Fantasy Baseball Injuries - Week 20: Max Scherzer, Mookie Betts & More
UPDATED 8/8 @ 10:24pm ET
The fantasy baseball season continues to march on, and for the Texas Rangers starting rotation, it’s the classic story of give and take. While Max Scherzer is heading to the injured list with shoulder fatigue, Tyler Mahle is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday against Houston.
Furthermore, ace Jacob deGrom is continuing to advance in his rehab as well! The Los Angeles Dodgers should get Mookie Betts back within the next two weeks, while the Los Angeles Angels had to send both Anthony Rendon and Luis Rengifo to the injured list.
Make sure to review the fantasy baseball injury report provided below before setting your lineups for the upcoming week. Additionally, don't miss Howard Bender's piece on the best fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Stay tuned for more waiver wire suggestions and weekend streamers from Matt Selz and myself on Caught Stealing later this week. Let's now unwrap this week's fantasy baseball injury report!
MLB Injury Report: Starting Pitchers
Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers - Shoulder
Scherzer was placed on the injured list with what the team is calling right shoulder fatigue.
Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles - Lat
ADDED 8/8: Rodriguez was placed on the injured list with lat/teres discomfort. The O's are hoping that his return is “sometime soon.”
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins - Triceps
ADDED 8/8: Ryan was removed from his last start with tightness in his triceps. Consider him questionable for his next start.
Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians - Shoulder
ADDED 8/8: The team is hopeful that Bibee can avoid an IL stint and toe the rubber this weekend against Minnesota.
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros - Neck
Expect Verlander to head out on a minor league rehab assignment this week.
Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks - Shoulder
Kelly is continuing his way back from a shoulder strain and is expected to work up to 65 pitches at High-A Hillsboro in the early part of this week.
Taijuan Walker, Philadelphia Phillies - Finger
Walker is scheduled to pitch four or five innings in his next rehab start, which is scheduled for Tuesday of this week.
Drew Thorpe, Chicago White Sox - Forearm
A forearm flexor strain will send Thorpe to the injured list. Thorpe posted a 5.48 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across nine starts in his rookie campaign.
MLB Injury Report: Relief Pitchers
Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays - Forearm
ADDED 8/8: Rasmussen made his season debut on August 7th, striking out three batters over two hitless innings.
Rasmussen’s role upon his return in 2024 will be out of the bullpen. He should be joining the team relatively soon and will be used as a multi-inning guy out of the pen for the remainder of this season.
Kenley Jansen, Boston Red Sox - Back
Jansen should be considered day-to-day with some back soreness after slipping on the mound on July 31.
Brusdar Graterol, Los Angeles Dodgers - Hamstring
ADDED 8/8: Graterol will likely miss the rest of the regular season with a Grade 3 hamstring strain.
MLB Injury Report: Hitters
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers - Hand
Mark your calendars for August 12th and 13th, as these are the anticipated dates for Betts to be activated from the IL. He hasn’t played since fracturing his hand on June 16th.
Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox - Rib
Casas is working his way back from torn cartilage in his rib cage. He’ll need a few more games and ABs before the team has a decision to make on his return date.
Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs - Hamstring
ADDED 8/8: Bellinger hasn't played since injuring his hamstring on Tuesday.
Michael Harris, Atlanta Braves - Hamstring
ADDED 8/8: Harris is expected to be activated on August 14.
Tyler O'Neill, Boston Red Sox - Leg
ADDED 8/8: O'Neill is dealing with an infection in his leg, and the team will place him on the injured list.
Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds - Shoulder/Rib
While recovering from shoulder surgery, McLain recently suffered a stress reaction in his rib cage. The team still believes that he’ll be able to head out on a rehab assignment on August 12th, though I’m personally not as optimistic about that.
Nolan Jones, Colorado Rockies - Back
Jones has swung the bat well through his first couple of rehab appearances. Jones last played in the majors on July 11, and he could return to the big-league club as soon as sometime this week.
Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners - Knee
Unless he hits the injured list and has time to sort out this knee issue, expect this to be something that will linger the rest of the way. The team will monitor this, but don’t be surprised if he has more frequent off days than normal.
Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels - Wrist
UPDATED 8/8: Rengifo will undergo surgery for his wrist, thus ending his 2024 campaign.
Rengifo was placed on the injured list with right wrist inflammation. He missed nearly three weeks in July due to inflammation in the same wrist.
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks - Adductor
ADDED 8/8: Moreno was placed on the injured list with a strain of his left adductor muscle.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.