Kyle Trimble is a licensed physical therapist here to provide MLB injury analysis on Corey Kluber’s right shoulder injury and Luke Voit’s strained oblique.
Corey Kluber & Luke Voit Injury News
Corey Kluber Injury: Right Subscapularis Strain
The subscapularis lies on the anterior portion of the scapula and is situated between the rib cage and scapula, performing internal rotation to drive the arm forward during throwing. It also provides anterior stabilization of the humerus, limiting excessive external rotation during the cocking phase of throwing.
Anatomy of the subscapularis and rotator cuff (Image: Sports-health.com).
An 8-week recovery timeline for Kluber is realistic pending no additional damage. Research indicates that most of these injuries can be treated non-operatively and that the mean missed time is 27 days, plus or minus 11-55 days. New York will bring him along slowly during rehab assignments, gradually increasing his workload so as to not overstress the healing tissue, hence the additional 4 weeks of recovery time.
Luke Voit Injury: Right Oblique Strain
Voit, coming off a left knee meniscectomy, has played in only 12 games this season, batting just .182 before suffering his latest injury.
Example of the oblique musculature (Image: Biologydictionary.net).
The obliques perform trunk rotation and flexion, which are essential for throwing and batting. Most oblique injuries occur on the opposite or “lead" side, which makes Voit’s injury less common. His Grade 2 strain could be a compensation injury as a result of having less stability in the left plant leg as he rotates through during swinging, causing over-rotating on the right side and resulting in injury.
According to research, a month is a reasonable timeline for Voit to return to full health. He could potentially be back in 3 weeks, but the Yankees probably won’t rush him back given his prior knee injury.
Corey Kluber Fantasy Baseball Tip
Losing Kluber for an extended period of time is a significant blow to the Yankees and fantasy gamers alike, as he’d been one of the team’s more reliable starters this year. His injury derails what was shaping up to be a strong debut season in the Bronx, as he hits the injured list with a 3.04 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and a 9.3 K/9 rate.
Given how well Kluber was pitching at the time of his injury, he might be worth stashing on the bench or in an available IL spot until he returns. If you’re looking for pitching help in the meantime, you may want to consider some widely available arms such as Johnny Cueto, Shane McClanahan, and Michael Pineda.
Luke Voit Fantasy Baseball Tip
Having Voit return to the injured list so quickly has to be frustrating for Voit’s fantasy managers, who already waited over a month for his season debut. While they’re probably feeling fed up, they shouldn’t cut ties if they have the roster space to hang on to him. He did lead MLB in home runs last year, after all, and certainly qualifies as a streaky hitter. If you’ve been patient with him thus far, he could pay huge dividends in the second half if he stays healthy.
In terms of replacements, C.J. Cron, Evan Longoria, and Justin Upton could provide a power boost. Based on how Voit was hitting, however, pretty much anyone off the waiver wire would be an improvement.
For more potential Corey Kluber and Luke Voit replacements, check out The Game Day’s Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups.
Yankees Bet Tips After Corey Kluber & Luke Voit Injuries
While the dual losses of Kluber and Voit hurt the Yankees in the short term, neither should significantly affect their long-term outlook. New York’s rotation will miss Kluber, but Luis Severino is expected to return from Tommy John surgery soon and could be back before the All-Star break to help pick up the slack. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ offense is plenty deep enough to survive without Voit, especially considering that he hadn’t given them much this year.
The Yanks are currently two games behind the Rays and one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East standings, and there’s a good chance they’ll have surpassed both of them by the time Voit and Kluber return. Even without those two, New York is still the most talented team in the division and remains the heavy favorites to win the AL East per Bet MGM (-115).
Kyle Trimble is a licensed physical therapist who also works as an injury spotter for Dr. David Chao. Kyle has extensive experience in outpatient orthopedics, skilled nursing, acute care hospital, and home care. He’s also a member of Bills Mafia and runs the website Banged Up Bills.
Disclaimer from Kyle: My opinions are my own. Any thoughts I have on the injuries are based on media reports, my knowledge of the injury, and speculation based on the information currently available including video and print media. This information is subject to change based on the information released by the team.
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