MLB injury report for Monday, May 8

Intro

MLB injury report: Monday, May 8

Luis Severino (lat), New York Yankees — After weeks of bullpens and live BPs and hints at potential rehab starts, we finally have a concrete Severino update: The righty is set to start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on either Wednesday or Thursday of this week. And he sounds like he’s chomping at the bit to get back to the Bronx.

He’ll likely need at least one more start next week, but he could be back in New York’s rotation in 10 days or so.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (wrist), Toronto Blue Jays — Vladito missed another game on Sunday, and it doesn’t seem like an IL stint is totally out of the question:

Guerrero Jr. could be back as early as Tuesday, but if it doesn’t start progressing soon they may need to put him on the injured list if only to free up a roster spot.

Tyler Glasnow (oblique)/Pete Fairbanks (forearm), Tampa Bay Rays — After a stellar first start at Triple-A, Glasnow has apparently come out of it feeling fine, with Rays manager Kevin Cash telling reporters on Sunday that the righty should just need to make two more rehab starts to build his pitch count back up before returning to the Majors. Fairbanks, meanwhile, played catch on Sunday for the first time since going on the IL with forearm inflammation last week. The closer insisted he’d be back after missing just the minimum 10 days, and this is a step in that direction.

Max Fried (undisclosed), Atlanta Braves — Well, at least this is specific:

It seems like Fried will at the very least have his start pushed back a day or two, but it’s unclear whether it’s due to injury or something else. The lefty gave up seven runs —five earned — in his last start, and nothing injury related was reported after the game, but Snitker’s quote sure makes it seem like something’s up.

J.D. Martinez (back), Los Angeles Dodgers — Some positive news for the Dodgers’ DH: Dave Roberts told reporters on Sunday that Martinez faced lived pitching today and is set to come off the IL on Friday — without a rehab assignment. Martinez had just started heating up when his back began barking, so hopefully he won’t miss a beat.

Michael Brantley (shoulder)/Chas McCormick (back), Houston Astros — Look out, American League: The Astros are finally starting to get healthy.

Jose Altuve is back facing live pitching, and now Brantley and McCormick are about to return to offer some badly needed depth to the Astros’ lineup. McCormick in particular was a big loss, as he was crushing the ball as Houston’s leadoff man before going down with a back strain.

Jose Urquidy (shoulder), Houston Astros — The news for Urquidy isn’t so rosy, but at least it’s better than rotation-mate Luis Garcia: The righty will be out for a while with shoulder inflammation, but Houston GM Dana Brown says the team hopes to have him back at some point around the All-Star break.

Jose Suarez (shoulder), Los Angeles Angels — Suarez’s nightmare season went from bad to worse on Sunday, as the lefty was forced from his start against the Texas Rangers with shoulder pain. The team has yet to release any sort of official prognosis, but it doesn’t seem great:

If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that top prospect Chase Silseth is waiting in the wings in L.A.’s bullpen. He’s a recommended add in deeper fantasy leagues should Suarez need to miss time.

Alex Wood (hamstring), San Francisco Giants — Wood began a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Sunday, and while he was understandably rusty, the good news is the lefty threw 46 pitches and emerged reportedly pain-free. He was throwing the ball very well when he went down with a hamstring strain in April, showing improved velocity, and would be a recommended add in deeper leagues when he comes back given his pitcher-friendly home environment.

Travis Jankowski (hamstring), Texas Rangers — Jankowski was forced to exit early on Sunday with hamstring tightness, and while the team is hopeful that it’s just a cramp, they won’t know until they see how it progresses in a day or two. If it’s more than that, it would be a real blow, as Jankowski has a .805 OPS so far this year and was even hitting second in the lineup against righties.

Victor Robles (back), Washington Nationals — Man, what a bummer this is. It felt like the Nats had been waiting for years for Robles’ bat to come even close to matching his defense in center field, and just as it started to look like it might — the speedster had a 114 OPS+ with eight steals through his first 31 games — he’s been forced onto the IL with back spasms. This should open up plenty of playing time for Stone Garrett.

Ryan Yarbrough (face), Kansas City Royals — Among the scariest moments of the weekend was Yarbrough getting hit in the face by a 106-mph line drive from the Oakland Athletics’ Ryan Noda:

Thankfully, Yarbrough was alert on the field and eventually walked off under his own power. He’s set to undergo further testing, presumably for a concussion, and the team should release an update in the next day or two.

Jake Burger (oblique), Chicago White Sox — Burger has already resumed running after landing on the IL with an oblique strain last week. The biggest test — swinging a bat — is still to come, but it’s encouraging that he’s going through baseball activities without experiencing any pain. Burger had been a force in Chicago’s lineup, with a .612 slugging percentage and seven homers in just 23 games, so he can’t get back soon enough.

Royce Lewis (knee), Minnesota Twins — It’s about time:

A one-time top prospect, Lewis looked to finally be breaking out in his first taste of the Majors last year before tearing his ACL. When he’s right, he has a truly unique combination of power and speed that makes him a worthy stash in all fantasy leagues. (In other Twins infielder news, Kyle Farmer is in the midst of a rehab assignment at Triple-A and should be activated at some point this week after his scary hit-by-pitch last month.)

Kyle Hendricks (shoulder), Chicago Cubs — Hendricks’ rehab appearances so far for Triple-A haven’t gone great — like, 20.77 ERA levels of not going great — but both pitcher and team don’t seem too concerned. Hendricks was in Chicago over the weekend to go over some mechanical tweaks, and he told reporters that he’ll likely make two more starts in Iowa this week before likely coming off the IL at some point next week. Just who he’d boot from the rotation is a tough question now that Hayden Wesneski has turned things around.

Ranger Suarez (elbow), Philadelphia Phillies — Suarez looked in control in a rehab start at Triple-A on Sunday, and he seems set to come off the IL in the coming days. Hopefully that won’t come during Philly’s weekend set with the Colorado Rockies at the Coors Field, because in the right matchup Suarez is certainly a fantasy-viable arm.

James Paxton (hamstring), Boston Red Sox — It seems like Paxton is finally ready to make his Red Sox debut:

The results haven’t been pretty at Triple-A so far, but his velocity is there, and presumably the command will come back with time.

Aaron Civale (oblique), Cleveland Guardians — Civale has progressed to facing live hitters and is set to throw a simulated game at the club’s Spring Training site this week. He’s on track to return before the end of the month and looked much-improved — with a brand-new and very effective slider — before landing on the IL after just two starts. He’ll be a decent speculative add in deeper leagues when he comes back.

Christian Arroyo (hamstring), Boston Red Sox — Just as Arroyo seemed to be making strides at the plate, with a 1.368 OPS over the last week, Boston announced Sunday that he’s been placed on the IL with a hamstring strain. Enmanuel Valdez has been filling in gamely at second base and has some deep-league appeal for owners needing average help (and a few steals), but the real question is whether the Red Sox will consider promoting David Hamilton from Triple-A — the 25-year-old has a .955 OPS with six homers and a whopping 20 steals in 23 games so far in Worcester.