The Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees have been dealing with injuries all season and there have been some news and updates on their top players: Yasiel Puig, Josh Hamilton and Brian McCann.
Puig has been out since late April with a strained hamstring. He suffered a setback in his first rehab assignment with Class A Rancho Cucamonga, which prolonged his absence, but now he's closer to returning. The 24-year-old will begin his second rehab assignment with Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Manager Don Mattingly also said "he would think" Puig is set to come off the disabled list next week. On Monday Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reported Puig ran at nearly 100 percent and was close to being sent a rehab assignment. We'll see how the outfield situation unfolds in Los Angeles with Puig, Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier and Alex Guerrero once he returns.
In Texas, the injury bug is still alive and well with the Rangers. Josh Hamilton, who they recently acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, is expected to miss four weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, according to Anthony Andro of FOX Sports. Hamilton played in only seven games with Texas before this news.
It's been a rough few months for Hamilton. He underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and then admitted to suffering a relapse with alcohol and cocaine, for which he received criticism from the Angels for. He managed to put that behind him and started off batting .273/.385/.636 with five runs scored, two home runs and five RBIs in seven games with Texas, but he'll now have to wait a little while before rejoining his teammates.
There's some bad news for the Yankees as well. Catcher Brian McCann was forced to leave in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the Seattle Mariners because of a sore right foot and he's now set to undergo an MRI, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. McCann already underwent X-rays after dealing with the soreness since last Sunday. The results came back negative.
"We've been managing it, and at times it's felt good, and at time it's hurt a little bit," manager Joe Girardi told Hoch. "Today, for whatever reason, it got really sore after that first inning so we had to make a move."
This could potentially be devastating news for the Yankees because McCann will have a lot trouble catching (this year and perhaps beyond) if the injury is serious. The 31-year-old is in his second season of his five-year, $85 million contract and has been solid for the team's offense so far in 2015. New York hopes it's a minor injury or else they'll have a tough time replacing him.
UPDATE: McCann is listed as day-to-day after CT scan reveals no major issues in his foot and ankle, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
