Every year as fantasy baseball season approaches, we pay particular attention to two groups of players: those coming off a stellar season (hoping they can have some semblance of a repeat performance) and those whose season was interrupted, abbreviated or altogether preempted by injury (hoping they can do anything but replicate the events of the previoous year).
Forecasting the 2021 season from an injury perspective presents unique challenges. The arrival of COVID-19 resulted in a pandemic-induced short season and interpreting injury patterns and data from 2019 must be done with caution. Players did not experience a typical ramp-up to the start of last season nor did they endure the physical demands of a full complement of baseball games. Some dealt firsthand with COVID-19 and its associated complications; some opted to sit the season out. Through it all, injuries persisted.
With the 2021 season scheduled to begin on time, it seems like part of restoring normalcy should involve taking a look at some key players coming back from injury, so here we go.