Fantasy Baseball Injuries - Week 9: Austin Riley, Jung Hoo Lee, & More
UPDATED 5/24 @ 3:52pm ET
The MLB injury report isn’t as full as it has been in previous weeks, and hopefully it stays that way! Also, are oblique injuries the equivalent to elbow issues for pitchers these days? It seems like we’ve had a ton of hitters deal with oblique/side issues this year.
Anyways, while the San Francisco Giants have lost Jung Hoo Lee for the year, they should be welcoming Blake Snell back into its starting rotation this week. Returns for Yariel Rodriguez and Jose Urquidy should be coming in the near future, too. Atlanta Braves slugger Austin Riley is hoping to avoid a trip to the IL, as is Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia.
As you get ready to set your fantasy baseball lineups for the week ahead, be sure to check out the below MLB injuries, as well as Howard Bender’s article on the top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups. Matt Selz and I will be analyzing more waiver wire pickups and weekend streamers on Caught Stealing later this week. Make sure to tune in!
But before that, let's dive straight into this week's MLB injury report.
Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Starting Pitchers
Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox - Oblique/Elbow
This certainly isn’t ideal, as the Boston right-hander felt soreness in his elbow after a recent rehab outing. The team has shut him down for now, and there’s no definitive timetable for him. Whitlock had a 1.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP through his four starts of the year, before his oblique issue popped up, sending him to the IL.
Jose Urquidy, Houston Astros - Forearm
Urquidy is expected to make one more rehab start before returning to the Houston rotation, likely at some point in early June. Urquidy hasn’t been prolific across his two rehab outings, but he worked up to 59 pitches in his last outing. If he gets to about 70 pitches in his next outing, he should be equipped to handle 80-85 pitches in what would be his 2024 debut.
Yariel Rodriguez, Toronto Blue Jays - Back
UPDATED 5/24: Rodriguez may need a bit more time than expected to work his way back. The team is hoping he can get to 30-35 pitches in his next outing, so maybe two appearances after that before he returns to the big league club.
Rodriguez will make a rehab start on Tuesday, with the expectation that he’ll need at least one or two more after that. A return to Toronto for Rodriguez should be penciled in for early-to-mid June as he continues to work his way back from inflammation in his spine.
John Means, Baltimore Orioles - Forearm/Elbow
UPDATED 5/24: Means was cruising in his last start, but was removed early with discomfort in his throwing forearm/elbow. He's been placed on the 15-day injured list, and the team is seeking more information regarding the severity of Means' injury.
Jon Gray, Texas Rangers - Groin
UPDATED 5/24: Gray was placed on the 15-day injured list with a mild right groin strain. The veteran righty had been excellent for Texas thus far, posting a 2.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 11 games (10 starts).
Kodai Senga, New York Mets - Shoulder
UPDATED 5/24: Tough break here for the Mets, as Senga mentioned some tightness in his right triceps in his recent days. The injury isn't expected to be serious, and the team believes he'll be back on the mound by week's end.
Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Hitters
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves - Oblique
UPDATED 5/24: Why did the Braves not just put Riley on the IL? He's missed more than 10 days already, and he was just cleared to swing a bat in the early part of the week. A return seems to be drawing closer for Riley, but nothing concrete at this juncture.
The Braves are hoping that Riley can avoid an IL stint, and he reported no soreness over the weekend. It seems like he’s still multiple days away from getting back into the lineup.
Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres - Shoulder
UPDATED 5/24: Bogaerts has a fracture in his shoulder and he was placed on the 10-day injured list, with the understanding that he'll miss time well beyond the minimum required stay.
Eloy Jimenez, Chicago White Sox - Hamstring
UPDATED 5/24: Jimenez heads to the injured list with a hamstring strain and the team has said they expect him to miss an “extended period of time.” Jimenez has appeared in just 36 games for the White Sox this season, and this is his second trip to the injured list this season.
Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays - Side
UPDATED 5/24: Remember, Lowe missed time in spring training and the early part of the season due to an oblique strain on his right side. Well, he left Wednesday's game this week with, you guessed it, right side tightness. Not ideal to say the least, but the team is calling him day-to-day at the moment.
Nico Hoerner (Hamstring) & Dansby Swanson (Knee), Chicago Cubs
UPDATED 5/24: Both Hoerner and Swanson have returned to the lineup.
After successful pregame warmups over the weekend, both Hoerner and Swanson are likely to return to the Chicago lineup in advance of Tuesday’s game against Atlanta.
Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers - Forearm
UPDATED 5/24: Garcia returned to the lineup on Wednesday for Texas.
Garcia wasn’t in the lineup on Sunday following a collision in Saturday’s contest. The MRI came back “pretty good” according to Bruce Bochy, and they’re optimistic that he can avoid an IL stint.
Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants - Shoulder
Lee will have surgery to address his dislocated shoulder and torn labrum, thus ending his 2024 season. Across 37 games for the Giants, Lee slashed .262/.310/.331 with two home runs and two stolen bases in his first MLB action.
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels - Elbow
UPDATED 5/24: Neto reported some elbow soreness during Wednesday's game. Consider him day-to-day at this juncture.
Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers - Oblique
Muncy felt a “grab” in his side after a swing in BP a few days ago, and the team placed him on the IL. It was determined a grade 1 mild strain, and they hope his absence doesn’t extend far beyond the minimum required stay on the IL.
DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees - Foot
UPDATED 5/24: The Yankees are targeting a return for LeMahieu during the series against the Angels (5/28-5/30).
LeMahieu’s return to play has been quite the journey, as he’s dealt with a setback or two, but barring anything more popping up, a return by end of May or early June at the latest seems probable.
J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners - Oblique/Hand
UPDATED 5/24: Crawford returned to the lineup on 5/20.
During Crawford’s rehab stint for his oblique, he took a pitch to his right hand, but the injury isn’t serious. The team expects to have Crawford back in its lineup at some point in the early-to-middle part of this week.
Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners - Hamstring
UPDATED 5/24: Polanco returned to the lineup on 5/22.
Seattle is hoping that Polanco can avoid the injured list, but a decision is likely coming later today about that. Polanco is feeling better reportedly, and doing what is considered as “explosive running drills.”
Player News
Taylor Walls (groin) came off the bench as a pinch-runner during Friday’s win over the Blue Jays.
Walls came on to run in the seventh inning of Friday’s contest, and stayed in to play shortstop, after being left off the lineup card for two straight games due to a minor groin issue. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern at the moment. The 28-year-old is an excellent defender, but offers very little at the dish. He’ll likely continue to cede time to José Caballero moving forward until top prospect Carson Willams is ready to arrive in Tampa Bay.
Julio Rodríguez sliced an RBI double on Friday in his return to the lineup.
Rodríguez smacked a game-tying double down the right-field line to spark Seattle’s comeback victory against their long-time division rivals. The 24-year-old fantasy star was back in Friday’s lineup following a one-game absence due to back tightness.
Andrew Benintendi went 0-for-2 with a walk and an RBI on Friday against the Rangers in his return from the injured list.
Benintendi was back in Chicago’s lineup for the first time since early May after missing nearly three weeks recovering from a calf strain. The 30-year-old corner outfielder figures to continue batting in the middle of the White Sox’ lineup behind Miguel Vargas and Luis Robert Jr.
Carlos Correa went 2-for-4 with a solo homer on Friday against the Royals in his return to the lineup.
Correa made an immediate impact for Minnesota in his return from the injured list after spending nearly a week on the concussion injured list. The 30-year-old shortstop blasted a game-tying homer in the second inning — his third long ball of the season — before delivering a one-out single ahead of teammate Ty France’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth.
Denzel Clarke went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Friday against the Phillies in his major-league debut.
Clarke lined out to right field in the third inning before striking out in his final two plate appearances prior to being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the ninth. The 25-year-old prospect is likely going to face a prolonged adjustment period as he acclimates to everyday life in the majors, but he possesses an intriguing blend of skills and is going to get an extremely long runway with the Athletics.
Teoscar Hernández went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI, and two runs scored in a 7-5 win over the Mets on Friday.
Hernández mercifully pushed this game to a long awaited conclusion after a 98-minute rain delay, valiant ninth inning comeback by the Mets, and three-extra innings without a run which is inconceivable in the ghost runner era. That is, until Hernández smoked a double down the line for what became the game-winning run. His 41 RBI are just six off the major league lead despite Hernández spending two weeks on the injured list with a left groin strain.