It was announced on Saturday that Baltimore Orioles reliever Darren O’Day would have surgery on his hamstring and miss the rest of the 2018 season according to ESPN.
He is just another on a long list (which includes more pitchers than hitters) of MLB players who will not see action again in 2018.
Here is a list of MLB position players, five starting pitchers, and six relievers who will not play again this year. While others who are currently injured may not see the field again in 2018, these are just the ones who have been announced as being out for the year.
(All injury information was taken from MLB.com. All stats were taken from baseball-reference.com.)
Infielders out for the season
- Catcher - Jason Castro, Minnesota Twins
Castro tore the meniscus in his right knee after playing in 19 games for Minnesota in 2018. While he was hitting just .143 with one homer at the time of his season-ending injury, he combined to hit 64 longballs from 2013-17.
- First base - Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
A future Hall of Famer, Cabrera was hitting .299 on the year before tearing his biceps tendon. That average was much improved from the previous season, but he had just three homers in 134 at-bats prior to the injury.
- Second base - Howie Kendrick, Washington Nationals
Kendrick ruptured his Achilles after 40 appearances which cut his season short.
On the year, the 13-year veteran batted .303 with four home runs and 14 doubles.
- Shortstop - Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
Seager, the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year, had Tommy John surgery in May. He was off to a slow start, at least compared to his two All-Star appearances in 2016 and 2017. Before getting hurt, he played in 26 games and hit .267 with two home runs and five doubles.
- Third base - Zack Cozart, Los Angeles Angels
Cozart parlayed a career-year with the Cincinnati Reds in 2017 into a three-year/$38 million deal with the Angels. He never really got it going before suffering a torn labrum in mid-July. He had surgery on Saturday according to MLB Trade Rumors and is expected to miss 6-8 months. In 58 games, he had just a .219 batting average with five homers and 13 doubles.
Outfielders out for the season
- Left field - Alex Dickerson, San Diego Padres
For the second straight year, Dickerson has been forced to miss the entire season. In 2017, it was due to a bulging disc in his back. This year, he had to undergo Tommy John surgery. In 2016, he hit 10 home runs and 16 doubles in 253 at-bats with San Diego.
- Center field - Juan Lagares, New York Mets
An excellent defensive center fielder who won a Gold Glove in 2014, Lagares is out for the season with a toe injury. Never a superb offensive player, he was off to a good start in 2018 with 20 hits in 59 at-bats (.339).
- Right field - Stephen Vogt, Milwaukee Brewers
A little cheating was done to put Vogt at right field, but the list of MLB outfielders out for the season is sparse.
He started 13 games for the Oakland Athletics in right field in 2014. Mostly utilized as a catcher, he did not play at all this year due to shoulder ailments. An All-Star in 2015 and 2016, he hit .233 with 12 home runs last season playing for both the Athletics and Brewers.
Starting pitchers out for the season
- Taijuan Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks
The 25-year-old Walker’s season ended after just three starts as he underwent Tommy John surgery. He had a 3.49 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 28 starts during 2017 for Arizona.
- Jordan Montgomery, New York Yankees
Montgomery had to go through Tommy John surgery after he went 2-0 with a 3.62 ERA in six starts. He finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting last season.
- Alex Reyes, St. Louis Cardinals
Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Reyes came back to make his first appearance since 2016 on May 30. He went just four innings as he exited with a torn tendon in his lat muscle. He had a 1.57 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 46 innings in 2016.
- Dinelson Lamet, San Diego Padres
Lamet was expected to be a top-of-the-rotation starter for San Diego as he was named the starter for their second game of 2018. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the beginning of the season as he needed Tommy John surgery. During his rookie year of 2017, he ended with a 4.57 ERA and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 21 starts.
- Caleb Smith, Miami Marlins
Smith was a bit of a surprise for the Marlins striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings in his 16 starts.
His 4.19 ERA was fairly average, but he owned a solid 1.24 WHIP. A left lat strain will force Smith to sit out the rest of the season.
Relievers out for the season
- Richard Bleier, Baltimore Orioles
The left-handed Bleier has become one of the Orioles’ most reliable relievers over the past two seasons, but his season recently ended due to a tear in his lat. Over 88 appearances and 96 innings since 2017, he owns a 1.97 ERA.
- Keynan Middleton, Los Angeles Angels
Middleton was serving as the Angels’ closer until Tommy John surgery was necessary. His year ended with six saves and a 2.04 ERA in 17.2 innings.
- Darren O’Day, Baltimore Orioles
O’Day will have surgery on his hamstring ending his season. He had 27 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA for Baltimore in 20 innings this season.
- AJ Ramos, New York Mets
A torn labrum in his right shoulder has shelved Ramos for the rest of 2018. He wasn’t having a good season (6.41 ERA and 1.63 WHIP), but he saved 99 games from 2015-17.
- David Phelps, Seattle Mariners
Phelps was forced to have Tommy John surgery which ended his 2018 season before it started. He had a 2.72 ERA and struck out 11.1 hitters per nine innings in 2016-17.
- Carson Smith, Boston Red Sox
Since pitching to a 2.31 ERA (also saved 13 games) with the Seattle Mariners in 2015, Smith has only appeared in 29 games over the last three years for Boston. Shoulder surgery on his pitching arm ended his 2018 season after pitching in 18 games (3.77 ERA).