Healing powers: Injury returns to impact races

Giancarlo Stanton came off the disabled list Tuesday night in time to rip a pinch-hit … single. All right, so it wasn’t a big blast (apparently that’s Ichiro’s terrain), but it was still good to see the big fella back, all the same.

Stephen Strasburg returns Wednesday night, giving him plenty of time to get back up to full speed for the Nationals’ October alignment.

And perhaps you’ve heard that the Best Pitcher on the Planet, Clayton Kershaw, will return to the Dodgers rotation Friday night in Miami, hoping to help hammer home Los Angeles’ fourth straight division crown.

Yes, injury returns are all the rage here in the season’s waning weeks. Here’s a rundown of 10 other healing players who still have the potential to impact the races:

Colby Lewis, Rangers

The Rangers have a Texas-sized lead in the American League West standings, but they’re still fighting for home-field advantage throughout October, and they’d obviously love to have their rotation at full strength going into the postseason. Lewis was having an extraordinary bounce-back season (3.21 ERA, 142 ERA+ in 15 starts) before straining a lat muscle in his throwing shoulder on June 21. He could be reinserted to the rotation this weekend in Anaheim, which would give him plenty of time to prove his worth as an October option.

Remember: This guy has stepped up big in postseasons past, with a 4-1 record and 2.38 ERA in nine outings in 2010, ’11 and ’15.

Jordan Zimmermann, Tigers

Despite an absurdly good April, it has been a trying first season with the Tigers for Zimmermann, who had a groin issue in May, a neck issue in July and then suffered a lat strain in his Aug. 4 return. At that point, the Tigers’ rotation looked to be in trouble, but, in recent weeks, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd have added to the youth movement initiated by Michael Fulmer, and now Zimmermann’s return profiles as icing on the cake.

Zimmermann had his final Minor League tuneup Monday and should be back in the mix this weekend in a pivotal Wild Card clash with the Orioles.

Chris Tillman, Orioles

Speaking of the O’s, they’re getting their ace back in time for the final …

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