SPECULATOR: Early 2018 hidden injuries

July 6, 2017. Xander Bogaerts was hitting .308 with 6 HR on the year when a Jacob Faria HBP changed the course of his season.

Bogaerts suffered a bruised hand, and while he missed just one game, he'd go on to hit .192 with 2 HR over the next two months. Bogaerts later admitted that he played with pain that didn't subside until September, but the damage had been done. Instead of a clean DL stint, Bogaerts' scant production was a major drag on his owner's active rosters throughout the slump.

Bogaerts' case isn't uncommon, as we're often forced to make roster decisions with incomplete information. Sometimes the player keeps a nagging injury from the club so he can stay on the field; other times, the team shields it or fails to disclose...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

Our annual "draft skills, not roles" using projected skills and year-to-date playing time.
Apr 22 2026 3:05am
With most pitchers 3-4 starts in, we dive into the sub-indicators to see who's rising and falling.
Apr 15 2026 3:06am
Using our Quality of Batted Ball (QBaB) metric to make some speculative hitter snap judgments.
Apr 8 2026 3:06am
Baseball is back, and it's time to overreact... because what else are we supposed to do?
Apr 1 2026 3:08am
Our Opening Day Eve tradition speculating on the top category producers who went late in drafts.
Mar 25 2026 3:07am

Tools