler faced setbacks in his return from Tommy John surgery. Still only 26 years old, Wheeler pitched to a 3.50 ERA in his first two seasons (49 starts) in the league. After finally returning in a minor league game, Wheeler suffered another setback and has postponed throwing until September. While it is very possible he does not return this season, he could come back in September and join a bullpen already with Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia pitching at top form. 
As far as position players go, the Mets will be getting Juan Lagares back soon, while Justin Ruggiano is more of a mystery. While Ruggiano has been quite average throughout his career, he has actually been exceptional for the Mets so far when he is not injured. He has slashed .350/.409/.650 in 22 plate appearances for New York this season.

Lagares has been his usual self: great fielder (7 Defensive Runs Saved(DRS)), below average hitter. Though his hitting is not special, he is badly needed back to allow Yoenis Cespedes more time in left field where he said he prefers, while also being able to platoon with the struggling Curtis Granderson (.572 OPS in August, .666 OPS against LHP this year).

Next: 3. Miami Marlins

3. Miami Marlins

Down 1.5 games to the Cardinals in the wild card race, the Marlins need to regain some momentum after losing two straight to the Padres. The injury to Giancarlo Stanton obviously had the most impact, but his return is the most uncertain. Instead, the team will have to rely on reinforcements coming back to the rotation.

Adam Conley (3.94 ERA) has been solid in 24 starts, adding much needed stability to a rotation that has only had Jose Fernandez and Tom Koehler starting all year. Getting him back to take the place of Jose Urena, who has flashed potential but has suffered to a 5.83 ERA, would be a huge upgrade for the team. Wei-Yin Chen has underwhelmed all year after signing a 5-year, $80 million contract in the offseason, bringing into question the Marlins’ decision to give him such a large deal. Nonetheless, Chen is a talented pitcher with playoff experience, an underrated quality for such a young pitching staff.

Bryan Morris should be back to help an already nice bullpen led by Fernando Rodney and AJ Ramos. As the Royals have proven the last couple seasons, you can never have too many strong bullpen arms.

The position players for the Fish are all a mystery. Justin Bour has been out for almost two months now, and he may not be coming back soon after a recent setback. He was well on his way to a career season, hitting with an .873 OPS and 15 HR through only 68 games. The Marlins have badly missed his presence at first.

They have started Chris Johnson, Miguel Rojas, Don Kelly, the now-injured Derek Dietrich, and now journeyman Xavier Scruggs, though he has been solid in nine games thus far. Speaking of Dietrich, he recently went down after getting hit by his league-leading 24th pitch. After getting off to a hot start, Dietrich scuffled to a .501 OPS in July before picking it up in August again before his injury.
The biggest mystery of all is slugger Giancarlo Stanton. After finally playing to his full potential for a long stretch, he suffered a major groin injury that was supposed to knock him out all season. Now it is being said that he can come back in the last week of the regular season if the rehab process goes well. If the Marlins can stay in the race until the last week, Stanton can have a huge impact when he returns. Stanton’s return would be the second biggest of any player currently on the DL for a contending team, as he is still behind the guy leading my No. 1 team on this list.

Next: 2. St. Louis Cardinals

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have tied the record of the 2012 Boston Red Sox this season by placing 27 players on the DL. They currently have 14. The nine guys above are accompanied by pitchers Alex Wood, Yimi Garcia, Josh Ravin, and Chin-hui Tsao, and outfielder Scott Van Slyke. Those players are either not expected to return this season (Wood, Van Slyke) or are not expected to make much of an impact (Garcia, Ravin, Tsao).

Let’s start with the most important: Clayton Kershaw. Out since June 26, the best pitcher in the game is still second in WAR for National League pitchers. He is expected to return within the next few weeks and will provide a huge spark for the rotation-needy Dodgers. The team is currently slotting Ross Stripling and Bud Norris (4.64 ERA) to pitch every fifth day. Any sort of rotation upgrade would be welcome, but Kershaw should be celebrated. No player has the chance to impact the playoff race as much as Kershaw, as the Dodgers are set to battle their division rival Giants six more times this year.

The Disabled List is not short of other rotation options though. Brett Anderson just went back to the DL after finally making his debut. His blister shouldn’t be too much of an issue (then again, ask teammate Rich Hill) and he should be able to return soon. If he is able to find the form that forced the Dodgers to offer him a qualifying offer this past offseason, the team will be happy.

Brandon McCarthy was solid, but unspectacular (3.63 ERA) in his eight starts prior to his injury. He should be back soon. Scott Kazmir was the only healthy Dodgers starter next to Kenta Maeda for the majority of the season but he recently went down as well. He should return rather quickly and attempt to improve upon his below average numbers (4.59 ERA). Hyun-Jin Ryu lasted only one start in his return from major shoulder surgery before encountering neck issues again. He may not return this season, but could be a welcomed addition to the rotation or bullpen if he can make it back.

Reliever Louis Coleman was having a decent season (3.70) as a reliable (50 games) bullpen force before his injury. He must be missed after the team has seen Pedro Baez (5.79 ERA in last 15 appearances) and JP Howell (6.43 ERA in last seven appearances) struggle lately. Fellow reliever Chris Hatcher (5.53 ERA) was often used before his injury, but ineffective. If he can come back, he should be given some innings to see if he can return to his prior form of 3.51 ERA and 4.20 K/BB ratio from 2014-2015.

Outfielder Andre Ethier may finally make his 2016 big league debut this September, and could be an upgrade over the struggling Josh Reddick (.352 OPS with LAD). Backup Trayce Thompson flashed impressive power before his injury, but his comeback status is a bit unclear.

Overall, the Dodgers are far from the only team that will soon receive reinforcements from the disabled list. They are the only team getting a three-time Cy Young and one-time MVP back.

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All stats found on baseballreference.com unless otherwise noted. All stats as of the morning of August 29.