The New York Mets announced on Friday that ace Jacob deGrom will be shut down from throwing for four weeks after imaging revealed a stress reaction in his scapula. The Mets did not set a timetable for deGrom's return, but he's certain to miss the entirety of April, including the Opening Day start he was scheduled to make next week.
While deGrom is the latest, he's hardly the only star deemed out for Opening Day. Rather there are enough high-quality players who will be sitting on the sidelines when the regular season begins next week that we here at CBS Sports figured it would be prudent to offer a "refresher" of sorts. As such, below you'll find 14 other notable individuals who will miss at least the start of the season because of injury.
Do note that the players are presented in alphabetical order.
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves
Acuña tore his ACL in July, ending his season after 82 impressive games and preventing him from partaking in the Braves' World Series run. At last check, he's hoping to return in early May, but he might split time between the outfield and DH once he's activated by the big-league team. Acuña's spot in the lineup will be filled by either Adam Duvall or Alex Dickerson, depending on how you look at things.
2. Shane Baz, RHP, Rays
Baz, one of the top prospects in baseball per CBS Sports' estimation, seemed likely to crack Tampa Bay's Opening Day rotation. Alas, he underwent elbow surgery in late March to remove loose bodies. The expectation at the time was that Baz could resume throwing two to three weeks after the operation. He'll need some time to stretch back out, meaning the best-case scenario for his return might fall in May.
3. Luis Castillo, RHP, Reds
Castillo likely would've made his second consecutive Opening Day start were it not for shoulder soreness. Instead, he'll begin the season on the injured list, alongside fellow starter Mike Minor and utility infielder Donovan Solano. All three are expected to play in rehab games before rejoining the Reds at some point during the month of April.
4. Garrett Crochet, LHP, White Sox
Crochet, who posted a 2.82 ERA last season as a rookie sensation, was another victim of Friday's news cycle. The White Sox announced that he's likely to require Tommy John surgery. Should that prove to be the case, he'll miss the entire 2022 season and could have his absence stretch into next year's campaign, depending on his rehab.
5. Jack Flaherty, RHP, Cardinals
The Cardinals ruled out Flaherty in mid-March after he received a PRP injection to combat a small tear in his throwing shoulder. The Cardinals provided a timetable at the time that would see him resume throwing after at least two weeks. Flaherty will have to build up arm strength at that point, meaning he's not likely to appear in April.
6. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Rays
Glasnow's absence from Opening Day has been a given since he underwent Tommy John surgery last August. That operation tends to carry with it at least a 12-month recovery period, meaning there's little chance he returns ahead of August or September.
7. James Karinchak, RHP, Guardians
Karinchak will have to wait a while to atone for a miserable second half of 2021. He was shut down from throwing last week because of a right teres muscle strain. He'd previously been dealing with arm stiffness. It's unclear when he'll return.
8. Evan Longoria, 3B, Giants
Longoria is expected to miss six weeks following an operation to repair a ligament in his right index finger. The injury had lingered from last season. Longoria is expected to be replaced in the San Francisco lineup by a combination of players, including veteran infielder Wilmer Flores
9. Lance McCullers Jr., RHP, Astros
McCullers Jr. originally suffered a flexor tendon injury during last fall's American League Division Series. Unfortunately, he suffered multiple setbacks during the offseason, putting him behind his original timetable. The Astros expect him to pitch at some point during the 2022 season, but it's unclear when he'll be back.
10. Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals
Reyes, the Cardinals' closer, was deemed out in mid-March because of a frayed labrum. He received a stem cell injection at the time that required him to be shut down for a fortnight. Reyes was not expected to return to a big-league mound until late May or early June, depending on how the healing process goes.
11. Chris Sale, LHP, Red Sox
Sale has been on the shelf because of a ribcage fracture since mid-March. He underwent an MRI this week but the Red Sox still don't have a timetable on when he'll begin his throwing program. Sale has been snake bitten by injuries in recent years. He missed all of the 2020 season because of Tommy John surgery, and he made just nine appearances last season after finishing his rehab.
12. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Nationals
Strasburg is on the road to recovery from an operation that corrected his thoracic outlet syndrome. The Nationals' last update on his status was that he would probably miss April. Strasburg has been limited to just seven starts since the 2019 World Series, when he won the Most Valuable Player Award and lifted the championship trophy.
13. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, Padres
Tatis underwent surgery in mid-March for a fractured wrist that may have been suffered in an offseason motorcycle accident. His rehab from that operation was estimated as taking as long as three months, putting his season debut sometime in mid-to-late June, depending on how he progresses. The Padres figure to roll with Ha-Seong Kim and/or top prospect CJ Abrams at shortstop until Tatis returns.
14. Luis Urías, 3B, Brewers
We'll wrap this up with Urías, whose contributions last season were worth nearly three Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs' calculations. He's been dealing with a quad injury that hasn't healed as quickly as the Brewers hoped. Manager Craig Counsell told reporters he's hopeful to have Urías back in time for their second road trip, but that would put him on the shelf for the first two weeks of the season.
