Fantasy Baseball Injuries - Week 23: Jacob deGrom, Yordan Alvarez & More
UPDATED 8/30 @ 9:25am ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros can’t wait for the calendar to flip to September, as they are anticipating returns for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kyle Tucker respectively.
Robbie Ray is heading for testing on his left hamstring, while Michael Harris and the Atlanta Braves seemed to have avoided major injury after Harris took a fastball to the hand.
Fantasy Baseball Injury Report This Week: MLB Injuries
As you prepare to finalize your fantasy baseball lineups for the upcoming week, make sure to review the fantasy baseball injury report provided below, along with Howard Bender’s insights on the best fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Later this week, Matt Selz and I will discuss additional waiver wire options and weekend streaming strategies on Caught Stealing, so don’t miss that! Now, let’s jump right into this week’s fantasy baseball injury report!
MLB Injury Report: Starting Pitchers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers - Triceps
ADDED 8/30: In his first rehab start, Yamamoto allowed one earned run on one hit (a HR) with two strikeouts over two innings of work.
It sounds like Yamamoto will need just two rehab appearances before rejoining the Los Angeles Dodgers. Go ahead and pencil in a mid-September return for the right hander.
Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants - Hamstring
Ray was forced to exit his last start due to tightness in his left hamstring. The hope is that he can make his next scheduled start, which is slated to come against the Miami Marlins this weekend.
Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers - Elbow
UPDATED 8/30: deGrom was just as impressive in his second rehab start as he was in his first, striking out two batters across two scoreless innings. The team will slowly continue to ramp him up as his rehab stint goes on.
The Texas right hander made his first rehab start of 2024, and he allowed one earned run while striking out three batters across two innings. He fired 29 pitches in that contest. The team previously said that the veteran righty would require around four rehab appearances before joining the big-league club, so if we operate under the assumption that he’ll pitch every five days and make three more appearances, we’re looking at a mid-September return for deGrom.
Zach Eflin, Baltimore Orioles - Shoulder
UPDATED 8/30: Eflin is a candidate to start on Sunday for Baltimore.
There’s some optimism that Eflin can return when eligible (9/1) and not need a rehab stint.
Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees - Lat
UPDATED 8/30: Schmidt was solid in his latest rehab outing, striking out five batters across three innings of work. It sounds like he'll make one more rehab start, and then could potentially rejoin the big league rotation.
Schmidt logged 46 pitches in his first rehab outing, striking out six across 3.2 innings of work. Scmidt hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since May 26, so expect at least a few more rehab appearances before he rejoins the big-league club.
Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds - Shoulder
Abbott was placed on the injured list with a strain in his pitching shoulder. The team has called the strain of the “low grade” variety, and don’t believe that this injury will end his 2024 season.
Michael Lorenzen, Kansas City Royals - Hamstring
ADDED 8/30: Lorenzen was placed on the IL with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Since being acquired at the deadline, Lorenzen has posted a 1.85 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across five starts for the Royals.
Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants - Hamstring
ADDED 8/30: Ray was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He'll be out for at least the next two-plus weeks.
Nick Lodolo, Cincinnati Reds - Finger
ADDED 8/30: Lodolo, once again, has been placed on the IL. He's hit the injured list this year twice for a finger-related issue, once for a groin strain, and once for a calf injury.
MLB Injury Report: Hitters
Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals - Finger
Contreras took a Pablo Lopez fastball off his hand over the weekend, and he’s since been placed on the IL. Further testing revealed that Contreras fractured the middle finger on his right hand.
Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros - Shin
The Astros are hoping to be able to welcome Tucker back to the lineup in early September. Tucker hasn’t played since June 3 when he fouled a ball off his right shin.
Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego Padres - Shoulder
Kim is currently on the IL with inflammation in his right shoulder, but the team is hoping that his absence won’t extend long beyond the minimum 10 days. Kim is able to be reinstated later this week if all goes well in the coming days.
Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles - Wrist
UPDATED 8/30: Mountcastle was placed on the injured list with a wrist sprain.
Mountcastle exited the team’s game early on Thursday, and has not found his name in the starting lineup since. Consider him day-to-day until further information is made available.
Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox - Shoulder
The hope was that Story could return before the season's end, and that hope could be turning into a reality. Story is trending towards heading out on a rehab assignment at some point early next month.
Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins - Back
UPDATED 8/30: Edwards was placed on the IL due to this back issue.
Edwards has been dealing with a bit of tightness in his back, and he hasn’t appeared in either of the team’s last two contests.
David Hamilton, Boston Red Sox - Finger
ADDED 8/30: Hamilton was placed on the IL with a fracture of his left index finger.
Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies - Hand
ADDED 8/30: Bohm is battling some discomfort in his left hand and is considered day-to-day.
Player News
Miguel Vargas went 2-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored on Tuesday evening, propelling the White Sox to a 5-1 victory over the Reds in 10 innings.
Vargas smacked a leadoff double off of Andrew Abbott in the fourth inning and scored the game’s first run on an RBI knock by Edgar Quero. He then broke it open with a 373-foot (101.7 mph EV) three-run blast off of Emilio Pagan in the 10th inning that increased the White Sox’ lead to 5-1. Vargas has picked up the pace considerably since his brutal start to the season and is now hitting .221/.314/.350 with three homers and 15 RBI on the season.
Chase Meidroth delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning on Tuesday night as the White Sox bested the Reds.
The 23-year-old rookie infielder had been hitless in four at-bats entering the 10th inning, but he saved the best for last, smacking a two-out, two-strike offering from Emilio Pagan for an RBI single that gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead they would never relinquish. With his 1-for-5 night, Meidroth is now slashing .242/.333/.273 with zero homers, three RBI and three stolen bases over 75 plate appearances in his first 20 games with the White Sox.
Steven Wilson picked up his second blown save of the season on Tuesday night, serving up a game-tying solo homer to Elly De La Cruz in the ninth inning.
Wilson was called upon to face the heart of the Reds’ lineup with the White Sox clinging to 1-0 advantage on Tuesday. He wound up giving up that game-tying blast to De La Cruz after a six-pitch battle, then rebounded to retire each of the next three hitters in order. Wilson was then the beneficiary of the White Sox scoring four times in the home half of the 10th as he snagged his first victory of the season. Cam Booser, who had received the White Sox’ previous save chance, worked a scoreless 10th inning in this one and may be the arm to speculate on in the White Sox’ bullpen for those desperate in saves.
Jonathan Cannon was brilliant in a no-decision against the Reds on Tuesday, allowing just four hits over six innings of shutout baseball.
The 24-year-old right-hander racked up six strikeouts on the night and didn’t walk a batter. He exited with a 1-0 lead and in line for a hard-earned victory, but the White Sox’ bullpen was unable to hang on for him. Cannon got seven swings and misses on 96 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll see if he can build off of this success as he carries a 3.60 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 39/17 K/BB ratio (50 innings) into Sunday’s battle against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Elly De La Cruz swatted a game-tying home run in the ninth inning on Tuesday, but the Reds would wind up falling to the White Sox in extra innings.
The Reds entered the ninth inning facing a 1-0 deficit until De La Cruz clobbered a leadoff 435-foot (114.9 mph EV) solo shot off of Steven Wilson that tied the game. The superstar shortstop also singled in the contest, finishing the night 2-for-4. On the season, he’s slashing .250/.324/.405 with seven homers, 30 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
Andrew Abbott was terrific in a no-decision against the White Sox on Tuesday night, piling up seven strikeouts over six innings of one-run baseball.
The 25-year-old southpaw scattered just four hits on the evening and did not walk a batter. The only run that the White Sox were able to muster against him came on an RBI single by Edgar Quero in the fourth inning. Abbott generated 13 swings and misses on 96 pitches on the night — eight of those on his fastball — while posting a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll bring a pristine 2.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 38/12 K/BB ratio (30 innings) into Sunday’s tilt against the Guardians.