Daizen Maeda of Celtic may miss six weeks with a knee injury sustained during a challenge that resulted in him being sent off against Atletico Madrid 6-0 thrashing, after straining medial knee ligaments during an altercation with Mario Hermoso that resulted in VAR upgrading his booking to red card status.

Maeda’s red card

After Griezmann put Madrid ahead, Celtic already found themselves facing an uphill struggle against Ivan Kruzliak's Reds side but were further hindered when Maeda was shown a red card for his challenge on Mario Hermoso. Referee Kruzliak initially cautioned Maeda but after consulting VAR and reviewing a freeze frame of the incident upgraded it.

Maeda was injured during his collision with Atletico's defender, suffering a strained medial knee ligament and receiving a red card as a result. Celtic are short on wide options due to this absence; Luis Palma and Yang Hyun-jun may not be enough to cover Maeda's duties entirely.

Brendan Rodgers attempted to gain the referee's attention about an incorrect dismissal for his player and it appeared the Atletico bench responded angrily when he attempted this action, something Ian Dennis from BBC Radio 5 Live Sport commented upon during commentary and the incident sparked heated discussions across Europe and North America.

Maeda’s injury

Maeda last pitched in a major league game on Aug. 21, 2021 - one day before undergoing Tommy John surgery for internal brace issues. Though Maeda had planned on making his comeback this past September, but instead underwent this procedure instead.

This move dealt a severe blow to his outlook for 2019, as he struggled to replicate his 2020 Cy Young runner-up campaign. His ERA had skyrocketed above five and velocity had decreased considerably from 91.6 mph in three starts down to 88.5 mph.

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He could make his major league return in 2023, though that seems like an unlikely scenario. Still an integral member of the Dodgers staff, his future hinges upon whether or not he can develop a splitter that helps him match up better against righties - something which has previously proven difficult due to injury.

Maeda’s return

Kenta Maeda walked, smiled and cracked jokes after Thursday's game without showing any evidence that he had been suffering on the ground just two hours earlier. Luckily, damage was limited to a flexor strain when Jarren Duran hit him with his line drive in the second inning of their 11-5 loss against Minnesota.

Maeda will return to pitching this season without his injury preventing his comeback; but, this setback marks another bump on an otherwise steady journey for Maeda who often found himself between rotation and bullpen last season due to overflow of starting talent in Los Angeles.

Maeda will remain out until his arm symptoms subside, which could put both starters Tyler Mahle and Maeda on the injured list for several days or even longer. But the Twins have the flexibility to fill any potential void with another veteran starting pitcher such as Carlos Rodon; doing so would alleviate pressure off their young starters while adding depth.

Maeda’s future

Maeda sustained knee ligament strain during an incident against Atletico Madrid that earned him a red card. The Japan star had initially been booked for his challenge on Mario Hermoso but VAR upgraded it to red for its severity.

He will certainly miss Celtic's games against Aberdeen, Motherwell, St Johnstone, Hibernian and Kilmarnock; potentially even missing Champions League matches against Lazio and Feyenoord in Europe.

Maeda has been an integral component of the club since joining from Japan in 2020, and his absence could have serious repercussions for their European and domestic prospects.

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The Twins possess plenty of money and rotation depth to spend in free agency, and adding another starter would help the front office build confidence in this team while protecting against injury risk to top veterans. Lucas Seehafer is a writer and physical therapist living in southern Minnesota who covers baseball for several outlets including Twins Daily.