MLB injury report for Tuesday, May 23

Intro

MLB injury report: Tuesday, May 23

Tyler Glasnow (oblique), Tampa Bay Rays — Finally, some good news for the Rays’ beleaguered rotation:

Glasnow looked great at Triple-A Durham on Monday, striking out six over six innings of two-hit ball — so good, in fact, that Tampa has already penciled him in for his MLB debut this weekend. Health will always be a question mark for the flamethrower, but his upside is nearly unmatched.

Max Fried (forearm), Atlanta Braves — Also good news in Atlanta, where Max Fried is almost set to begin his long road back from a forearm strain suffered earlier this month:

That process will likely take around a month or so, and then the requisite rehab starts could push his return until after the All-Star break. The lefty was making a real NL Cy Young case before going on the IL.

Eloy Jimenez (abdomen)/Liam Hendriks (cancer treatment), Chicago White Sox — The South Siders have begun to play a bit better in recent days, and they should be getting some reinforcements very soon. Jimenez is set to begin a rehab assignment at some point this week, just a few weeks after undergoing an appendectomy, and could return by the end of the month. Hendriks’ return, meanwhile, could be even sooner: Manager Pedro Grifol told reporters that the closer saw his velocity tick up during a recent bullpen session, and now all that’s left is decide when to give him the green light. That could come as early as this weekend, which would be a remarkable recovery months removed from being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Julio Urias (hamstring)/Michael Grove (groin), Los Angeles Dodgers — The Rays aren’t the only World Series contender dealing with a battered starting staff. The Dodgers have been dealing with their share of injuries too, although Dave Roberts gave optimistic updates on two of his injured arms on Monday. Urias’ hamstring strain turned out to be relatively mild, and the team is hoping he’ll be able to return by early June — possibly as soon as their marquee series against the New York Yankees. Grove, meanwhile, struck out seven over 4.1 innings while throwing 64 pitches at Triple-A, and he might need just one more rehab start before returning. Given Gavin Stone’s struggles early in his MLB career, the Dodgers need to start finding answers on the mound.

Logan Webb (back), San Francisco Giants — Webb owners and Giants fans can both exhale, as manager Gabe Kapler told reporters on Monday that the righty’s back tightness — which was enough to take him out of the game after six innings against the Miami Marlins over the weekend — isn’t serious enough to scratch or even push back his next start Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm), Houston Astros — It seemed like McCullers Jr. was building up toward a possible return sometime in late June, but Astros GM Dana Brown told reporters that the team wants to be careful with its injured ace and is targeting a date around the All-Star break. McCullers has already been throwing 30-40 pitches in bullpen sessions, and if all goes well he should begin a rehab assignment in the next two or three weeks.

Garrett Whitlock (elbow), Boston Red Sox — After 4.2 shutout innings last time out at Triple-A Worcester, it seems like Whitlock could be closing in on a return to Boston’s rotation:

This will only add to the Red Sox’ rotation squeeze, as they currently have six or seven guys for five slots, so it’s unclear whether Whitlock will move to the bullpen or resume a starting role over someone like Tanner Houck.

Luis Urias (hamstring)/Eric Lauer (shoulder), Milwaukee Brewers — Some good news for Milwaukee’s slumping offense: Urias, out since Opening Day with a significant hamstring strain, is set to return to game action:

Health is always a question, but the infielder put up 39 homers and six steals with a 111 OPS+ across 269 games in 2021 and 2022. Lauer, meanwhile, became the latest Brewers arm to land on the IL after he struggled this weekend amid diminished fastball velocity. The official diagnosis is a right (non-throwing) shoulder impingement, which the pitcher called a “small, lingering issue” that he doesn’t expect to keep him out too long.

TJ Friedl (oblique), Cincinnati Reds — It sounds like Friedl is getting very close to a return from his oblique strain:

The center fielder resumed baseball activities just a few days after landing on the IL, so this is hardly a surprise. He’s been among the Reds’ best players when healthy, batting .306 with three homers and four steals across 37 games so far this season.

Trevor Rogers (biceps), Miami Marlins — Rogers, out for over a month with a biceps strain, is set to throw an extended spring training game this week that could lead to a rehab assignment next week if all goes according to plan. The lefty looked to finally be recapturing his All-Star form before going down, so hopefully he can pick up where he left off.