If you can't get on the field, you can't contribute to a Fantasy team. Here's the latest injury news, and how it affects each players' value.
Blake Snell won't be ready for Opening Day. Don't worry, it's not because of a surprise injury, he just hasn't been built up enough to pitch for the Giants yet, which is what we expected as his free agency stretched into mid-March. He recently threw 60 pitches in a simulated game before signing, but he'll probably need to face hitters in real game action before he pitches in a regular season game. He'll have his schedule set in the coming days, and I'm expecting him to be ready after a few turns through the rotation – let's say early April at this point.
Bryce Harper (back) hasn't played in a week due to soreness in his lower back, but he's already hitting and fielding and could play in a game as soon as Friday. He'll play first base before Spring Training is over and told MLB.com he'll be ready for Opening Day. I could see prioritizing Matt Olson ahead of him at this point, but I'm not seriously considering moving Harper down in my rankings at this point.
Aaron Judge (abdomen) made his return to the lineup Thursday after sitting out nine days, and expects to be fully ready for Opening Day. He was playing in center field in his return, so it doesn't seem like the injury will limit him at all once the games start to matter. He's had a lot of trouble staying healthy over the years, but Judge is still a viable first-round pick, with as much upside as anyone not named Ronald Acuña.
Kevin Gausman (shoulder) might only miss a turn or two to open the season. Gausman threw two innings and 36 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday, telling reporters he felt "pretty good" in his first bit of competitive action since being shut down with right shoulder fatigue. He won't be ready for Opening Day – Jose Berrios is the first starter for the Blue Jays – but Gausman may not need much longer than that. He'll likely start the team's final spring game with a goal of throwing three innings, and will be re-evaluated after that. That could put him on track for a start during the team's first series of the season, but it might make more sense to hold him back one more turn. Either way, it shouldn't be long until we see Gausman, who remains a top-12 starter in drafts this weekend.
Corey Seager (abdomen) and Josh Jung (calf) both look like they'll be ready for Opening Day. Jung took part in a minor-league game as a DH earlier this week, while Seager did live batting practice for the first time. Neither is guaranteed to be ready for Opening Day, but Jung looks like he's on track to play in the team's final two exhibition games against the Red Sox on Monday and Tuesday, while the Rangers have already said Seager might be activated even without playing in a game. Buy the dip on both this weekend.
We're waiting on Eury Perez (elbow) updates. The Marlins have leaked absolutely nothing so far, but Perez has visited with a specialist who performed Sandy Alcantara's Tommy John surgery last season, which is an ominous sign. At this point, my personal expectation is we won't see Perez this season but that's just based on me being pessimistic. I'll draft him in the reserve rounds of my remaining drafts, but not any earlier. Maybe I'll regret it if this injury ends up being relatively minor, but my hopes are not high.
Matt McLain (shoulder) is going to start the season on the IL, but that's still all we know at this point. He's going to get a second opinion on his left shoulder after an MRI showed "something," and the fact that the Reds traded for utility infielder Santiago Espinal Wednesday seems like a sign that they're not expecting him back soon. The Reds once-enviable depth has been really tested, first by Noelvi Marte's 80-game PED suspension, and then by an injury to TJ Friedl (wrist). Shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo also had season-ending shoulder surgery this week. Hopefully we get an update on McLain soon, but if you're looking for replacements, I wrote about five to target in my Preseason Trade Values column.
Jhoan Duran (oblique) will start the season on the IL. Duran has a "moderate" oblique strain, and according to BaseballProspectus' Recovery Dashboard tool, pitchers miss 47 days on average with oblique strains, with a median return to play time of 37 days. So, a late-April return seems reasonable, but not guaranteed – Tyler Glasnow missed 61 days with his own Grade 2 oblique strain last season. We'll likely see a combination of Brock Stewart and Griffin Jax saving games for the Twins while Duran is out, and both are viable late-round targets for cheap saves.
Jordan Romano (elbow) had an anti-inflammatory injection in his right elbow earlier in the week, but an MRI showed no structural damage. He's going to try to throw again sometime this weekend, with the hope he can be ready for Opening Day, though that seems unlikely at this point. Nate Pearson, Zach Pop, and Brendon Little were mentioned by manager John Schneider as potential options to fill in if needed, with Erik Swanson also dealing with forearm tightness that has him in doubt for the start of the season.
Kenley Jansen (back/lat) finally made his return to spring action after several delays Thursday, and he looked great. Working one perfect inning, Jansen struck out two and hit 95 mph on the stadium gun, and then told reporters after the game, "I'll be ready" for Opening Day. I've drafted Jansen a bunch when he has fallen to the middle rounds of drafts, and I feel pretty good about that working out. He's still a top-15 closer for me.
Sonny Gray (hamstring) will face hitters in a minor-league game Friday, and while he's been ruled out for Opening Day, it sounds like Gray could still be ready for the first series of the season or shortly thereafter if he avoids any setbacks. Buy the dip!
Kodai Senga will restart his throwing program sometime this week. He has been cleared by doctors upon follow-up imaging on his shoulder, and has just a few hurdles left to clear before he can begin throwing. Senga will likely still miss all of April even if he begins throwing next week, but the expectation is still that he can return sometime in May if he avoids setbacks. I'm ranking him around 150, but trying to see if I can let him fall closer to 200 before I take him, especially since I also like guys like Walker Buehler and Justin Verlander, and I don't want to be overexposed to pitchers who won't be available to start the season.
Speaking of Verlander (shoulder), he faced hitters for the first time in a live batting practice session Wednesday, getting 20 pitches in the competitive session. Verlander will likely have at least one more live BP session before pitching in a game, which will not happen during the exhibition schedule, which means he will have to go on a minor-league rehab assignment as he works his way back into game shape. Verlander had his start to spring delayed after feeling some soreness in his shoulder before camp, and it looks like he'll be out until at least mid-April if he avoids any setbacks.
Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) left this start Tuesday due to lat tightness, but he hasn't been ruled out for the start of the season yet, per manager Torey Lovullo. It sounds like Rodriguez avoided a serious injury, but I'm still a little hesitant to buy in – though I also hadn't drafted Rodriguez in any of my leagues before the injury, so I guess it didn't really change much.
Eloy Jimenez (foot) is day to day with a bruise right foot after fouling a pitch off the foot during a game Wednesday. He was hitting .347/.375/.500 before the injury, but now it looks like there's a chance his spring might be over – even if the injury isn't serious, do the White Sox really have much to gain from pushing a guy with his injury history for the final few games of the spring?
Danny Jansen (wrist) is dealing with a fractured wrist that will keep him out to open the season, though he's expected to begin throwing this week, which would seem to indicate it's not a terribly serious injury. Alejandro Kirk should open the season as the unquestioned No. 1 catcher, but if Jansen only misses a week or two of actual games, Kirk's runway may not be as long as we thought initially.
Jonathan Aranda (finger) will start the season on the IL after being diagnosed with a broken right ring finger. This comes after Johnny DeLuca suffered a fractured right hand, and will cost Aranda, the team's expected Opening Day DH 4-6 weeks of recovery. Aranda is worth stashing on the IL wherever you can after a strong spring, and his injury could open an opportunity for another deep sleeper, Austin Shenton, who hit .304/.423/.584 last season between Double-A and Triple-A. A name to watch.
Alex Cobb (hip) will make his spring debut Friday, with the expectation he will throw three innings during a split-squad game. That could put Cobb just a few weeks away from being able to return for the Giants, significantly ahead of schedule. Cobb has had an ERA between 3.76 and 3.87 in each of the past three seasons and can be a viable option in all leagues when healthy, so consider stashing him.
Jose Urquidy (elbow) has an MRI that revealed no structural damage to his UCL this week, a good sign after his spring scare. Urquidy is still shut down from throwing for the next couple of weeks, but if he avoids any kind of setbacks, he could be ready to pitch in the majors sometime in May, perhaps. He's a stash candidate in deeper leagues, though with so many injured players out there right now, I would need to have a spare IL spot to even consider it.
DJ LeMahieu (foot) told reporters, "I'm pretty much ready" for Opening Day, which means he could still be in the Opening Day lineup even if he doesn't play in any of the team's remaining exhibition games. LeMahieu is expected to bat leadoff for the Yankees and could be a solid source of runs if he can get (and stay) healthy.
Nate Lowe (oblique) will be out until mid-April due to his right oblique strain. I'm stashing him where I have him, because even if Lowe doesn't bounce back to 2022 levels, he's a useful Fantasy option in that lineup.
