MLB injury report for Thursday, May 4

Intro

MLB injury report: Thursday, May 4

Kyle Wright (shoulder), Atlanta Braves — Can we go a single day without losing a starter to injury? Wright was forced to leave his start against the Miami Marlins with shoulder soreness and was almost immediately put on the injured list. It’s unclear what exactly is wrong, or what a timetable might be for Wright’s return — but listening to the righty talk about it, this doesn’t seem like a short-term thing.

Dylan Dodd, who made the Opening Day rotation but struggled in his MLB debut, will get the call from Triple-A to start tomorrow.

Jacob deGrom (elbow), Texas Rangers — We’ve got our first update on deGrom since he left his start against the New York Yankees will elbow soreness, and it’s a (relatively) positive one:

It doesn’t sound like much, but the fact that deGrom is scheduled to begin throwing in the coming days is a good sign and hopefully rules out any worst-case scenarios. The team will obviously be careful with its ace, though, so this could be awhile.

Oswald Peraza (ankle), New York Yankees — Sure, just add another injured Yankee to the pile. Peraza, one of the team’s top prospects who’s been bouncing around second, third and short in his brief MLB career, rolled an ankle trying to steal a base against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday. Aaron Boone said Peraza has been sent for X-rays and the team will know more in the next or two about whether it’ll require an IL stint.

Michael Harris II (knee), Atlanta Braves — Every Braves fan had to be holding their breath after watching Harris, just returned from the IL due to a back injury, appear to tweak his knee attempting to beat out a throw to first:

Thankfully it doesn’t seem to be as bad as it looked: Manager Brian Snitker told reporters after the game that Harris “jammed” the knee and might miss a day or two but won’t require another trip to the IL. Sam Hilliard will be his replacement in center and is an intriguing streaming play against right-handed pitching.

Pete Fairbanks (forearm), Tampa Bay Rays — A few days after being put on the shelf with numbness in his fingers — thought to be a symptom of his Raynaud’s syndrome — Fairbanks has now been put on the IL with forearm inflammation. The closer doesn’t seem too concerned, hoping to only miss the minimum number of games, but given his history of arm troubles the team will surely err on the side of caution. Jason Adam will take over closer’s duties while Fairbanks is out and is a must-add in all fantasy leagues as one of the game’s underrated relief arms.

Zach Neto (finger), Los Angeles Angels — Neto got his finger clipped by a pitch while squaring to bunt on Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, but luckily it appears to be just a contusion rather than a broken bone:

Neto has struggled a bit in his first taste of the Majors, but he’s a smooth defender at short and carries lots of upside with the bat as one of L.A.’s top prospects.

Carlos Rodon (back/forearm)/Luis Severino (lat)/Nestor Cortes (strep)/Tommy Kahnle (biceps), New York Yankees — It’s been that kind of year for the Yanks so far, so let’s just get them all out of the way at once. Bad news first: 1) Cortes is suffering from strep throat and will have his start moved back to Monday against the Oakland Athletics and 2) Rodon just resumed his throwing program, and already his back is threatening to shut the lefty down again.

Boone said Rodon will go for additional testing on Thursday, but this is the same cycle the team just went through about a week ago. At this point it’s anyone’s guess when Rodon might be back, which means plenty of Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt for the foreseeable future.

The news is better for Severino, who’s set to make his first rehab start at High-A Tampa on Thursday. Boone told reporters they’re hoping to have the righty back in the big league rotation in 2-3 weeks, implying that Severino will make at least two and possibly three starts in the Minors. Kahnle, meanwhile — who’s been out since March with biceps tendinitis — will throw a bullpen on Thursday and, if all goes well, he could start his own rehab assignment in the coming days.

Jameson Taillon (groin), Chicago Cubs — Just a day David Ross essentially ruled Taillon out of the picture to start Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals, the Cubs manager has apparently had a change of heart:

Taillon didn’t require a rehab assignment, so it’s unclear just how deep he’ll be allowed to go on Thursday. His stuff looked much improved over last year, though, and he’s a recommended add in deeper fantasy leagues.

Corbin Carroll (knee), Arizona Diamondbacks — Carroll had missed the last few games after banging his knee into the outfield fence at Coors Field, but the NL Rookie of the Year favorite returned as a pinch-hitter on Wednesday against the Rangers and could very well be back in the lineup today.

Carlos Carrasco (elbow), New York Mets — Carrasco is set to make a rehab start on Friday or Saturday, as the Mets rotation continues to get healthy slowly but surely. The righty had struggled in his first three starts, with clearly diminished stuff, but the hope is that the surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow will help remedy that.

Jake Burger (oblique), Chicago White Sox — Burger had been among the lone bright spots in a dismal start for Chicago, filling in for the injured Yoan Moncada with a .951 OPS and seven homers in just 22 games. Of course, this is the 2023 White Sox we’re talking about, so naturally Burger was forced to leave Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with side discomfort. The team has yet to issue an official diagnosis, but all signs are pointing toward the dreaded oblique strain right now.

Kenley Jansen (back)/Garrett Whitlock (elbow)/Kutter Crawford (knee), Boston Red Sox — Updates on three key pieces of Boston’s pitching staff. Jansen, who’s been sidelined with a balky back for the last few days, threw a bullpen on Wednesday and appears to have come out of it feeling fine. He could return in the next few days, and it sounds like he’ll avoid the IL.

Whitlock, meanwhile, seems to have gotten as good of an update as he could’ve hoped for after experiencing numbness in his elbow just prior to his scheduled start last weekend: A doctor found no symptoms of ulnar neuritis, and Whitlock has been cleared to start throwing again. He told reporters he hopes to miss the minimum 15 days, which would be a godsend to a Red Sox rotation that’s been battered by poor health and poor performance.

Crawford, one of the team’s bright spots out of the bullpen, left Wednesday’s win over the Toronto Blue Jays with hamstring tightness. Alex Cora said the team hopes to know more tomorrow.

Yan Gomes (concussion), Chicago Cubs — Gomes got whacked in the head by a backswing against the Washington Nationals on Monday, and he’s apparently still not feeling quite right as the team has put its starting catcher on the seven-day concussion IL. Tucker Barnhart will become the primary option, while prospect Miguel Amaya has been called up.

Ranger Suarez (elbow), Philadelphia Phillies — Suarez sounds like he could be back in Philly before too long:

The lefty pitched to a solid 3.65 ERA last year, and while he’ll never strike many batters out, his elite sinker makes him an add in deeper leagues and a solid streaming play everywhere depending on the matchup.

Jose Quijada (elbow), Los Angeles Angels — Things seemed to be heading in this direction based on some ominous quotes about Quijada’s elbow, and now it’s official: The reliever will have to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season. Carlos Estevez is now locked into the closer’s role and is making the most of it.

Jared Walsh (headaches/insomnia), Los Angeles Angels — Walsh’s debilitating headaches finally seem to be improving, and manager Phil Nevin says he’ll talk with the first baseman about next steps — either live BP or just a rehab assignment. Walsh struggled mightily in 2022 but had been among the game’s best at the cold corner in 2020 and 2021, and he could be a big boost to an Angels lineup currently heavy on righties.

Daniel Espino (shoulder), Cleveland Guardians — Man, this one’s a bummer:

One of the most electric arms in the Minors — with a fastball that sits 99 and wipeout breaking stuff — Espino seemed to be on a fast track to Cleveland ... until shoulder soreness popped up in the second half of last season. That soreness has finally culminated in surgery that will keep the righty out a full year-plus. At least Guardians fans can console themselves with thoughts of Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams for the time being.

Johnny Cueto (biceps), Miami Marlins — Cueto, who left his first start of the season with biceps tendonitis, is set to make his first rehab start at Double-A this weekend, a welcome sight for a Marlins team already down Trevor Rogers. The righty could return in mid-May if all goes well.