Injuries have limited some of baseball's biggest stars

For the first few weeks of the 2021 season, Mike Trout looked as impressive as ever, and Jacob deGrom was dominant on the mound.

It would have been something to see what they could have done over a full season, but that won't happen now because both are sidelined with injuries.

Availability could play a major role in this year's award races. Trout is hitting .333 with eight home runs and an OPS of 1.090, but he went on the injured list Tuesday with a strained calf. DeGrom has an 0.68 ERA through six starts, but he has pitched only once in May because of side tightness. He's expected back Tuesday.

Aside from Trout, several other recent MVPs have spent time on the IL this season, including Jose Altuve, Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton. Young stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto have also missed time.

The good news is that it doesn't necessarily take these players long to find their rhythm when they return. In four games since returning from COVID-19, Tatis has 11 hits, four homers and 12 RBIs.

Tatis, who also dealt with shoulder problems earlier in the year, has 13 home runs, just two behind major league leader Ronald Acuña Jr.

San Diego swept a nine-game homestand and leads the Dodgers, who have won seven straight, by a game atop the NL West.

ROUTS

Amid all the talk about dominant pitching and low hit totals, there were actually a handful of offensive breakouts over the past week. The White Sox beat the Twins 16-4 on Monday, the Rays beat the Orioles 13-6 on Tuesday, and the Giants beat the Reds 19-4 on Thursday. Then on Friday, the Braves hammered the Pirates 20-1 and the Padres beat the Mariners 16-1.

TRIVIA TIME

You can certainly miss time and still win an MVP award. Trout played only 134 games when he won the honor in 2019, and Mookie Betts...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Injuries-have-limited-some-of-baseball-s-biggest-16198346.php