It's the first weekend in June in the fantasy baseball season and the MLB injuries continue to pile up. The good news is that this rendition of the fantasy baseball injury report also includes a bunch of impact players who are on the road to recovery with some about to embark on rehab assignments. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tops that list as he makes his eventual return from the MLB Injured List. As always when dealing with the latest MLB injury report, the fantasy baseball waiver wire should be your best friend. We have you covered at Fantasy Alarm with Ray Kuhn providing this week's fantasy baseball waiver wire top targets in a great article as always. Kyle Farmer of the Cincinnati Reds and Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves are two names to look for on the MLB waiver wire as they rise up the fantasy baseball rankings. Plus, check out Matt Selz's latest MLB prospect report to strengthen your fantasy baseball lineups even more. Also, keep an eye on the updated fantasy baseball player rankings for the month of June. Before you set your lineups this weekend, let’s check out who is heading towards the MLB injured list and who might be on the way back to your fantasy baseball lineups. 

 

 

MLB Injury Report June 3

 


Bryce Harper's injury continues to linger, and he was scratched from the Phillies lineup on Wednesday. The team had an off day on Thursday, and it will remain to be seen if he is able to play this weekend. Harper has been hitting up a storm despite not being 100 percent and he has been able to play the vast majority of days. There has been no word from the team, but hopefully, he didn’t do anything to exacerbate the injury and he will be back on the field on Friday. This is certainly a cause for fantasy baseball players (and Phillies fans) to hold their breath a little. 

 

 


Freak injuries are tough when they happen, and one just happened to Francisco Lindor. The Mets’ shortstop closed his finger in a hotel door and was unable to play on Thursday. He said that he hoped to play on Friday, but the athlete always says that. Lindor also said his finger was quite swollen. I wouldn’t rule out a stint on the injured list here by any means as the Mets don’t exactly have the best history with injuries. There will be injuries galore coming up, but in the meantime be prepared to find another option for the weekend.

 

 


Clayton Kershaw was placed on the injured list about three weeks ago, and he is set to make his first rehab start this Sunday. It is unknown how many starts he might have to make before returning to the Dodgers mound, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was only one more after this assuming all goes well, and he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. He has been fantastic this season, so you will want to get him back in your lineups regardless of the matchup when he is activated. 

 

 


The Dodgers look to get more help back soon as Max Muncy is set to begin a rehab assignment over the weekend as well. He hasn’t had any setbacks from his elbow injury during the batting practice he has taken so far, and now he will progress farther as he looks to get back to the Majors. He likely only needs three or four games before being ready for Los Angeles so you could possibly get him back in your starting lineups for the upcoming fantasy week.

 

 


Word in St. Louis is that Jack Flaherty looks to begin a rehab assignment next week as he attempts to get back on the field and make his 2022 season debut. So far, he has faced live hitters, but not in a game environment, so he is still a way away from returning. Considering he only pitched half a season last year; the Cardinals will surely be extra cautious with one of their best pitchers and he will make several rehab starts. If you drafted Flaherty and are stashing him, I wouldn’t expect him back for another three to four weeks. 

 

 


More good news for the Cardinals is their young outfielder Dylan Carlson is also near a return. Carlson will start a rehab assignment on Friday as he makes his way back from a hamstring injury. The injury was deemed mild when he suffered it, so it isn’t much of a surprise he will miss near the minimum time with the trip to the injured list. Expect Carlson back Tuesday or Wednesday of next week and if you are in a league needing four or more outfielders, he is a solid choice once he is activated despite his less than stellar numbers to start the season. 

 

 

 


The Cardinals are dominating the injury report here as joining Carlson on the rehab trail will be Tyler O’Neill on Friday. Reports I have read said just a few days ago that he was still feeling discomfort in his shoulder, but low and behold he will be in Memphis this weekend. I am thinking that he will be the designated hitter a lot upon his return, and this quick turnaround doesn’t make me feel good here. O’Neill has already disappointed drastically this season, hopefully they aren’t rushing him back, but he should be back in St. Louis by the middle of next week at the latest barring any setback. 

 

 


The Brewers shortstop Willy Adames injured his quad while on a rehab assignment for an ankle injury, but the good news is he was able to play four innings of a rehab game on Thursday and had a hit in three at-bats. His batting average is putrid, but the slugging shortstop has nine home runs in 35 games for Milwaukee so far this season. Considering he is now returning from two injuries he likely will stay in the Minors for a few more days but barring anymore setbacks he should be swinging for the Brew Crew again by middle to late next week. 

 

 


The pectoral injury Sonny Gray suffered Sunday is now forcing him to the 15-day injured list. It is retroactive to May 31st, so that and the reports make you think that this isn’t a long-term injury, and he isn’t likely to miss more than two turns in the rotation, perhaps three at the most. Gray has been amazing to start the season with an ERA of 2.41 and a WHIP under 1.00 with a great strikeout rate. He should be able to return to Minnesota’s rotation by the middle of June. 

 

 


Not good. Hyun Jin Ryu is going back on the injured list with left forearm inflammation, and he missed about a month of the season last time. Clearly, he isn’t right given his ERA of 5.33, so perhaps giving him a nice long rest will be what is needed to get him back on track. At this point, I would say that he is going to miss well more than the 15 days, and if you don’t have a free injured list spot on your roster, I don’t think I can suggest stashing him to you. It is time to visit that waiver wire and find you a replacement. 

 

 


Drew Smyly left Monday’s start with an oblique injury and was placed on the 15-day injured list pretty quickly and now word comes down that he is going to miss at least a month. He hasn’t been pitching terribly, but the 32-year-old is really more of an innings eater than anything that is going to help you win a fantasy championship. Given the fact that he might not be on the mound again until around the All-Star break I think it is safe to cut him loose if he is on your roster given the news. 

 


 

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