MLB injury report for Wednesday, May 10

The MLB injury report for Wednesday is among the most jam-packed of the season so far, which is saying something considering how chaotic 2023 has been on the health front. Read on for updates on Cy Young contenders, MVP candidates and everything in between.

MLB injury report: Wednesday, May 10th

Max Scherzer (neck), New York Mets — Just a day after admitting to the New York Post that he was still battling discomfort in his shoulder, Scherzer was scratched from his scheduled start against the Cincinnati Reds ... for a different reason entirely, at least according to the Mets. Scherzer is apparently dealing with neck spasms, and while he couldn’t go on Tuesday, he expects to be back on the mound at some point this week:

Jacob deGrom (elbow), Texas Rangers — The hope initially was that deGrom would be able to return from the IL when first eligible this coming Sunday, but as his throwing program remained behind schedule it became apparent that was no longer on the table. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters on Tuesday that deGrom’s recovery from elbow inflammation will “take a little time, maybe two or three weeks,” so make of that what you will. The fact that deGrom is throwing at all is a positive sign, but he won’t ramp up until reconvening with the team doctor after the current road trip, and Texas is obviously going to exercise extreme caution with their ace.

Max Fried (forearm), Atlanta Braves — Fried was a surprise addition to the IL on Tuesday morning with a forearm strain that popped up after his start against the Baltimore Orioles last week. The lefty met with reporters prior to Atlanta’s game with the Boston Red Sox, and while an MRI revealed nothing structurally wrong with his arm, this still sounds like it’ll require weeks of rest and recovery:

Jared Shuster is set to take Fried’s place in the rotation for now, but given his struggles earlier this season, the Braves have to be hoping this is a short-term injury.

Jose Alvarado (wrist)/Kyle Schwarber ( — The Phillies went through a couple of injury scares on Tuesday night, but neither seems to be too serious. Alvarado was unavailable for the series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays due to tightness in his left wrist that he felt while playing catch before the game. Philly’s closer didn’t seem too worried about it and even told the media that he hoped to pitch tonight if needed.

Schwarber, meanwhile, was forced to leave the game after fouling a ball off his foot. X-rays came back negative, and the outfielder is just dealing with a foot contusion — although he may have to miss a game or two as the swelling subsides.

Carlos Rodon (back)/Luis Severino (lat), New York Yankees — Rodon received a cortisone injection to help with his “chronic” back condition, which will shut the lefty down for 48 hours or so. He hopes to get back on the mound at some point this weekend, although we’ll believe it when we see it.

Severino’s update is far more positive: The righty is all set to make his first rehab start tonight at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He may need one more outing before he’s ready to return to New York’s rotation, but if not, we could see him back in pinstripes as early as this weekend.

Jose Altuve (thumb)/Michael Brantley (shoulder)/Lance McCullers Jr. (elbow), Houston Astros — It was also mixed news on the injury front for Houston, as Jose Altuve took live at-bats for the first time since fracturing his thumb in the World Baseball Classic:

Michael Brantley, however, has been shut down from swinging a bat for the foreseeable future. Brantley had completed his rehab assignment and returned to the team, seemingly a day or two away from making his 2023 debut, but he’s apparently experienced some sort of setback with his shoulder. Dusty Baker was vague on the outfielder’s status, but we should know more in the next few days.

Lastly, McCullers took a big step in his recovery on Tuesday, throwing 25 pitches in a bullpen session. The righty will soon start working in some breaking balls, and after that, he’ll build up his arm as he would during a normal Spring Training. That should put his return somewhere in mid- to late June, assuming all goes well.

Andres Munoz (shoulder), Seattle Mariners — Munoz didn’t seem overly concerned when he landed on the IL last month, and he was first reported to be near a rehab assignment two or three weeks ago now. That assignment obviously never came, and on Tuesday news broke that Seattle’s closer had experienced a setback with renewed inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

The team continues to downplay the severity here, but the fact that Munoz has now been dealing with this discomfort for a full month sure seems like a red flag. Paul Sewald will continue to handle the ninth for the foreseeable future.

Carlos Carrasco (elbow), New York Mets — One rehab start down, likely one more to go for Carrasco, who threw three innings of one-run ball at Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday. Those frames required just 23 pitches, which probably won’t be enough to allow Carrasco to return to the Majors just yet — although he’d certainly like to.

Tyler O’Neill (back), St. Louis Cardinals — O’Neill’s back strain is apparently feeling better already, so much so that the outfielder could be out on a rehab assignment at Triple-A as early as next Tuesday. O’Neill had gotten off to a very slow start at the plate before the injury, and it’s unclear how much playing time he’ll receive in the Cards’ crowded outfield, but he has probably the highest ceiling of the bunch.

Yoan Moncada (back)/Liam Hendriks (cancer treatment), Chicago White Sox — It’s safe to say Moncada is ready to return to the South Side:

The third baseman went 3-for-3 with a homer for Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, and manager Pedro Grifol says Moncada could return as soon as Friday. He was swinging a very hot bat before he went down last month, and we’ve certainly seen him flash enormous potential, but plenty of question marks remain.

After a couple of clean rehab appearances, Hendriks is nearing a return himself, with Grifol putting him on roughly the same timeline to return as Moncada. He’ll likely resume the closer’s role as soon as he’s back.

Noah Syndergaard (hand), Los Angeles Dodgers — Syndergaard had his start against the Milwaukee Brewers cut short after just one inning due to a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand, which would certainly make it difficult to pitch. No word yet on whether Thor could miss his next start, but it looks ... not great:

Yikes.

Ryan Pepiot (oblique)/Michael Grove (groin), Los Angeles Dodgers — It’s not all bad news for L.A.’s rotation, though:

The fact that Pepiot is facing live hitters is a real improvement, as the promising young righty has been sidelined by an oblique strain that seemingly refused to improve. Grove will likely be the first of these two to return, but we probably won’t see either of them until June while L.A. continues to patch its rotation together behind Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias and Dustin May.

Kyle Hendricks (shoulder), Chicago Cubs — Whatever tweak Hendricks made to his mechanics in Chicago over the weekend seems to have paid dividends, as the righty put together five shutout innings for his best rehab start yet. He threw 61 pitches, which would seem to indicate that he’s built up enough to not require another outing in the Minors. We haven’t seen Hendricks be an above-average pitcher since 2020, though, so don’t get too carried away on the waiver wire.

Aaron Hicks (hip)/Oswald Peraza (ankle), New York Yankees — The injury gods seem to be taking pleasure in torturing the Yankees this season, so of course Aaron Judge’s return from the IL was immediately followed by a couple of position players going on the shelf. Peraza was put on the injured list after missing the last four games with an ankle sprain that needs a little while longer to heal, while Hicks was forced to leave Tuesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics with what the team is calling tightness in his hip. No word yet on whether Hicks might need an IL stint himself, but he was just starting to come around a bit with the bat, so fingers crossed.

Garrett Whitlock (elbow)/James Paxton (hamstring), Boston Red Sox — After a lengthy stay at Triple-A, Paxton has finally been cleared to return to the Majors and will make his 2023 debut on Friday against the Cardinals. The lefty struggled mightily with his command during his rehab stint, so fantasy owners would be advised to take a wait-and-see approach for now. He appears to still have his strikeout stuff of old, though.

Whitlock, meanwhile, appears to have avoided the worst after going down with ulnar neuritis in late April. The righty threw a bullpen on Monday and reportedly came out of it unscathed. Alex Cora still isn’t putting a timetable on his return, but he could be back at some point this month.

Nick Lodolo (calf), Cincinnati Reds — Lodolo is dealing with some calf soreness and has had his turn in the rotation pushed back to this Saturday against the Miami Marlins. A far better matchup than the New York Mets, and the lefty needs the help after posting a 10.38 ERA over his last four starts.

Jared Walsh (headaches and insomnia), Los Angeles Angels — It’s been slow going for Walsh as he attempts to overcome a migraine issue that’s persisted not just this spring but over the past year and a half. The first baseman appears to be getting closer to a return though, as manager Phil Nevin told the media that Walsh could begin a rehab assignment this weekend, assuming he doesn’t experience any sort of setback. He struggled through a lost season last year, but it wasn’t too long ago that he was hitting 30 homers in the middle of the L.A. lineup.

Mauricio Dubon (hamstring), Houston Astros — Dubon pulled up lame while running to first base against the Angels on Tuesday, and non-contact injuries like that generally require an IL stint. The Astros’ bench is thin enough as it is, and if Dubon were forced to miss time, the team would likely have to rely on an unproven option like Rylan Bannon until Altuve is ready.

Ramon Urias (hamstring), Baltimore Orioles — Case in point: Urias tweaked his hamstring on the bases on Monday night, and on Tuesday the O’s were forced to put the infielder on the IL. The team has yet to offer any word on the severity of the strain, but this doesn’t sound great:

Baltimore has help waiting in the wings in Connor Norby, Jordan Westburg and Joey Ortiz, but it’s unclear which direction the team might go.

Travis Jankowski (hamstring), Texas Rangers — Jankowski too was put on the IL on Tuesday with a hamstring strain, short-circuiting what was shaping up to be a breakout season for the speedy outfielder. No word yet on how long Jankowksi might be out.

Ranger Suarez (elbow), Philadelphia Phillies — After an impressive final rehab outing, Suarez is officially set to make his 2023 debut at Coors Field this weekend against the Colorado Rockies. The lefty was up to 93-94 with his sinker in the Minors and could carry streaming appeal in most fantasy leagues once he gets built up (and gets a better matchup).