MLB

Ouch! Injuries can do more than just the baseball player affected—they can throw off a team for weeks, even months at a time. The worst injuries can derail a team’s entire season.

Whether a team is in first place and needs a bat to return fast or is fighting to get back into the postseason hunt and needs a key arm, the following injured players are of major concern for their squads. 

Here are the five biggest injury concerns in baseball right now.

All statistics via ESPN.

After an offseason in which they traded away several of their top prospects —catcher Travis d'Arnaud, center fielder Jake Marisnick and pitchers Justin Nicolino and Noah Syndergaard— in an effort to upgrade their 25-man roster for 2013, the Blue Jays aren't going to give up on the season anytime soon despite a rough start. 

Anibal Sanchez of the Detroit Tigers did not allow a hit throughout the first 25 outs of his outing on Friday against the Minnesota Twins.

MLB umpire Angel Hernandez was trending on Twitter on Friday night after yet another blown call. At least this time it didn't cost a team a victory. But it was egregious nonetheless.

I know, you're thinking to yourself, "Wait, didn't MLB suspend him after he blew that home run call a few weeks ago?"

Anibal Sanchez came this close.

The Detroit Tigers right-hander was staring his second career no-hitter right in the face at Comerica Park on Friday night, making it through 8.1 innings without allowing a hit. Alas, then came Joe Mauer with a squeaky-clean single up the middle.

Detroit Tigers ace Anibal Sanchez was phenomenal on Friday night, nearly throwing the second no-hitter of his career in a 6-0 win over the Minnesota Twins (via SportsCenter).

Ah, to be lucky.

They say it's preferable to being good.

When it comes to Major League Baseball pitchers, it's best to be both.

So let's take a statistical stroll through the land of the lucky—a happy place filled with the starting pitchers who have been fortunate in one way or another so far this season.

FIP

Between poor pitching and a severe injury, 2013 has not been friendly to Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ.

The New York Yankees had just welcomed outfielder Curtis Granderson back into the lineup after an injury forced him out of action for the early part of the 2013 season, but on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, the 32-year-old had another medical scare. 

With the one-quarter mark of the 2013 season in the rear-view mirror and June just on the horizon, we have a pretty good idea of which youngsters are Rookie of the Year contenders.

The picture is a bit more exciting on the National League side, as the NL is overrun with exciting young players like Shelby Miller, Didi Gregorius and Jose Fernandez. It's looking like the Rookie of the Year race in the Senior Circuit is going to be a Royal Rumble affair all season long.