Here is the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Friday, April 5, 2024. Inside, you’ll see the news on Eury Perez, an update on Tommy Edman, and good news on Sonny Gray. All that and more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report for Friday, April 5, 2024.
Willson Contreras – C St. Louis Cardinals
Marmol says x-rays revealed no fracture in Contreras’s left hand. Cardinals hopeful he’ll be available in some fashion on Saturday. For the moment, it’s as tolerated.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) April 4, 2024
After being hit on his left hand by a pitch the day prior, Contreras was held out of the lineup for precautionary reasons yesterday. He underwent X-rays of his ailing hand, but the results showed no fracture. Consider him DTD as he is hopeful to return this weekend.
Brendan Donovan – 2B/OF St. Louis Cardinals
Brendan Donovan said postgame that he’ll be good to go Saturday. He was hit on the bicep in LA and just above the elbow in SD (and had gnarly bruises and seam imprints to show for it), but they were able to do enough work to get him loosened up and on a good path.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) April 4, 2024
Donovan was also held out of the lineup for precautionary reasons, as he too got hit by a pitch the day before. Similar to Contreras, he is also expected to return on Saturday, and his injury is far less concerning. He is DTD with some bruising.
Tommy Edman – 2B/SS/OF St. Louis Cardinals
#STLCards CF Tommy Edman said he got “generally good news” from MRI scans he got on his surgically repaired right wrist on Wednesday.
Edman said his is still shut down from most baseball activities until another exam on the wrist takes place on Monday. Edman had surgery in Oct.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 4, 2024
This upcoming Monday will be a big day for Edman and the Cardinals. The determination will be made if he can begin ramping up his activities or if he will need to continue along his current path. The initial hope of him returning at some point in May might be over, but good news on Monday might pave the way for a mid-May debut.
Sonny Gray – SP St. Louis Cardinals
Sonny Gray on what's next for him in working towards a return from the IL: "Depends who you ask I guess. Like I said, I don't know, I would like to pitch here. We'll see where that goes. … I feel great. If it's up to me I would personally like to pitch here." #STLCards pic.twitter.com/7iBX6Tlbia
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) April 4, 2024
Gray made this statement following a 54-pitch, three-inning outing in a simulated game yesterday. He feels ready to make his 2024 debut with the Cardinals, but the team seemingly has other plans. It appears that he will need to make a rehab start before joining the big league team. We’re getting very close for him to finally pitch.
Eury Pérez – SP Miami Marlins
Right-hander Eury Perez, one of the best pitching prospects in recent years, will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2024 season, per the Marlins. In a year of awful pitching injuries, this is among the worst: a 20-year-old handled with immense care still gets hurt.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 4, 2024
Absolutely brutal news out of Miami, as one of their most promising players will miss the rest of the season. Pérez first experienced soreness in his elbow three weeks ago, and the lingering pain just didn’t permanently go away. He began throwing a few days after an initial consultation, as the pain diminished. Once the pain returned, he met again with doctors and that’s when the decision was made. He will miss the entire 2024 season and possibly most of the 2025 season. While there is a chance for a return at some point next season, it’s important to remember that the timeline for his major surgery is anywhere from 14-19 months.
Miami Marlins – Team Update
Other #Marlins injury updates
-Cabrera 4 innings with Jax on Friday
-Chargois continues throwing program
-Edwards treated for bacterial foot infection; no baseball activities for now
-Garrett 4 innings with Jax on Sunday
-Simpson 1 inning with Jupiter on Saturday— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) April 4, 2024
Of note here from the pitching side of things, both Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett seem to be on the same page recovery-wise. With four innings slated among them both this weekend, the team could get some much-needed rotation relief in the coming week if all goes well.
Royce Lewis – 3B Minnesota Twins
Royce Lewis said he got a PRP injection to help his quad heal. Spoke of his urgency to obviously get back to the field as quickly as he can.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) April 4, 2024
The PRP injection here was intended to help Lewis in his rehab when it will eventually begin. He will still be shut down from activity for about another month, at which time the PRP injection will hopefully help him elevate his activities. His urgency to return is likely echoed by the team too, as he still has 33% of the team’s home runs hit in 2024.
Eloy Jiménez – UT Chicago White Sox
Eloy Jimenez expressed extreme frustration with latest setback. Worked hard in offseason and camp. “Sometimes I want to go home. But I’m going to keep working and be here for my teammates,” he said.
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) April 4, 2024
Jiménez missed his fourth straight day, though he was seen stretching before the game. There were murmurs about him possibly being available off the bench, but ultimately he didn’t make it into last night’s game. He worked extra hard this offseason and he’s still injuring himself. Hopefully, he can get back out there soon.
Michael Massey – 2B Kansas City Royals
INF Michael Massey will begin a rehab assignment with Northwest Arkansas (AA) tomorrow.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 4, 2024
Massey has been dealing with a lower back strain since March and will look to return before the end of April. He is someone worth monitoring in this rehab assignment. Both he and the team worked diligently this offseason to address his lack of control in the strike zone, usage in the field, and his arm strength and range. He also had a lot of hard-hit balls that ended up not being hits. With additional luck in 2024, we could have a sleeper on our hands here.