MLB injury report for Wednesday, May 3

Intro

MLB injury report: Wednesday, May 3

Julio Rodriguez (back), Seattle Mariners — For an hour or two, it looked like Rodriguez was set to make his return to the Seattle lineup after missing just a couple of games. But after he still felt some soreness in his back following batting practice, the team decided to play it safe and scratch the reigning AL Rookie of the Year from the lineup. It’s a sign that Julio is trending in the right direction though, and he shouldn’t require a trip to the IL.

Salvador Perez (hand), Kansas City Royals — Perez takes such a beating behind the plate that he was once ruled out of a game earlier this season with “general soreness”. That continued on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles, as the Royals catcher took a bat to his catching hand during a backswing and was forced to leave the game. He’s been diagnosed with a left finger contusion, and while the swelling will likely keep him out a game or two, X-rays were negative and he shouldn’t be out for too long.

Jose Urquidy (shoulder)/Luis Garcia (elbow), Houston Astros — An update on the two Astros’ starters, each of whom exited early due to injury on consecutive days. They’re both now on the IL, and while Garcia is still waiting on MRI results, we have at least a preliminary timetable for Urquidy:

It sounds like a matter of waiting for the inflammation to subside, which will hopefully be a matter of weeks rather than months. The team recalled Matt Gage from Triple-A on Tuesday, and he and Brandon Bielak figure to fill in Houston’s rotation for the time being.

Jose Altuve (thumb), Houston Astros — There was also a little positive news on the injury front for Houston, at least:

Altuve took grounders ahead of Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, the first time he’s participated in baseball activities since breaking he’s thumb during the World Baseball Classic. Altuve is still targeting early June for his return, and it’s obviously a good sign that his glove hand is feeling well enough to play the field a bit.

Liam Hendriks (cancer treatment), Chicago White Sox — Hendriks is about to be one step closer to a remarkable return to the Major Leagues: Just months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the righty — who’d been pitching in extended spring training for the past week or so — is set to begin a rehab assignment in the Minors later this week. Given the state of Chicago’s bullpen, the closer’s role figures to be his whenever he’s able to grab it.

German Marquez (elbow), Colorado Rockies — The injury gods claimed yet another victim this season, as Marquez — who began feeling elbow pain in April, then came back after two weeks only for the pain to resume almost immediately — will need to undergo Tommy John surgery. He hopes to be back at some point late in the 2024 season, although where the pending free agent might be pitching by that point is anyone’s guess. He’s always been a much more effective pitcher away from Coors Field, so maybe a change of scenery will do him good.

Josh Fleming (foot), Tampa Bay Rays — Not much has gone wrong for the Rays so far this year, but the starting rotation just cannot seem to catch a break. Fleming, who’d been serving as the bulk man following an opener ever since Jeffrey Springs went down with an elbow injury, took a comebacker off the foot Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and has been diagnosed with a contusion. X-rays were negative, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to make his next scheduled appearance.

Adam Wainwright (groin), St. Louis Cardinals — It turns out three Minor League starts was the magic number for Wainwright, who the team announced on Tuesday would be returning to the big league rotation this weekend. He’ll be a major upgrade over Jake Woodford, which the Cardinals could definitely use right now,.

Jose Quijada (elbow), Los Angeles Angels — Quijada got feedback on his elbow pain, and it doesn’t sound good:

It’s unclear whether that refers to Tommy John surgery, although it seems likely. Quijada had been in a timeshare of the closer’s role with Carlos Estevez, but now Estevez figures to see the lion’s share of the ninth moving forward — especially after locking down four clean saves last week.

Trevor Rogers (biceps), Miami Marlins — It seems like Rogers’ rehab is going a little more slowly than anticipated, as manager Skip Schumaker told reporters Tuesday that the lefty is still “a few weeks away from a real, significant throwing program”. At this point it’s unclear whether Rogers will be able to return before the All-Star break, which would be a frustrating development in what looked to be a bounce-back season.

Ranger Suarez (elbow), Philadelphia Phillies — Bryce Harper’s return wasn’t the only positive injury news for Philly on Tuesday. Suarez threw 54 pitches in a rehab outing, and the team says he’s likely to only need a couple more before he returns to the Majors. He’d likely knock Bailey Falter out of the rotation, and he’ll be a viable streaming option in most fantasy leagues depending on matchup.

Josh Donaldson (hamstring), New York Yankees — Donaldson fielded grounders and took some BP ahead of New York’s game with the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, and it seems like he’s progressing to another rehab stint. Although whether the phrase “Josh Donaldson resumes baseball activities” is interpreted as good news or a threat really depends on who you ask.

Kyle Farmer (facial injury), Minnesota Twins — Great news for Farmer, the Twins infielder who you may recall took a fastball to the face last month against the Chicago White Sox. Some dental surgery and a lot of healing later, Farmer is now ready to get back on the field and will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Wednesday. Farmer started ramping up baesball activties last week, and he shouldn’t need too long of a stint before he returns to Minnesota in a utilityman role.

Avisail Garcia (back), Miami Marlins — Just when Garcia’s bat looked to be coming around, with five hits and two homers over his last six games, the outfielder was forced onto the IL due to tightness in his lower back. This will clear the runway for Bryan de la Cruz to get everyday playing time, making him an intriguing waiver add in deeper leagues, while infield prospect Xavier Edwards was called up from Triple-A.

Jared Walsh (headaches and insomnia), Los Angeles Angels — Over a month since Walsh went to see a specialist for his debilitating headaches, the first baseman still doesn’t have a timeline to return to Angel Stadium. He’s been participating in baseball activities for the last 10 days or so, so hopefully he’s not far off, but it’s clear that he’s not out of the woods yet.

Trevor May (anxiety), Oakland Athletics — May landed on the IL with anxiety issues after struggling early on in the 2023 campaign. But he’s been back around the team for a few days now — even burning some sage in the dugout to try and cleanse the team of its current bad vibes — and the righty started his rehab assignment in Triple-A on Tuesday. It’s hard to trust anyone in Oakland’s bullpen right now, especially given how relatively rare save opportunities are, but May is likely the favorite whenever he comes back.