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Fantasy baseball season is just around the corner, and injuries will affect some players early in the 2024 campaign. Let's take a look at the top injured players including Manny Machado, Justin Verlander, Kenley Jansen, Jacob deGrom, Shane McClanahan, Michael Kopech, Taylor Ward, and more.
This is the first edition of this year's fantasy baseball injury updates for hitters and pitchers as of February 15, 2024. Some players on this list impact fantasy baseball more than others, but with leagues of all shapes and sizes, all players should be monitored ahead of Spring Training.
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Manny Machado Injury Update
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) is swinging with 100 percent effort and is playing catch at the start of spring training. Machado's progress is being monitored closely this spring after he had surgery to fix an extensor tendon in his right elbow late last year. It remains to be seen if he'll actually be ready for Opening Day, but if he is, it seems likely that the Padres will ease him in as their designated hitter.
As of right now, the 31-year-old All-Star is trending towards being ready for the two-game Korea Series to kick off the season against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Machado will be more risky in fantasy drafts in 2024 coming off his injury, but RotoBaller still has him ranked as the No. 6 third baseman after the six-time All-Star reached the 30-homer mark for the second straight year and the seventh time in his career in 2023. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Justin Verlander Injury Update
Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) said he's a couple weeks behind schedule and his timetable is to be determined right now. "When I first started playing catch I usually shut it down for a while and this time when I shut it down and picked a ball back up, my shoulder didn't feel so great so I kind of had to take a step back," Verlander said. It's not what you want to hear from a 40-year-old pitcher, although right now it's still not too big of a concern, especially considering that Verlander missed the first five weeks of the 2023 season before going 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 144 strikeouts during the regular season.
We'll keep a close eye on the three-time Cy Young winner this spring. Even if he's ready to go by Opening Day, fantasy managers must come to grips with the fact that Verlander is an increased health risk at his age.
Kenley Jansen Injury Update
Boston Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow said that closer Kenley Jansen (lat) reported to camp with some "general lat soreness" and will not be throwing for now. However, Jansen did take part in other drills on Monday and had been throwing bullpen sessions at home. This isn't good news for the 36-year-old reliever, especially since the Red Sox have been shopping him in trades, but it appears to be a minor injury that may not end up affecting his availability for the start of the 2024 season.
If everything calms down in his lat, Jansen hopes to resume throwing in around a week. If Jansen isn't ready for the start of the regular season or if he's traded during spring training, Chris Martin and Josh Winckowski would become the two primary candidates for closing duties in Boston in 2024.
Jacob deGrom Injury Update
Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (elbow) said that he started to throw on Monday and will be throwing again on Wednesday at spring training. deGrom is slowly recovering after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last June. If everything goes as planned, the 35-year-old veteran should be able to return to Texas' rotation at some point this summer, along with fellow starter Max Scherzer (back). At this point in his career, deGrom has become a big-time injury risk, as he hasn't thrown more than 100 innings since 2019.
After signing a five-year, $185 million deal with the Rangers before the 2023 campaign, deGrom made just six starts before going under the knife. But he was great before getting hurt, striking out 45 and walking just four in 30 1/3 innings.
Shane McClanahan Injury Update
The Tampa Bay Rays placed left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Phil Maton, who was signed to an undisclosed major-league contract. McClanahan is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery in August of last year and is expected to miss all of the 2024 season.
The 26-year-old southpaw should be taken off all cheat sheets for upcoming fantasy drafts in single-year leagues. In a best-case scenario, McClanahan would return to help pitch for the Rays if they make a deep postseason run this fall. He's been an All-Star each of the last two years and was a Cy Young candidate in the American League in 2022 after posting a career-best 2.54 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with a career-high 194 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings over 28 starts.
Michael Kopech Injury Update
Chicago White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech (knee) appears to be healthy and threw a bullpen session at spring training on Wednesday. Kopech had minor knee surgery to remove a cyst from his right knee last year and finished the season on the injured list, but the 27-year-old appears to be fully healthy and should be ready for Opening Day.
It was a rough 2023 season for Kopech, as he went 5-12 with a career-worst 5.43 ERA (6.46 FIP) and 1.59 WHIP with a league-high 91 walks and a career-high 134 strikeouts in a career-high 129 1/3 innings pitched over 30 appearances (27 starts). The White Sox took him out of the starting rotation late in the year because of his struggles, but he'll be back in the rotation to begin the year as he looks to bounce back. He's going to need to fix his walk issues if he's going to do that.
Taylor Ward Injury Update
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (face) is in camp with the team and said he feels 100 percent after being hit in the face by a pitch that ended his 2023 season last July. He plans to face live pitching for the first time in spring training this Saturday. It was already reported last week that the Angels didn't have any plans to hold the 30-year-old back in spring training, so he should be ready to roll for Opening Day after he had surgery in August to fix several facial fractures.
The Halos will be hoping Ward can step up in 2024 as one of the more prominent offensive weapons and starting left fielder. Injuries have held him to fewer than 100 games in each of the last two seasons, but Ward was productive before his injury last year, slashing .253/.335/.421 with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, four stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 97 games played.
Robbie Ray Injury Update
San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday as he recovers from left-elbow UCL surgery. In a corresponding move, the Giants signed right-hander Austin Warren to an undisclosed one-year major-league deal. Ray underwent Tommy John surgery in May of last year after making only three starts for the Seattle Mariners and won't be able to pitch in 2024 until the second half of the season after the Giants acquired the former Cy Young winner in an offseason trade with Seattle.
The 32-year-old veteran southpaw is an elite strikeout artist when healthy and took the next step in 2021 with the Blue Jays when he won the American League Cy Young by finally limiting his walks. Ray has already been cleared to throw three times a week but won't be an option for fantasy managers until the second half of 2024.
Jasson Dominguez Injury Update
The New York Yankees placed outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Lou Trivino, who was signed to an undisclosed one-year major-league deal. Trivino's deal includes a club option for 2025.
Dominguez is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right throwing arm but has been shagging balls in the outfield in camp and is scheduled to resume playing catch soon. However, the 21-year-old still has a long way to go in his recovery and isn't expected to make his 2024 debut until sometime this summer. He took Justin Verlander deep on his first big-league swing last year and had four home runs in his first eight games, demonstrating the kind of upside he'll have as a starter for the Yankees in the future.
Stone Garrett Injury Update
Washington Nationals outfielder Stone Garrett (leg) is a full-go for the start of spring training and will hopefully be ready for Opening Day, but general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez said that Garrett's progress will be monitored closely at camp. It was reported recently that Garrett was unlikely to be ready for Opening Day after having surgery last August to fix a fractured fibula.
It appears the 28-year-old is making good progress, but he'll understandably be eased into Grapefruit League action, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he starts the 2024 season on the 10-day injured list. Whenever Garrett does make his season debut, he's likely to be involved in a platoon situation in Washington's outfield, possibly with the left-handed-hitting Jesse Winker.
Emerson Hancock Injury Update
Seattle Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (shoulder) threw a bullpen session at spring training on Wednesday. Hancock made his major-league debut in 2023, but he was only able to make three starts before being shut down due to a Grade 1 shoulder strain. The 24-year-old didn't need offseason surgery, though, and looks likely to be ready for the start of the 2024 season.
Hancock will be competing for a starting rotation spot in camp, but he could be a long shot to break camp with the Mariners as long as their other rotation options stay healthy this spring. In his three starts last year, Hancock allowed six earned runs on 13 hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out six in 12 innings. The former first-rounder in 2020 hasn't shown much consistency in the minors and would benefit from more seasoning down on the farm to open 2024.
Alex Cobb Injury Update
San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) said his hip feels great and he's hoping to be cleared to throw off a mound soon. His goal is to face hitters by the end of spring training and go from there. Cobb started throwing on flat ground a few weeks ago after having left-hip surgery in October.
The 36-year-old veteran starter isn't going to be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season, though, but he's hoping to join the rotation before the All-Star break in July. Cobb was pretty fortunate to have an ERA under 4.00 in 28 starts and 151 1/3 innings in his second year with the Giants in 2023 with a drop in velocity, which can likely be attributed to his hip injury. With around half a season's worth of work projected for 2024, Cobb is much less attractive in fantasy.
Casey Mize Injury Update
While Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize (back) was recovering from Tommy John surgery last spring, he also revealed that he had an unspecified back procedure to correct an injury he had been dealing with for "years." The former first-overall pick in 2018 didn't pitch at all for Detroit in 2023 and hasn't pitched in a major league game since April 14, 2022. The 26-year-old has dealt with several arm injuries already but is now a full-go this spring and should open the 2024 season in the starting rotation.
In 188 2/3 total innings in the majors to this point, Mize has posted a 4.29 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 148 strikeouts. Fantasy managers should expect rust from Mize given his long layoff, and an inevitable innings limit this year will keep his fantasy ceiling rather low. (TheAthletic)
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