MLB injury report for Monday, May 1

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MLB injury report: Monday, May 1

Bryce Harper (elbow), Philadelphia Phillies — Get ready for one of the most important doctor’s visits in recent Philly sports history: Harper is set for a follow-up on his surgically repaired elbow on Monday, and if he’s cleared, the team plans to activate him for Tuesday’s clash with the Los Angeles Dodgers. For those keeping score at home, that would be just 160 days removed from his Tommy John surgery last year, a truly ridiculous timeline that’s at least a month ahead of his initial prognosis.

Julio Rodriguez (back), Seattle Mariners — Some good news for the Mariners amid some bad baseball: Rodriguez’s back injury, which forced him from Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, isn’t thought to be too serious. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year missed Sunday’s contest, but that was apparently already a planned off day ahead of a cross-country flight. Rodriguez took batting practices with his teammates pregame, so while he may miss another game or two, it’s unlikely he’ll need an IL stint.

Brandon Woodruff (shoulder), Milwaukee Brewers — There’s also some good news regarding the Brewers ace:

There had been some ominous reports about Woodruff’s shoulder strain and whether or not it might require surgery, and thankfully that seems to have been put to rest with this latest MRI. There’s still a long rehab ahead for the righty, but it’s far better than the worst-case scenario.

Luis Severino (lat), New York Yankees — The Yankees could desperately use some reinforcements right now, and while it won’t help repair a broken offense, rotation help is on the way: After a seemingly endless string of bullpens and batting practice sessions, Severino is finally set to start a rehab assignment this week. That assignment could be a relatively lengthy one given how much time Severino has missed, but he could be back in the Majors in a couple of weeks.

Tim Anderson (knee), Chicago White Sox — The White Sox won’t have to wait nearly that long for Anderson, who manager Pedro Grifol said will come off the IL on Tuesday. Of course, at this point his main value for Chicago may be as a trade chip come the trade deadline, but still, we missed seeing this swing every day.

Kenley Jansen (back), Boston Red Sox — After Jansen labored through back pain in his first blown save of the season on Saturday, Alex Cora said that his closer is likely to be shut down for the next couple of days — but that he’s feeling much better already and should avoid the injured list. John Schreiber would be the pick if you’re looking to stream saves as Boston takes on the Blue Jays this week.

Tyler Mahle (elbow), Minnesota Twins — On Saturday we got a diagnosis for what’s ailing Mahle’s throwing arm — a posterior impingement and flexor pronator strain”, for those keeping score at home — and now we have a timeline for his return: Manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters Sunday that Mahle will be shut down for four weeks and then reevaluated then. With Kenta Maeda also out for the foreseeable future, Bailey Ober and Louie Varland will move into the rotation and become viable streams in most fantasy leagues in the right matchup.

Mike Yastrzemski (hamstring), San Francisco Giants — A horrible break for Yaz, who felt his hamstring pop while trying to make a game-saving play in the outfield against the San Diego Padres in Mexico City. The outfielder limped off the field with the help of trainers, and his reaction after the game suggests it could be serious: “I’m probably going to have to extend May to June now. We’ll see how it goes. Yeah, it’s a bummer, but I’m just trying to keep my spirits high and see where it goes tomorrow.”

Yastrzemski is headed for an MRI after the Giants get to Houston tomorrow, but he could be out a month or more. It’s a shame, too, because he was enjoying a bounce-back year with an .848 OPS and five homers. Austin Slater would likely take his place in the outfield.

Alex Wood (hamstring), San Francisco Giants — Some happier hamstring-related news for the Giants, at least:

Wood was showing improved velocity and stuff and had allowed just two runs over his first three starts, so his return would be very welcome — especially as it would allow the team to bump Sean Manaea or Ross Stripling from the rotation.

Reynaldo Lopez (biceps), Chicago White Sox — A nightmarish season for Lopez somehow got even worse Sunday, as the righty coughed up a lead in the eighth and then had to be removed from the game with what the team is calling biceps fatigue. Grifol made it sound a bit like dead arm, but obviously Chicago won’t no more until they run tests on Monday. Kendall Graveman will probably move into the closer’s chair with Lopez out, but really everyone’s just biding their time until Liam Hendriks can make it back.

Tarik Skubal (elbow), Detroit Tigers — Skubal had his first bullpen session — 15 pitches, all fastballs — since undergoing flexor tendon surgery last summer. It sounds like everything went well, with another bullpen scheduled for this week, putting Skubal on track to return at some point in June.

Easton McGee (forearm), Seattle Mariners — The life of a pitcher, man. Less than 24 hours after McGee became the toast of Seattle by taking a no-hitter into the seventh in his first MLB start, the Mariners put the righty on the IL with what’s being called a right forearm strain. McGee will be shut down for the next few days while the team runs some tests, but this could thrust the struggling Chris Flexen back into the rotation after Seattle already lost Robbie Ray for the year a few days ago.

James Paxton (hamstring), Boston Red Sox — This sounds like the Paxton we’ve been missing the last few years:

The lefty had slogged through some bumpy performances in the Minors, so this is certainly a good sign. At this point, he seems healthy and stretched out, and now it’s just a matter of getting the rust knocked off and making sure he has a feel for all of his pitches after throwing just 21.2 innings since 2019.

Jake Bauers (knee), New York Yankees — First reports surfaced that Bauers, called up Saturday as a replacement for the injured Aaron Judge, would need to go on the IL after banging his knee into the outfield wall — certainly not a surprise to anyone who watched the play live. But after swelling finally went down enough for an MRI, the scan told a different story: Apparently results were “clean,” per Aaron Boone, and he’s expected to stay with the team and return once the pain has dissipated in a few days.

Luis Urias (hamstring)/Tyrone Taylor (elbow), Milwaukee Brewers — It had been radio silence for a while on Urias after suffering a pretty serious hamstring strain early this season, but now we have at least a little bit of progress: The infielder has begun running at 50 percent, according to GM Matt Arnold. Urias is still tentatively on track to return in June, and he’s an intriguing stash if he’s been dropped in your league thanks to legit 20/25-homer pop and the ability to steal 5-10 bases. Brice Turang has struggled at the keystone, so regular playing time should be his when he returns.

Taylor, meanwhile, is much closer, and could rejoin the team at some point this week after playing four games with Triple-A Nashville. Taylor will probably unseat Joey Wiemer, and is also worth a look in deeper leagues for his power/speed combo — he’s hit 29 homers with nine steals over his last 676 plate appearances.

Aledmys Diaz (hamstring), Oakland Athletics — Diaz was pulled from Saturday’s game with a hamstring strain, but it’s apparently a relatively mild one and the team thinks that the infielder will avoid a trip to the IL. Diaz’s absence has allowed for more playing time for young prospect Jordan Diaz, who would have some value in deeper fantasy leagues (think Luis Arraez-lite) if he ever got extended run.