Angels
Injured: Garrett Richards
Garrett Richards struck out twelve in a controlled start for seven innings. He felt good, but the Angels have him making one more rehab start this week. With no setbacks in that start, Richards should be back in the rotation next week.
Astros
Injured: Brad Peacock, Brett Oberholtzer
Houston is missing these two guys in their rotation to start the year. Brad Peacock went 4.2 innings of hit-less ball in his first rehab start, he will make one more before returning to the rotation. Brett Oberholtzer is dealing with a blister, but is going through a bullpen session soon.
Athletics
Injured: Coco Crisp, Sean Doolittle
The A’s recently got Josh Reddick back to add to their crowded outfield. Coco Crisp will not be back until late May, or early June. Craig Gentry, Sam Fuld, and Mark Canha are seeing the majority of playtime in Crisp’s absence. Outside of Gentry, they are exceeding expectations right now, and can make an impact for those in deeper fantasy leagues. Sean Doolittle will be throwing off a mound next week, he is on pace to return in late May. Tyler Clippard will still hold that closer role until his return.
Braves
Injured: Mike Minor
Mike Minor is experiencing soreness in his shoulder still, his status is unclear. He is likely to be re-evaluated sometime this week to give a timetable. Surgery is said to not be an option at this point, but it does not look good for Minor.
Cardinals
Injured: Jaime Garcia
Jaime Garcia is facing live hitters at the moment, and is being rehabbed like a starter would. He will most likely be heading to the bullpen once he gets healthy, that will be a dillema with Garcia stating he is a starter.
Dodgers
Injured: Kenley Jansen, Hyun-Jin Ryu
The Dodgers are missing two key guys right now, Kenley Jansen is going to start throwing from the mound in two weeks. He is doing light tossing at the moment, not setbacks to report on him. The closer situation is still tough to read, I don’t see anyone to go grab. That mid May mark is still a solid return date. Hyun-Jin Ryu is still working in an arm strengthening program to help that shoulder. He has a return date of possibly sometime in May.
Giants
Injured: Hunter Pence, Casey McGehee, Matt Cain
It looks like the Giants dodged a bullet with Casey McGehee, he just has a deep bone bruise, and is day-to-day. There was initial thought that he could be hitting the DL. Hunter Pence could be back by the end of April, he is close to swinging a bat, and Bruce Bochy confirmed Pence has been progressing ahead of schedule. Matt Cain is dealing with a forearm strain, and he has not picked up a ball yet. Chris Heston will continue to fill in, and has done a nice job so far allowing two earned in two starts.
Indians
Injured: Yan Gomes
Tough break for Yan Gomes, he will miss 6-8 weeks with an MCL sprain. Roberto Perez will fill in for Yan Gomes for the mean time. Cleveland also called up Brett Hayes from Triple-A. Neither are worth a grab, unless you are in a two catcher league. Perez could be your standard fill-in.
Marlins
Injured: Henderson Alvarez
Henderson Alvarez experienced some shoulder discomfort after Sunday’s start. Miami doesn’t believe this to be a serious injury, but he is headed in for an MRI this week. Keep an eye out for further news.
Mets
Injured: Jenrry Mejia
The injury is minor to Mejia, but MLB handed down an 80 game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Jeurys Familia has been named by the Mets are their closer.
Nationals
Injured: Anthony Rendon, Denard Span
Good news for the Nationals as Jayson Werth is back and in the lineup. Anthony Rendon still has no official timetable from Washington, but late April is likely. He is expanding his workload in baseball drills, and his lateral movement is improving. This will send Danny Espinosa back to the bench when he returns. Denard Span is closing in on a rehad start in Triple-A, he collected two hits in a simulated game this weekend. Michael Taylor is hitting lead-off for the Nationals in the meantime.
Orioles
Injured: J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters
J.J. Hardy is starting a rehab assignment late in the week, expect him back in the Baltimore lineup come next week. Matt Wieter has been taking batting practice, and also throwing long toss. This is a good sign for Wieters, he is on pace to return early May.
Padres
Injured: Ian Kennedy
Ian Kennedy exited his last start with a mild left hamstring strain. Odrisamer Despaigne will enter the rotation, and is worth a pick-up. He had a 3.36 ERA in 16 starts for San Diego last season. Kennedy will like return at the end of the month.
Rangers
Injured: Derek Holland
Another starting pitcher went down in early innings, this time Derek Holland. He is diagnosed with a shoulder sprain, and he will sit out four weeks before being re-evaluated for baseball activity. The Rangers staff has nobody worth picking up for fantasy baseball.
Rays
Injured: Alex Cobb, John Jaso, James Loney, Drew Smyly
Alex Cobb is still without a timetable for return, the most he is doing at this moment is playing catch. Drew Smyly on the other hand is heading for a rehab assignment this week, he should be back up by the end of April. Nathan Karns had a great outing, after a rocky first start, and threw seven innings, allowing one earned. He could be worth a pick-up in certain matchups. John Jaso is dealing with a left wrist contusion, and he has been out since Opening Day. He has yet to swing a bat, so it could be another week for Jaso. James Loney also hit the 15 day DL with an oblique strain, his return is set for late April. Kevin Kiermaier has been benefitted from these injuries, as he slides from 8th-9th in the lineup to the top of the order.
Red Sox
Injured: Koji Uehara
Edward Mujica blew his save opportunity on Friday, which led to a 19 inning game. Any longer and Koji Uehara may of been ready to go. That is in fact what he is, ready to go, he was activated today, and will takeover closer duties.
Reds
Injured: Homer Bailey
Homer Bailey was sent on a triple-A assignment this week, he will be re-evaluated here shortly, and possibly enter the Cincinnati rotation by the end of the month.
Rockies
Injured: Jorge De La Rosa
Unfortunately, Jorge De La Rosa will miss another start in the rotation. He is dealing with left groin tightness, but he will make a rehab start tomorrow.
Royals
Injured: Alex Rios
Just last night Alex Rios was hit by a pitch directly on the hand, the result is a broken hand. He is out indefinitely, and my guess is quite some time depending on the exact diagnosis. Jarrod Dyson will fill in as the outfielder, and if you are in need of stolen bases go grab him.
Tigers
Injured: Justin Verlander, Joe Nathan
Joe Nathan will be shut down for a week to help heal a right flexor strain. Joakim Soria will be the acting closer while Nathan is out, a good pick up for those in need of saves. Justin Verlander is really taking his time in this return. He pitched a simulated game today, and will throw a bullpen session Wednesday. That should wrap his rehab up, I don’t expect a trip to the minors for Verlander.
