Injuries: J. Duran, Harper, Yankees, Friedl, Blue Jays
Stay up-to-date with all the latest news on injured and recovering players from across Major League Baseball.
Jhoan Duran, Byron Buxton, Anthony DeSclafani and Caleb Thielbar, Twins
Duran planned to throw live batting practice on March 16 but was shut down after the hard-throwing righty experienced cramping and tightness in his side. An MRI exam revealed a moderate oblique strain. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey said on March 18 that the club should have a better idea of Duran's timeline within the week
Buxton was a late scratch on March 18 as a precaution after the team said he was experiencing low back tightness on his right side.
Falvey announced on March 18 that DeSclafani (right forearm strain) would start the 2024 season on the injured list. DeSclafani last pitched in a Minor League game on March 16, throwing 36 pitches over two innings. Following the outing, he felt some tenderness in the same spot that sidelined the right-hander in 2023.
Despite feeling good in his build-up, Thielbar (left hamstring strain) experienced some tightness and tenderness during his last throwing session and was shut down. There is currently no timeline for the lefty, but he is expected to start the season on the injured list. More >
Bryce Harper and Orion Kerkering, Phillies
Harper missed his fourth consecutive Grapefruit League game on March 18 due to back stiffness. Manager Rob Thomson said the club is having Harper sit out as a precaution. The two-time NL MVP said he hopes to play by March 22. More >
Kerkering has not pitched since March 1 because of an illness that has been running through the Phillies' clubhouse. Kerkering entered camp considered a near lock to make the bullpen but he might not be ready in time for Opening Day. More >
Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge and DJ LeMahieu, Yankees
After visiting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, Cole (right elbow discomfort) said that he will not throw for three to four weeks, then begin to “hit the ground running” to rejoin the team in-season. Cole's visit with ElAttrache confirmed that there appears to be no damage to his ulnar collateral ligament.
The Yankees plan to have Judge (abdominal discomfort) return to the lineup on March 20, manager Aaron Boone said. Boone noted that Judge performed well against high-velocity pitching machines on March 17 and against simulated breaking balls on March 18.
LeMahieu might not be ready for Opening Day after sustaining what Boone described as “a pretty significant bone bruise” from fouling a ball off his right foot on March 16. More >
TJ Friedl and Matt McLain, Reds
Friedl will be out for an extended period after he was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist on March 17. His return has no immediate timeline, but he will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. More >
McLain, who was set to start at shortstop on March 18, was scratched from the lineup as a precaution with left shoulder soreness. There was no immediate word if he would miss more time. McLain already missed three weeks earlier in camp with right oblique soreness. More >
Kevin Gausman, Danny Jansen and Alek Manoah, Blue Jays
Gausman (right shoulder fatigue) was scheduled to throw one inning in a live bullpen session on March 15. If all goes well, he’ll get into a game next week. Manager John Schneider would ideally like to see Gausman built up closer to 70 pitches by the time he appears in a regular-season game, so the Opening Day start is clearly unlikely at this point.
Jansen suffered a fractured pisiform bone in his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch on March 13. While he’ll be evaluated further in the coming days, Schneider and the Blue Jays are hopeful that this won’t keep him sidelined much into the season.
Manoah (right shoulder soreness) was slated for long toss on March 14. If all goes well, the next step would be to get the right-hander back on a mound. More >
Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, Josh Jung and Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers
Scherzer, who is recovering from back surgery for a herniated disc, has been cleared to resume baseball activities and is back with the Rangers at their Spring Training complex in Surprise, Ariz. More >
Seager, who underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia in January, began taking light swings on March 11. He could conceivably get a few at-bats in Cactus League play before camp breaks, though manager Bruce Bochy said he would have a better idea of Seager's timeline in about a week.
Jung (left calf strain) has resumed running, and Bochy said he's "doing very well" but is taking it slow as a precaution. More >
According to Bochy on March 8, Lowe will be sidelined for a “little bit” with a right oblique strain, potentially putting Opening Day in jeopardy for the 28-year-old. The initial timeline is three to four weeks, depending on his progress. More >
José Urquidy, Justin Verlander and José Abreu, Astros
Manager Joe Espada said on March 18 that Urquidy was probably not going to be able to begin the season on time after being diagnosed with a right forearm muscle strain.
Verlander, who will start the season on the injured list because of his right shoulder issue, threw a bullpen session on March 14. His next appearance will likely come against live hitters.
Abreu (right knee soreness) took ground balls and also took batting practice on March 13. He then did a full workout with the team on March 15, and hopes to do the same on March 16. Espada said if all goes well, the veteran first baseman will be back in the lineup as a designated hitter against the Cardinals on March 17. More >
Nolan Schanuel, Angels
Schanuel was originally in the lineup on March 18 against the Brewers but was scratched with back tightness about two and a half hours before first pitch. Schanuel walked off the practice field during workouts with discomfort and talked with manager Ron Washington briefly as he left the field. The severity of the injury is unclear. More >
Kyle Finnegan, Nationals
Finnegan (back stiffness) threw a bullpen on March 18 and is slated to return to game action on March 20. The closer, who recorded a career-high 28 saves in 2023, has not pitched in a game since March 12. More >
Kodai Senga and Jeff McNeil, Mets
Initially when Senga was diagnosed with a shoulder strain early in camp, Mets officials estimated that he would go three weeks without throwing. A check-up at the three-week mark prompted the team to extend that by another 7-10 days, pushing Senga to late March.
McNeil (left biceps soreness) was expected to play five innings in a Minor League game on March 17, and if all goes well, he would be lined up to make his Grapefruit League debut on March 19. More >
Josh Lowe, Taj Bradley, Taylor Walls and Shane Baz, Rays
While working his way back from a bout with left hip inflammation, Lowe injured his right oblique, sustaining a Grade 1 strain that will keep him off Tampa Bay’s Opening Day roster. More >
Bradley is expected to begin the season on the injured list after sustaining a right pectoral strain while warming up in the bullpen for his scheduled start on March 12. More >
Walls, who underwent right hip surgery on Oct. 27, was "a ways away" as of March 6, according to Cash, and won’t be ready for Opening Day. His exact return timeframe is uncertain.
Baz, who completed his rehab from September 2022 Tommy John surgery, tweaked his oblique picking up a weight in the weight room on March 4, but Cash said the injury isn't much of a concern. Baz got back on the mound to face hitters on March 16, and the Rays hope he can remain on schedule to build up after camp ends, which will likely put him in position to pitch competitively at some point in May. More >
Devin Williams and Wade Miley, Brewers
Williams has two stress fractures in his back and is expected to miss around three months. He has been shut down from baseball activity for six weeks and will take about six more weeks to build back up after that.
Miley (left shoulder soreness) is scheduled to make his first Cactus League start on March 21 against San Francisco. More >
Orlando Arcia, Braves
Arcia received good news when an X-ray on his left hand showed no fracture. An MRI also came back negative. Arcia exited a split-squad game against Boston on March 17 after his hand was hit by a pitch. More >
Brandon Crawford, Tommy Edman, Sonny Gray, Lars Nootbaar and Keynan Middleton, Cardinals
Crawford left the game early on March 17 after he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist. Crawford underwent X-rays after coming out of the game, which came back clear.
Edman will start the season on the injured list due to lingering pain in his surgically repaired right wrist, manager Oliver Marmol said on March 14. Edman will not hit for at least one week. More >
Gray, who strained his right hamstring on March 4, was scheduled to pitch in a simulated pregame situation on March 17 against hitters standing in the box, but not swinging.
Nootbaar has two nondisplaced fractures in his ribs on the left side, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said on March 8.
Middleton recently underwent an MRI that revealed a strain in his right forearm, and he will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Marmol said. More >
Lucas Giolito, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin and Rob Refsnyder, Red Sox
Giolito underwent surgery with an internal brace to repair his right elbow ulnar collateral ligament, the Red Sox announced on March 13. Giolito is expected to miss all of this season, but because the operation included a brace and was not full Tommy John surgery, the right-hander stands a much better chance to pitch the entire 2025 season. More >
Jansen (lower back tightness) was supposed to make his second outing of Spring Training on March 18 but was scratched. The Red Sox think he might pitch as early as March 19, and Jansen is still expected to be ready for Opening Day.
A week after Martin's live batting practice session was cut short after only two pitches due to groin tightness, the righty made it through a session healthy on March 16.
Refsnyder was hit by a pitch on the small toe of his left foot during the team's game on March 12. He said initial X-rays showed a cracked bone in the toe. More >
Gabriel Moreno, Geraldo Perdomo and Kyle Nelson, D-backs
Moreno was scratched from the lineup on March 14 due to lower back tightness. Manager Torey Lovullo said the injury is not serious, but it will keep him out of the lineup for at least a couple of days.
Perdomo tweaked his lower half on a slide in his last game on March 11. The Diamondbacks gave him a couple of days off to bounce back.
Nelson tweaked his groin on March 12 and was scratched from a scheduled Spring Training appearance the following day. Lovullo said Nelson should miss only a few days and that his Opening Day availability is not in doubt. More >
Eury Pérez, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett and JT Chargois, Marlins
Pérez exited his Grapefruit League start against the Nationals on March 13 following his 14th pitch due to discomfort from a broken nail on his right middle finger. As of March 15, he was in a no-throw status for three or four more days. The Marlins announced on March 16 that the 20-year-old right-hander was being evaluated for right elbow soreness. More >
Cabrera (right shoulder impingement) played catch on March 15, but according to manager Skip Schumaker, the right-hander is questionable for making the Opening Day rotation.
Garrett threw live batting practice on the back fields on March 17, his first time facing hitters this spring. Garrett has been dealing with some general shoulder soreness since the start of camp, and while he’s expected to miss Opening Day, he shouldn’t be sidelined for “too long.”
Chargois (neck spasms) visited a specialist on March 13, and as of March 15, he was in a no-throw status for a few more days. More >
Kyle Bradish, Orioles
Bradish (UCL sprain in right elbow) threw off a mound for the first time in Spring Training on March 13, using only fastballs during a side session in the bullpen area. More >
Gavin Williams, Trevor Stephan and Daniel Espino, Guardians
Williams (right elbow discomfort) will start the season on the injured list. Although an MRI came back clear, Williams won't be able to build up enough in the next two weeks to break camp with the club because of how much time he has missed. More >
Stephan, who reported right elbow discomfort at the beginning of camp, will undergo UCL reconstruction in the next 7-14 days. The Guardians have not given a timetable for Stephan's return yet. More >
Espino will miss the 2024 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery on March 13. The right-handed pitching prospect also missed the entire 2023 season due to right shoulder surgery. More >
David Bednar, Yasmani Grandal, JT Brubaker and Dauri Moreta, Pirates
As of March 13, Bednar (right lat tightness) is up to 105-120 feet in his throwing program, and the team envisions him throwing off a slope in the coming days.
Grandal is catching sim games and is able to throw, but he cannot run due to plantar fasciitis. Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said March 13 that the Pirates don't foresee Grandal running within the next week.
Brubaker (Tommy John surgery) has thrown off of a mound three times and remains on pace to return to the Majors around the All-Star break.
Moreta will visit with Dr. Keith Meister during the week of March 18 to determine the next steps on how to treat an injury to his elbow ligament. More >
Jung Hoo Lee, Patrick Bailey, Alex Cobb, Robbie Ray and Keaton Winn, Giants
Lee (left hamstring tightness) will be limited with baseball activity for the next two to three days, the Giants announced on March 15. According to manager Bob Melvin, Lee will return sometime in the middle of next week.
Bailey (right hand contusion) is set to start light baseball activities, the Giants announced on March 15. Bailey exited in the bottom of the fourth inning on March 12 after taking a foul ball off his right hand during Freddie Freeman's at-bat in the third. X-rays were negative.
Cobb (left hip surgery) was scheduled to throw two innings in a Minor League game on March 16.
Ray (Tommy John surgery) began his bullpen progression on March 11 and threw 25 pitches off the mound at Scottsdale Stadium, though he's still expected to be out until the second half of the 2024 season.
Winn (right elbow soreness) was scheduled to throw one inning in a Minor League game on March 13, following a 20-pitch live batting practice session on March 9. More >
Jameson Taillon, Ian Happ and Nick Madrigal, Cubs
Taillon said on March 17 that he was feeling much improved and was targeting March 19-20 for his first bullpen session since being sidelined with a back issue. Taillon is expected to begin this season on the injured list, but the pitcher was optimistic it would not be a long stint on the shelf.
Happ returned to the lineup on March 17 against the Rangers as the designated hitter. The 29-year-old outfielder hadn't played since Feb. 29, when he sustained a mild left hamstring strain.
Madrigal (right hamstring strain) is progressing well in his recovery, but Counsell said he may not be quite ready by Opening Day. More >
Jackson Kowar, Matt Brash and Gregory Santos, Mariners
Kowar needs Tommy John surgery, which he was scheduled to undergo on March 15 in Dallas with renowned orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister.
Brash (right elbow inflammation) resumed playing catch on March 5, and as of March 16, he had "picked up throwing quite a bit," Servais said, adding that Brash "looks great." While Brash won't be ready for Opening Day, the club is optimistic that he'll be ready shortly thereafter.
Santos won't be ready for Opening Day either due to a right lat strain. More >