The MLB postseason is roughly a week away. The most exciting time for baseball fans is drawing near. While some teams already look forward to 2018, others have to gear up for what is coming. Injuries have healed, at least to some extent, and sidelined players are healthy once again. This will come in very handy, since most of them will be crucial to their team’s efforts during October. Let’s take a look at upcoming postseason returns and their impact on the field:
Boston Red Sox
Since most of Boston’s injuries require a surgery and a 60 days trip to the DL (Josh Rutledge and Steven Wright) there is only one player capable of coming back for the postseason.
Eduardo Nunez
The Dominican born infielder has been dealing with a knee sprain since September 21st. The severeness of the issue is still unclear. Nevertheless, a return for postseason is more than likely. Nunez will bring his quick reflexes and accurate glove to the table in October. Don’t forget, he has been a clutch batting machine as of late. That is a powerful weapon during playoffs.
Cleveland Indians
While their injured players are not the flashiest guys out there, they are key for a team playing small ball like Cleveland does.
Michael Brantley
Brantley has been placed on the 10 day disabled list with an ankle sprain. While there is no official timetable for his return, a postseason return is possible. Expect solid contributions for the small ball Indians cause. Given his 51 RBI, he is able to spark Cleveland’s offensive efforts at the plate. Armed with occasional speed on the bases, that could be useful during closing times at the playoffs.
New York Yankees
Aaron Hicks
Another victim to strains (oblique), Hicks is set to return this Tuesday against the Rays. If everything goes according to plan, he will be ready not only for postseason, but also to take part in the titanic task of trying to take the division away from the Red Sox. Despite not having as much power as rookie Aaron Judge, he still packs a punch, coming in with 13 homers. 48 RBI. Keep an eye on him, we have seen trough the years that one single swing of the bat can turn Wild Card games upside down.
Washington Nationals
Washington could not have picked a bigger spot for their biggest star to take the spotlight once again.
Bryce Harper
Out with a “severe” bone bruise in his leg, Harper will be ready to be the man in charge once again. Needless to say, he carries with him a lot of power at the plate. With such power, productive batting comes along. With 87 RBI to his credit, he is an on base machine. But Harper has much more to add to the Nationals. The Nevada native is Washington’s leader both at the plate and off the plate, capable of swinging momentum around with just his attitude. Add to that two big arms like Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and not much can go wrong.
Playing Trough Pain
The postseason is that moment of the year when everybody has to show what they are made of. Playoffs push players to their limits. Whether all of these players are healed up and ready to go this upcoming October 3rd or not, they will play anyway. Because it is worth it. By no means is this is a baseball-only phenomenon. Take a look at NHL rosters during the playoffs to see what I mean. A prime example of dealing with pain is the iconic Bloody Sock Curt Schilling in the 2004 World Series. Nobody will care about pain while lifting the World Series trophy.
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