MLB injury report for Tuesday, June 20

Monday didn’t get off to the greatest start around MLB, as Anthony Rendon, Hunter Greene and Alejandro Kirk all wound up with surprise IL stints. But for the most our, our daily MLB injury report features some positive updates, as guys like Liam Hendriks and Jazz Chisholm inch closer to a return to action. Read on to get caught up on everything you need to know about all of baseball’s biggest names.

MLB injury report: Tuesday, June 20

Anthony Rendon (wrist), Los Angeles Angels — Less than two weeks after returning from the injured list, Rendon has found himself back on the shelf. There was some optimism that the third baseman would avoid another trip to the IL after X-rays on his wrist came back negative following a hit-by-pitch last Thursday, but things weren’t healing quickly enough and the Angels needed the extra roster spot. It’s still considered only a contusion, and the team doesn’t expect Rendon to require much more than the minimum stay.

Hunter Greene (hip)/Graham Ashcraft (calf), Cincinnati Reds — Buried in all the hoopla surrounding Cincy’s ninth straight win and Joey Votto’s return to the lineup was some unfortunate injury news, as Greene was placed on the 10-day IL with hip soreness on Monday afternoon. The hard-throwing righty had been dealing with — and pitching very well through — the ailment in recent days, and he apparently aggravated it during his win over the Houston Astros over the weekend. The team is hopeful he won’t need to miss more than a start or two, although it’s unclear as yet how they’ll handle his turn in the rotation this week.

It’s not all bad for the Reds rotation, though, as Ashcraft is set to make his return from the injured list this weekend:

The young righty got off to a strong start but has been a disaster since, holding a 6.78 ERA over 13 starts this year.

Alejandro Kirk (hand), Toronto Blue Jays — Kirk also wound up on the IL on Monday, as the contusion and laceration he suffered after taking a pitch off his hand will require a little more time to heal. Danny Jansen and Tyler Heineman will split catching duties in his absence, while the Jays hope he’ll be ready to return at some point next week.

Francisco Alvarez (hand), New York Mets — Thankfully, New York’s catcher was a little luckier with his HBP, as X-rays came back negative on the rookie phenom’s hand after he was forced to leave Monday’s win over the Houston Astros. Alvarez said after the game that he doesn’t expect to miss much of any time:

Jazz Chisholm (toe)/Johnny Cueto (ankle), Miami Marlins — As if the Marlins were in need of even more good news, two important pieces are making big strides toward a return to the Majors. Chisholm is the headliner, as Miami’s dynamic center fielder is officially cleared to begin a rehab assignment this week after missing over a month due to turf toe:

Given the nature of the injury and how much time Chisholm has already missed, he’s likely to need at least a few games in the Minors before being activated. Cueto, on the other hand, is set to make one last start at Triple-A Jacksonville — planned for around 75 pitches — after which he’ll return to Miami’s rotation if all goes according to plan.

Liam Hendriks (elbow), Chicago White Sox — An MRI revealed no structural damage to Hendriks’ elbow, and now the reliever is hopeful that he’ll begin a throwing program before the end of the week. Elbows are awfully tricky, and Chicago are likely to play things extra safe with Hendriks specifically, but assuming there are no setbacks he could be back in the White Sox bullpen before the All-Star break. Kendall Graveman will continue handling save chances in the meantime.

Kris Bryant (heel), Colorado Rockies — Out since the end of May with a heel contusion, it sounds like Bryant could be back relatively soon: The outfielder has already been doing some light running and hitting, and he’s expected to ramp up baseball activities even more this week. It’s unclear whether he’ll require a rehab assignment before returning to Colorado, but either way, he’s likely to be playing in games again somewhere as early as next week.

Jose Urquidy (shoulder), Houston Astros — Urquidy’s rehab from shoulder inflammation also appears to be gaining steam:

The righty threw his first bullpen over the weekend and is scheduled to do it again on Wednesday and Friday. If that goes well, he’ll take part in live BP next week, and then it’s on to the Minors for a likely lengthy rehab stint that may or may not extend to the All-Star break. Urquidy had struggled early in the year, with a 5.28 ERA, but the Astros have been struggling without he and Luis Garcia as they cycle through Minor League options.

Kenta Maeda (triceps), Minnesota Twins — After battling one ailment after the other seemingly all spring in his first season back from Tommy John, Maeda is finally ready to return to the Twins rotation at some point over the next few days. Manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters that thee righty “likely will pitch for us in the big leagues by the end of the week”, and he’s motivated to prove that his 9.00 ERA is a fluke.

The righty has pitched to a 2.03 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 13.1 innings across four rehab starts. There’s no word as yet just what day he’ll be pitching or who he’ll be facing.

Brandon Lowe (back), Tampa Bay Rays — Rays fans had to fear the worst after Lowe — who missed nearly 100 games with a back ailment last season — went down with a lower back inflammation. But the second baseman seems to have avoided the worst-case scenarios, and in fact is set to resume baseball activities at some point this weekend. He could be back in Tampa by July if everything goes well.