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Dave Funnell's fantasy baseball injury report for Week 6 Injury Report - Updates on Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jose Ramirez, George Kirby, Yordan Alvarez, Corbin Burnes, and more
Welcome, RotoBallers, to my fantasy baseball injury report for May 4. Every week, we look back at the major injury developments in baseball and look ahead at what might transpire. Today, we examine recent injuries and updates for Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jose Ramirez, George Kirby, Yordan Alvarez, Corbin Burnes, and more.
Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, but how you handle them can mean the difference between a last-place finish and somewhere near the top of your league's standings.
The hope is that whatever comes your way, you can understand what the injury is, what it means for your fantasy team, and what actions you should take. Let's get right to this week's injury-related news.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr. - 3B/OF New York Yankees
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (oblique) could miss 4-6 weeks, Aaron Boone said.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) May 2, 2025
There were many major injuries this week, but this one likely hurts the most for many reasons, which we will get into later. Concerning the ailment, oblique injuries are incredibly tricky to overcome because they linger. Since they are located on the side of the body, they play a big part in a player's ability to swing a bat. Any sudden or jerky movement can trigger a resurgence of the pain, resulting in setbacks. As a result, players who suffer from these injuries tend to need rehab assignments since their bodies cannot train like they are used to, and thus their timing and mechanics are off-kilter. It should be noted, too, that he has three high-grade oblique tears, making this a tricky and significant injury.
As for why this injury cuts deep, the main reason here is that his raft cost in the offseason was relatively high. He was selected in the second or third rounds in many drafts, making him a core piece of any team's structure. Fantasy owners have likely lost a key piece of their offense here and have done so at a position (third base) where depth isn't nearly as strong as elsewhere. This was always the risk versus the reward, as Chisholm had been known to have an extensive injury history. Still, his five-category upside made that injury risk worth overlooking to achieve some fantasy gold.
In addition to the injury risk, he has also been known to be a slow healer, in that his time away for his injuries tended to add up in length. There's an argument to be made that the Marlins were never in a rush for him to return because they were always rebuilding. Still, it's difficult to ignore the past and the fact that history could repeat itself.
The Yankees have said that prospect Jorbit Vivas will get an extended look and an opportunity to play in the meantime. His minor league career is not impressive at all, and despite his solid start to the 2025 Minor League season, he isn't someone fantasy owners should be actively seeking. Other options for a third base replacement could be Javier Baez, who entered the season healthy for the first time in years. While he is unlikely to continue this hot stretch at the plate, he does have a favorable schedule playing the Rockies three times this week before heading home to face the Rangers. This might be a quick one-week fix while implementing a longer-term plan.
MLB Injury News Quick Hits
The Guardians lost Jose Ramirez on Friday night with a mild ankle sprain while trying to beat a throw to first base. While Ramirez himself was trying to stay in the game, manager Stephen Vogt made the call to remove him from the game for precautionary reasons. It's fair to assume that the hard turf in Toronto played a part in this extra cautious move. There has been no word yet on a potential move to the Injured List, and while there's still a chance of that happening, it would appear that he will be ready to return soon enough.
Spencer Strider has not yet progressed to throwing from a mound, as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Once that happens, he will likely be able to start ramping up toward a return. Until that happens, he seems to be relatively limited in what he can do physically. He can't throw too hard because he may reaggravate his injury or cause further damage to his hamstring. As such, he may require a rehab start or two to regain his rhythm and mechanics, especially after being inactive for so long with his internal brace procedure.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is still weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment, but even that is a best-case scenario guess. While nobody knows when, it could be somewhat concerning, although he was cleared to ramp up activities. We are three weeks removed from that checkup
Triston Casas spent Friday night at a local medical facility after a nasty collision caused severe damage to his knee. The first baseman collided while running out a groundball and went flying into the air. It was announced yesterday that he would miss the rest of the season with a ruptured patellar tendon, with an impending surgery happening soon. There is some talk of Rafael Devers playing first base to take over for the injured Casas, though other internal options are also being considered.
The Red Sox were without Kristian Campbell for three consecutive games because of rib discomfort. The team is confident that he will be back by today.
Yordan Alvarez was scratched from the lineup on Saturday after succumbing to right-hand inflammation. He aggravated the ailment while in the batting cages, and the team decided to give him the day off. He had been dealing with this for days before his departure, so the hope is that a day or two off will help him get it right.
It was a potentially scary situation for Anthony Volpe on Saturday, as he felt a "pop" in his shoulder while diving for a groundball. Fortunately, it seems like the Yankees may have dodged a bullet, as X-rays came back negative. That said, he will be getting an MRI, so he's not out of the woods yet. Hearing and feeling "pops" in a shoulder is not something that usually leads to positive news, so for now, he's likely day-to-day.
Kirby will be starting a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma today. Keep in mind that he has had no build-up at all, and as such, he will need to work through multiple outings to be ready to make his 2025 debut with the Mariners. He will need to accumulate a "Spring Training's worth" of innings, so anything before the end of May would be a surprise.
The Diamondbacks hope that Corbin Burnes will miss minimal time with shoulder inflammation, but it's not looking good. Burnes had an MRI on Friday, as he had been experiencing fatigue after his last start. He hasn't missed a start in years and was seemingly one of the most reliable starters in baseball because of his durability and longevity. His status for next week is a work in progress and needs to be monitored. We may not know more about his health before the lineups lock on Monday.
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