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.