Here is the Fantrax Injury Report for Friday, March 8, 2024. In today’s edition, the Red Sox got updates on three important pieces of their team, with not all of them being positive. Also, Ronald Acuña is back on the field taking batting practice, while Kodai Senga is progressing well, albeit at a snail’s pace. Finally, two parts of the Blue Jays rotation are in dire need of some health, as there are updates on both Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman. All that and more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
Fantrax MLB Injury Report for March 8
Nick Lodolo – SP Cincinnati Reds
David Bell said "all is clear to keep going" with Nick Lodolo. He'll pitch in Sunday's spring training game.
Due to the ramp up for the season, Bell said Lodolo "probably isn't in the mix" for the first 1-to-5 games. Bell mentioned the date April 9 as a possibility.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) March 7, 2024
This is great news for Lodolo and the Reds. There was some concern over his leg still hurting after throwing batting practice and simulated outings, but a visit with a specialist seems to have been a good one. His projected first outing and regular season debut both come with a full vote of caution. This injury has lingered for quite some time and was a significant one, to say the least. There is no telling if and when it will return and be at 100% health.
Nathaniel Lowe – 1B Texas Rangers
Bruce Bochy said Nathaniel Lowe had some tightness in his side before the game, hence why he was replaced by Jared Walsh. Doesn’t seem like they’re too concerned.
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) March 7, 2024
The hope is that the team is correct in it not being an overly serious ailment. Lowe has missed just eleven combined games over the past three seasons, as he has been quite the bill health. There should be more updates on this soon enough, but for now, consider him DTD.
Taijuan Walker – SP Philadelphia Phillies, Brandon Marsh – OF Philadelphia Phillies
A few #Phillies injury updates, via Rob Thomson:
–Taijuan Walker (sore knee) will throw from a bullpen mound Friday before progressing to either live batting practice or a game Monday.
–Brandon Marsh (knee surgery) was slated to get at-bats in a minor-league intrasquad today.— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) March 7, 2024
Walker looks to be getting close to returning to the mound for a start after battling some knee soreness this past month. Meanwhile, playing in an intrasquad game for Marsh is a great sign that he’s on his way back. Both Phillies players should have ample time to be ready for Opening Day, barring any setbacks.
Nick Madrigal – 2B Chicago Cubs
MRI results, per Craig Counsell:
– Madrigal has a mild right hamstring strain. “We're going to progress him over the next week, and then we'll have a good idea where we're at.”
-Caleb Kilian has a strained teres major, likely won’t be back in games until around All-Star break.
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) March 7, 2024
Madrigal will be out of action for at least a week, with the expected timeline being longer than that. The team will know when they reassess next week, but chances are that he will start the season on the Injured List. This is the same ailment that cost him time last year, so the team would be wise to slowplay this to ensure his safety.
Kevin Gausman – SP Toronto Blue Jays
Blue Jays hopeful Kevin Gausman can get off a mound by Monday per manager John Schneider. That would be 2.5 weeks ahead of season opener vs. Rays.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 7, 2024
There was an injury scare earlier in the week when Gausman was diagnosed with shoulder fatigue. This sparked concern over his availability for Opening Day with the possibility of a serious injury. While he isn’t out of the woods just yet, he has since played catch and looks on track to be almost ready to throw from a mound. He is certainly trending in the right direction, but anything can happen.
Alek Manoah – SP Toronto Blue Jays
Alek Manoah’s shoulder still a bit sore per Blue Jays. Was slated to throw a bullpen today but is still day to day. Not off a mound as of now.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 7, 2024
After a disastrous first spring outing and then the corresponding shoulder soreness, Manoah has had a rough start to the 2024 year. While playing catch was a decent sign, his inability to throw that bullpen is concerning, as there could be an underlying issue we’re not yet aware of. There is no guarantee that he will be ready for Opening Day and it’s looking less likely by the minute.
Sonny Gray – SP St. Louis Cardinals
Sonny Gray will play catch from 60 feet today, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said.
— Lynn Worthy (@LWorthySports) March 7, 2024
One day after being diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain, Gray was back on the field playing catch from 60 feet. This is more about him keeping his arm fresh and loose, and less about his hamstring feeling better. He will be out of action for quite a while, though the amount of time missed during the regular season is expected to be minimal.
Kenley Jansen – RP Boston Red Sox
Kenley Jansen is targeting March 15 for his first outing of Spring Training. He said that allows him enough time to be ready for Opening Day.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) March 7, 2024
Jansen continues slowly trending in the right direction after beginning camp with lat soreness. He has been working his way up to this point, and his projected first outing of spring should leave enough time to be ready for Opening Day.
Trevor Story – SS Boston Red Sox
Trevor Story removed from lineup for precautionary reasons due to neck stiffness, Red Sox announce
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) March 7, 2024
The fact that Story’s removal was precautionary seems like a positive enough development. Consider him DTD unless we hear otherwise.
Tyler O’Neill – OF Boston Red Sox
Due to some left calf tightness, Tyler O'Neill won't accompany the team to Santo Domingo this weekend. He is expected to play Monday when the team returns to Fort Myers. Also, Zack Kelly has a sore oblique making him a candidate to start the season on the injured list.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) March 7, 2024
This move also sounds precautionary, though it cannot be overlooked given O’Neill’s injury history. Consider him DTD, but be ready for additional news on this, just in case there is more.
Ronald Acuña Jr. – OF Atlanta Braves
Acuña is taking BP on the field and working out with the other guys not going to Fort Myers today. He won't be back in the lineup tomorrow. Snit said he didn't know the exact date Acuña is slated to be back in the lineup.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 7, 2024
This is good news, in that Acuña is back on the field and taking swings in the batting cage. The Braves would be wise to not rush him back, to let whatever is happening in his knee to heal up. It’s a long road ahead with a 162-game season. That said, it sounds like he could be close to being back into games.
Lars Nootbaar – OF St. Louis Cardinals
#STLCards manager Oli Marmol said LF Lars Nootbaar (ribs/abdomen) will go in for testing tomorrow to try and find the source of his lingering soreness.
Nootbaar injured his ribs when he fell after a twisting try to catch a fly ball on Saturday. Nootbaar has been out since then.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 7, 2024
The team is hoping to get a better handle on what they are dealing with regarding this injury. We should know more soon enough, specifically about if Nootbaar is to miss any time on the Injured List. Stay tuned.
Kodai Senga – SP New York Mets
Carlos Mendoza says things have been "so far, so good" for Kodai Senga and that he is moving in the right direction pic.twitter.com/TMpfzOx7lq
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 6, 2024
Senga continues to progress, as Mendoza indicated here, but keep in mind that he is very limited in what he can do. He will need to essentially start from scratch when he begins to ramp himself up, and that will be a lengthy process. While there is some speculation that he could return sometime in April or May, it’s important to remember that that is the absolute best-case scenario. There is a chance that he is slow to recover or that he suffers from setbacks, which could delay his return into the late spring or summer months.
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