Luckily for the Brewers, this shouldn't cause a major setback. Before he knew the extent of the injury, Greinke had already pitched in two spring training games. In 3.1 innings, Greinke allowed six hits and struck out three, while allowing one run. Clearly, the injury did not hinder Greinke to a severe extent. The time off may not allow Greinke to be as ready as he normally is by the end of spring training, so his first few starts during the regular season may act as an extension of spring training. However, the broken rib and missed time should in no way derail Greinke's season, which is expected to be a good one.
Here is ESPN's 2011 fantasy baseball outlook for Greinke...
"Will a change of scenery help Greinke regain his focus? Might the shift to the more pitching-oriented National League help rejuvenate him? The odds are good that the answer to both questions is a resounding "yes." Think about it: How much fun would you find it if you threw quality starts in eight of your first 11 outings, as Greinke did in 2010, but had only one win to show for them? Another frustration: Greinke made 15 of his 33 starts against the top 10 teams in baseball in terms of runs per game, and was 4-9 with a 4.77 ERA in them. The competition shouldn't be so steep in the NL Central, and looking closer at his indicators, his xFIP went 3.76-3.15-3.76 the past three seasons, a sign that his expected performance should've been similar from 2008-10, even if not quite up to his 2009 Cy Young standards in 2008 and 2010. There's so much bounce-back potential here, and the Brewers are clearly going for it. Invest with confidence." (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5883)
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