Fantasy Baseball Injury Report - Week 4: Spencer Strider, CJ Abrams & More
Throughout the entire 2025 Major League Baseball season, I’ll have you covered here at Fantasy Alarm with the fantasy baseball injury report. The MLB injury report this week features some notable names, including Justin Steele and CJ Abrams.
Most leagues have already had their fantasy baseball waivers run, but in case your league allows for daily moves, be sure to read on to learn more about some notable MLB injuries, and the corresponding fantasy impact. Also, check back later this week for the fantasy baseball injury report update ahead of this weekend’s games!
Fantasy Baseball Injury Report This Week
This week’s MLB injury report isn’t overly vast, but it does contain a lot of noteworthy players for many fantasy baseball teams. Fantasy managers who were relying on Justin Steele to be a significant part of their rotation for 2025 were dealt a significant blow, as his 2025 season has come to an end.
However, those who have eagerly been awaiting the returns of Spencer Strider and Clarke Schmidt don’t have to wait much longer. Also, guys like Brandon Woodruff, Lance McCullers, and Francisco Alvarez are all out rehab assignments.
As you prepare to finalize your fantasy baseball lineups for the upcoming week, don’t forget to take a look at James Grande’s best waiver wire pickups, and tune in to the Caught Stealing Podcast later this week with Howard Bender and yours truly for all things fantasy baseball!
MLB Injury Report: Starting Pitchers
Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs - Elbow
Steele hit the IL late last season with an elbow issue, and further testing revealed that his pitching elbow needs surgery, ending his 2025 campaign. It’s unclear whether it’s going to be Tommy John surgery or the internal brace procedure, but Steele’s 2025 season is over.
Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves - Elbow
Mark April 16th on your calendar, ladies and gentlemen! Strider will be activated from the IL and toe the rubber for the Braves on the 16th against the Blue Jays.
Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees - Shoulder
Schmidt will be activated from the IL, and he figures to make his first start on April 16th, which would have been Marcus Stroman’s turn in the rotation.
Richard Fitts, Boston Red Sox - Shoulder/Pec
Fitts was placed on the IL with a pec strain, and in the video below, you can see him start rubbing his chest/shoulder area after the pitch. Michael Fulmer was brought up from Triple-A in a corresponding move, and the next opening in the Boston rotation looks like April 18.
Marcus Stroman, New York Yankees - Knee
Inflammation in the left knee will send Stroman to the injured list. Fortunately, the Yankees are getting Clarke Schmidt back to fill the newest void in the rotation.
Lance McCullers, Houston Astros - Flexor Tendon
McCullers looked sharp again in his last rehab outing, striking out five batters over four scoreless innings. The next hurdle/goal is working up to 75-80 pitches.
MLB Injury Report: Hitters
CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals - Hip
Davey Martinez mentioned this was the second stint he’s had, so it sounds like there’s at least been some soreness prior to this. Team doesn’t seem overly concerned with the severity of the injury, which leaves optimism that Abrams will be activated not too long after his minimum required stay on the IL for his hip flexor issue.
Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies - Quad
The team is calling Doyle day to day with soreness in his left quad. He last played on April 10th. Mickey Moniak has played in center each of the three games Doyle has missed.
Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs - Wrist
It sounds like some soreness from a stolen base attempt a week ago is still lingering for Suzuki. Consider him day to day for the time being.
Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds - Hamstring
The expectation is that Matt McLain will be activated from the IL on Tuesday, the date he’s first eligible. Prior to the injury, McLain was slashed .214/.290/.571 with three home runs and one stolen base through eight games.
Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals - Back
Masyn Winn was placed on the IL with back spasms and will be out for the next week and a half. Brendan Donovan and Thomas Saggese will hold the fort down at short until Winn returns.
Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets - Hand
Alvarez kicked off a rehab assignment on April 9. He’s 1-for-10 with a 3:2 K/BB ratio across three games.
George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays - Wrist
While Springer was removed from action on April 13th early due to discomfort in his left wrist, the good news is that X-Rays were negative, and he’s considered day to day for the time being.
Lane Thomas, Cleveland Guardians - Wrist
Thomas took a pitch to his wrist back on April 8 and has yet to see the field since the HBP. Angel Martinez and Nolan Jones will see time in center while Thomas is out of the lineup.
Jonathan India, Kansas City Royals - Quad
While India was forced to leave Saturday’s game early with tightness in his quad, there’s optimism that the injury is not serious. Consider India day to day at this juncture, but there doesn’t seem to be much to worry about here. Despite a .208 average through 15 games to begin the season, India has a .333 OBP thanks to more walks (9) than strikeouts (8).
Player News
Teoscar Hernández went 4-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored to lead the Dodgers to a 15-2 win over the Marlins on Tuesday.
Hernández continues to come through with runners on for the Dodgers as he drove in four on Tuesday on four hits, including two doubles. The 32-year-old slugger is up to an MLB-high 31 RBI while slashing .297/.313/.613 with nine homers and two steals across 116 plate appearances.
Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs scored, one steal, and a walk against the Marlins on Tuesday.
Ohtani sent the first pitch he saw out of the yard with a solo homer off Sandy Alcantara to lead off the first inning. He drew a walk in the second and stole a base before scoring on a double by Teoscar Hernández. The 30-year-old superstar is up to seven homers and eight steals while slashing .288/.392/.550 across 130 plate appearances.
Jack Dreyer allowed one run with three strikeouts over two innings as the opener against the Marlins on Tuesday.
Dreyer got the start as the opener with the Dodgers’ rotation thinned by injuries. He gave up a run in the first inning on a triple and a base hit, then struck out two batters in a clean second inning before he was relieved by Matt Sauer. Sauer went on to toss five innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts to put himself in line for the win.
Sandy Alcantara allowed seven runs with two strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings in a loss against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Alcantara’s struggles to start the season continued on Tuesday against the Dodgers. Shothei Ohtani took his first pitch out for a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning. Los Angeles added two more runs on the board before Alcantara got out of the opening frame. They’d add four more runs before he was pulled with two outs in the third. The 29-year-old right-hander ends the day with an 8.31 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and a 19/17 K/BB ratio across 26 innings.
Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored in the Padres’ 7-4 win over the Giants on Tuesday.
Bogaerts put the Padres on the board early with a base hit in the first to score Manny Machado from second base before coming around to score on a hit by Jose Iglesias. Bogaerts later extended the lead with a two-run blast off Randy Rodríguez in the seventh for his first home run of the season. The 32-year-old shortstop is hitting .253/.342/.364 with 13 runs scored, eight RBI, and four steals over 114 plate appearances.
Willy Adames went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored against the Padres on Tuesday.
Adames led off the fourth inning with a solo homer off Nick Pivetta to put the Giants on the board. He later led off the sixth with a double and scored on a base hit by Jung Hoo Lee. It was one of Adames’ better days at the plate as he had just five total extra-base hits on the season before adding two on Tuesday. The 29-year-old shortstop is slashing .212/.286/.305 with two homers, 16 runs scored, and 15 RBI across 133 plate appearances.