MLB injury report for Saturday, April 15th

The injury bug giveth, the injury bug taketh away. Friday brought both some good news — welcome back, Eloy Jimenez — and some bad news — get well soon, Jeffrey Springs and Yoan Moncada — on the health front for big names around MLB. As always, the MLB injury report is here to get you up to speed and help you navigate the moves you should be making for your fantasy baseball team.

MLB injury report: Saturday, April 15th

Jeffrey Springs, Tampa Bay Rays (arm) — Amid a dream start for the Rays, this one stings: Springs — who was throwing the ball just about as well as anyone in baseball so far this year, yet to allow a run through his first 16 innings — is expected to be out for at least the next two months, and possibly longer.

Tampa Bay Times reporter Marc Topkin hinted that there was more wrong with the lefty’s throwing arm than just the nerve inflammation that was reported after he left his start against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, which is an ominous sign. Here’s hoping he can get back soon and pick up where he left off.

Chas McCormick, Houston Astros (vision issues) — Elsewhere in potentially terrible developments for players who seemed to be in the midst of breakout seasons, McCormick — who’d firmly entrenched himself as Houston’s leadoff man with a .275/.370/.500 slash line entering play on Friday — was forced to leave the team’s game against the Texas Rangers with what’s being called vision issues. The team has yet to issue any sort of official diagnosis and will presumbly know more after testing tomorrow.

Justin Verlander, New York Mets (shoulder) — Finally, some good news in this report:

That would put Verlander on track to start a rehab assignment next week — with his sights set on returning before the end of April, just as the future Hall of Famer insisted he would.

Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers (shoulder) — Woodruff didn’t seem overly concerned when he was put on the injured list earlier this week due to shoulder inflammation, but this doesn’t seem promising:

The fact that the team felt as though Woodruff needed an MRI to determine whether something was structurally wrong with his shoulder is concerning, as is the fact that doctors apparently still haven’t determined the best course of action. Colin Rea may be in line for more action after his impressive spot start in San Diego.

Eloy Jimenez (hamstring)/Yoan Moncada (back), Chicago White Sox — Jimenez made his return to the South Side on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, going 1-for-4 with an RBI from the DH spot. Alas, the move that made room for Jimenez on the roster involved placing Yoan Moncada on the injured list due to a balky back, because this is how this season has went so far for the White Sox.

Moncada has been battling back pain since Spring Training, but that didn’t stop him from posting a .889 OPS over his first nine games. Jake Burger figures to see time at third in his absence, as could Nick Solak, who the team claimed off waivers on Friday.

Robbie Ray, Seattle Mariners (flexor tendon) — Ray may finally be making progress towards a return to the field:

Ray made it just 3.1 innings into his first start of 2023 before being shut down, so he may need a full throwing program and then multiple rehab starts before coming back. Chris Flexen may be worth a stream depending on matchups as long as Ray is out.

Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners (shoulder) — Again, see above re: Woodruff as to how much a player’s own opinion can be worth, but Munoz thinks he’ll be back closing games for Seattle soon enough:

Joc Pederson, San Francisco Giants (wrist) — Alarm bells went off when Pederson was seemingly unavailable even off the bench on Friday night against the Detroit Tigers, and now we know why: the outfielder has been battling wrist pain that may require an IL stint if it doesn’t respond to a cortisone injection. Michael Conforto returned from a tight calf on Friday, but the Giants need every little bit of offense they can get right now, especially from a guy who had two homers and nine RBI through his first 10 games this year.

Jorge Soler, Miami Marlins (back) — Just as Soler seemed like he was starting to rediscover his power stroke, the slugger was pulled from Miami’s game on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks with what’s being called lower back tightness. The team didn’t offer any sort of timetable for his return, but he seems day-to-day for now.

Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox (hamstring) — Yoshida missed yet another game on Friday with hamstring discomfort, but Alex Cora expects him to be back in the lineup Saturday.

James Paxton (hamstring)/Brayan Bello (forearm), Boston Red Sox — Yoshida isn’t the only Boston player getting set to return to Fenway Park. The team announced that Bello is slated to start Monday’s Patriots’ Day game against the Los Angeles Angels, while Paxton made another rehab start on Friday and should need just one more before he too enters the Red Sox rotation.

DJ LeMahieu (quad)/Josh Donaldson (hamstring), New York Yankees — New York’s ailing infielders were taking grounders on the field before Friday’s game:

At this point, given how many games he’s missed and how his 2022 was derailed by injury, we’ll be concerned about LeMahieu’s quad until we see him back in actual games. Given all the health concerns in New York’s lineup, Oswaldo Cabrera and his ability to play all over the field will be a recommended waiver add.

Luis Arraez (finger), Miami Marlins — Arraez lacerated his finger in a collision with J.T. Realmuto’s cleat on Thursday, but the team expects him to be back in the lineup on Saturday.

Elehuris Montero (thumb), Colorado Rockies — Montero has been a pleasant surprise at third base for Colorado this year, and luckily he should be back in the lineup soon:

Bud Black has yet to trust him with everyday playing time, but he’s a recommended streaming play whenever Colorado plays at Coors Field due to his power/speed potential.

Jared Walsh (headaches/insomnia), Los Angeles Angels — Walsh has finally left the Utah treatment center where he was addressing the headaches that have been contributing to his recent insomnia. Manager Phil Nevin said the team won’t know more about his timetable for a return to the field until next week, though.

Sixto Sanchez (shoulder), Miami Marlins — I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but Sanchez will be pitching in a real, actual baseball game this weekend:

Almost three years removed from the last time we saw Sanchez on an MLB mound, we’ll take any progress we can get. Who knows whether he’ll bear any resemblance to the top prospect he once was, but it’ll be a feel-good story just to make it back to the Majors after shoulder injuries derailed his career.