Stephania Bell

  (3:03 PM)

Welcome everyone! We're back to our regularly scheduled Wednesday afternoon chat time. Thanks for bearing with my switch during NFL draft week. Several folks have already posted questions...so here we go!

Ryan (Chicago)

I have a huge Question about D-Rose. He rolled his ankle twice in a couple days how does that affect an injured area if he keeps rolling/spraining his ankle?

Stephania Bell

  (3:06 PM)

Ryan: Since you're in Chicago, I can understand the concern. It obviously doesn't help the healing process. Normally it takes multiple weeks for soft tissue to scar/remodel and be strong enough to tolerate another insult without the injury worsening. Obviously with this being the pros and the playoffs, the luxury of extended time is not there. Rose seemed to suffer that second injury quite easily, probably because the area is still weaker. Hopefully it was a minor aggravation but ultimately he will not fully recover until the season ends.

Mitch (Sunny LA)

Early indication to how long Broxton will be out? Who takes over as closer?

Stephania Bell

  (3:07 PM)

Mitch: Jealous. It's raining here in Bristol. No early indication of timetable but I suspect he'll be shut down for 1-2 weeks, presuming no big structural injury. Then it's gradual return to throw. Figure at least a month.

Stephania Bell

  (3:08 PM)

Oh - and I expect it will be Padilla who gets the bulk of the opportunities.

MikeyB (Toronto)

Have you heard any updates on Kendrys Morales as of late? He just all of a sudden stops taking batting practice after seeing the foot specialist... that can't be good!?!

Stephania Bell

  (3:10 PM)

Mikey: Just that the focus for now is returning him to running. The feeling is if he can't run, he can't play - so put the energy there for now. But obviously the two need to go together, so it only seems that this means an even longer delay to his return. Frustrating.

Chris Fiegler (Latham,NY)

When will we see Yankees P Philip Hughes Pitch Again or is he Out For the Season?

Stephania Bell

  (3:14 PM)

Chris: I think there are more questions than answers at this point. The Yankees have certainly been thorough in terms of evaluating him to make sure they're not missing any major medical reason for his loss of velocity and his feeling of having "nothing" in his arm. And now we also know he does not have thoracic outlet syndrome. But that doesn't solve the issue of getting him back. There really is no obvious answer at this point.

Jake (NC)

I don't want to drop Freese so what's a realistic time frame for his return? Thanks alot

Stephania Bell

  (3:15 PM)

Jake: Well, I think we need to wait to hear more after his surgery. But we've heard a range of anywhere from 8-12 weeks so plan on at least that.

David (Florida)

An Utley owner here> What do you see as a timetable for him. Seems to be progressing faster. Thanks

Stephania Bell

  (3:21 PM)

David: The word, per Utley, is "encouraging." And any time a player can increase his activity that is indeed encouraging. But we need to be cautious. Utley spoke recently about his progress and admitted to being quite a ways away from any game talk. The discussion currently seems to be around the possibility of some extended spring training games where they can control the amount of work Utley gets. In the simulated games he's had so far he has experienced soreness afterward. How severe? Don't know - and it's normal to have some. We have to keep in mind that the issues with his knee condition will not vanish; this becomes a matter of what he will be able to play through, how he can function - and will it be enough to return to major league play? No timetable. But certainly reason for slightly more optimism than we had in April. So far.

Seth (DC)

Should I be worried about Johnny Cueto once he comes back?

Stephania Bell

  (3:24 PM)

Seth: Always a little worry when a pitcher comes back after shoulder issues on the DL. Will be interesting to see what his performance is like, then the next thing will be how he responds to regular outings.

Sanjay (New York City)

Hi, Stephania. I'm hearing conflicting information on the recovery period associated with Dominic Brown's broken hamate bone. Typically, when should a player start hitting for power again after having this surgery? Thanks!

Stephania Bell

  (3:27 PM)

Sanjay: I wrote about this on Monday (sorry - have to plug the blog - plus, more detail than I can provide here). It varies from one guy to another - but beyond the healing time, most guys will say they have some soreness in the hand where the bat hits the palm and that can contribute to some lingering issues in terms of power. In Brown's case he just wasn't hitting at all in spring training (in fact I think he got his first hit when he broke the bone) and they optioned him to Triple-A b/c that's where they wanted him for now.

Mark (KC)

What's the real scoop on Jose Bautista? I don't want to drop him (playing weekly challenge) because his value has gone up so much since I locked him in, But if he's headed for the DL, I need to move now. Thanks

Stephania Bell

  (3:30 PM)

Mark: Unfortunately the answer to that may not come for a few days. So far it sounds like the team is hoping he can avoid the DL. MRI negative and he'll be out through the Rays series, but if he improves significantly over the next few days, he could return to the lineup this weekend. Of course if he gets worse, they can slide him to the DL and backdate. Wish I could give you the guarantee, but there's no way to know for sure.

Joe (Baltimore)

What's the story with Matusz? The O's fans are getting impatient...

Stephania Bell

  (3:33 PM)

Joe: Patience pays off my friend. Think how upset you and all the O's fans would be if he were to return and then suffer an aggravation of the same injury. Hence the caution with the intercostal strain. A couple bullpens have gone well. Sounds like extended spring training start this weekend and if all goes well, rehab starts afterward. So perhaps late May. Remember the Orioles said he could possibly miss 8 weeks when this happened so they're not off the mark.

Ryan (WA)

What's up with Tabata and Nelson Cruz? Any chance either of them hit the DL?

Stephania Bell

  (3:36 PM)

Ryan: Always a chance. You have to worry about Cruz given all the issues with the hamstring last year. Thought this type of thing might crop up again. Tabata still only felt "so-so" Tuesday according to him. The hamstring is bad enough that he's not running yet. You combine that with the fact that he's not been stellar when healthy - and don't be surprised if they give him all the time he needs to recover (read: DL).

wendy (nj)

I heard that Ethier was a late scratch due to elbow imflamation. Do you have any more details?

Stephania Bell

  (3:38 PM)

Wendy: Nothing more than that just yet. Just that elbow was sore. Originally in lineup - but my guess is they want to be sure that this does not become a bigger issue.

Matt (Indianapolis)

with reports of josh hamilton starting to swing, what are your thoughts regarding his returning and his effectiveness when he does?

Stephania Bell

  (3:41 PM)

Matt: Yep - supposed to take swings from a tee today. Orig expected no swings before a month (which is based on how long you typically expect the bone to show adequate signs of healing before it can be subject to stress). So he's beating that timetable by close to a week, which is great. They will want to be sure he doesn't experience any discomfort and then progress him from there. The good news is the more active he is early on, the less strength he loses in the muscles around the shoulder. All of which make the outlook for his return more encouraging. Still think it's 6-8 weeks total. Every step has to be evaluated.

Kingpin (Grinnell, IA)

A pair of Padres-related questions. 1) Any early word on the severity of O-Dog's hammy injury? 2) What is the time table for Kyle Blanks' return to the big league roster?

Stephania Bell

  (3:46 PM)

Kingpin: Way to segue to the breaking news: Orlando Hudson is now on the DL as of this afternoon. There was a clue b/c Logan Forsythe was called up today from AAA-Tucson. Report is he should see most of playing time at second base. So there you go (going to thank my colleague Brendan Roberts for contributing to the info here). As far as Blanks, no timetable. Imagine he'll be continuing to work towards regaining arm strength for a while yet.

Adam (Pittsburgh, PA)

Stephania, any update on Andrew Bailey?

Adam (Pittsburgh, PA)

Any update on Andrew Bailey?

Stephania Bell

  (3:48 PM)

Hi gang: Chat screen locking up. Need to reboot then will be back.

Adam (Pittsburgh, PA)

Any update on Andrew Bailey?

Stephania Bell

  (3:52 PM)

Adam: Bailey is expected to face live hitters today. Then it's likely to be a rehab assignment. So if all goes well, could be a couple more weeks. Now while I appreciate that he's been progressing slowly and cautiously, it still raises a little concern as to whether this will really be behind him when he gets back.

Beer (Oakland)

Pagan on track to return next week? Will he start right away? BTW,love your reports on the podcast.

Stephania Bell

  (3:53 PM)

Why thank you. Pagan actually is on track to be activated Saturday. Can't see a reason why he wouldn't play right away.

James (MN)

Any new updates on Mauer?

Stephania Bell

  (3:55 PM)

James: no, not really. We heard a few days ago that Mauer was doing more in rehab. Supposedly improving but still no timetable. I'm still at a loss on this one b/c I don't really feel like his lack of preparation in spring training fully explains this...

Bernie (Brewtown)

Hi Starphania! Greinke returns from the DL today. Would you start him in a H2H league against the Braves? I can use Scherzer vs. NYY instead.

Stephania Bell

  (3:57 PM)

Bernie: I would be comfortable starting Greinke today from a health perspective. You have to hope the adrenaline of the first start, etc don't lead to a poor result, but from a health standpoint I don't see any issues. Scherzer has been great - although I think in a previous outing against the Yankees he gave up a bunch of runs. Choices.

kyle (tennessee)

timetable for the panda? i believe i read 4-6 weeks, but he tweeted 7...

Stephania Bell

  (3:59 PM)

kyle: 4-6 is optimistic, assumes all goes well and while he may be back to lineup within 6, he is a big guy who puts a lot on the bat - may be a little longer to get that power back to where it was when he got hurt. I think 6 is a good number to aim for. You hope it's sooner but you're not disappointed if it isn't.

Matt (San Diego)

How long will Carlos Lee be out?

Stephania Bell

  (4:01 PM)

Matt: They want him to be pain-free with throwing and batting before they stick him back in the lineup. The good news is it sounds like they're not thinking DL at this point but it still looks like he's at least a few days away from returning.

Logan Morrison (Florida)

140 characters or less- what's my update?

Stephania Bell

  (4:02 PM)

Clever. Hopefully BP soon - and then rehab assignment not too long afterward. Doing well

Stephania Bell

  (4:02 PM)

Clever. Hopefully BP soon - and then rehab assignment not too long afterward. Doing well

Stephania Bell

  (4:03 PM)

OK everyone -time for me to go. Great questions as always, giving me some ideas for upcoming blogs and podcast fodder. You can follow me at Stephania_ESPN and you'll get updates on injury news. Thanks for coming! See you next week-