Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Thursday, April 17, 2025. In today’s edition, the Twins and Rockies are running out of options while the Nationals are running out of shortstops. Also, the Red Sox might be adding to their rotation and bullpen soon, which is something they definitely need. All of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Tyler O’Neill – OF Baltimore Orioles
Orioles outfielder Tyler O'Neill was scratched from tonight's lineup due to neck discomfort. Ramón Laureano takes his place in the lineup
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) April 16, 2025
The Orioles didn’t seem to think this would be a major issue, but given O’Neill’s injury history, it’s something to monitor. It seems like there is always something wrong with him every year, despite the immense upside. For now, fantasy owners can call this a minor bump in the road, but they are warned to remain cautious, just in case.
Zach Eflin – SP Baltimore Orioles
Zach Eflin played catch for the first time today. He’s optimistic and hopes he can be back soon.
“I’m not interested in missing a lot of time.”
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 16, 2025
Eflin may not be interested in missing time, but he also didn’t think he would miss ANY time right after the injury. Lat injuries are not to be taken lightly, and as such, both he and the Orioles would be wise to ensure that he is 100% healthy and ready to return, even though they may need a healthy arm.
Minnesota Twins – Team Update
Twins injury updates: Matt Wallner is headed to the IL with a hamstring strain.
Willi Castro exited early with mild oblique tightness. https://t.co/qpgjFXRl1W
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) April 16, 2025
Matt Wallner’s designation is a bit surprising, as the team was hopeful it would be minor. He is their strongest hitter, so losing him for the time being hurts their power production for the time being. As for Castro, he exited Wednesday’s game with tightness in his oblique, and manager Rocco Baldelli called it minor. The truth of the matter is, if Castro misses time, the Twins are running out of healthy options here.
Brenton Doyle – OF Colorado Rockies
No IL stint for #Rockies CF Brenton Doyle. Says his quad feels a lot better, just not good enough to play tonight.
Reached 90% on his sprints today and “it was responding well.”
Bud Black hopes Doyle can return as early as tomorrow
— Andrés Soto (@SportswithSoto) April 16, 2025
This report was from Tuesday, and with no real updates on Wednesday and a missing Doyle from the lineup, the question remains as to why no trip to the Injured List. He did enter as a pinch-hitter last night, so perhaps he’s ready for a return. That said, this is similar to Matt McLain before he went to the Injured List himself for Cincinnati. The Rockies don’t have many outfield options on their 40-man roster, so that could be the bigger issue here, as he is close to a return.
Logan O’Hoppe – C Los Angeles Angels
Logan O’Hoppe said he did a workout yesterday and he got fatigued pretty quickly. But he feels better today. We will talk to Wash in about 30 minutes.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) April 16, 2025
O’Hoppe has missed two straight games, but it would appear that he has an underlying issue of a possible illness. The fatigue here is a bit concerning, but unless we hear of something else, we can consider him day-to-day while he figures things out.
Zach Neto – SS Los Angeles Angels
Ron Washington was asked if Zach Neto could be activated tomorrow: “We haven’t discussed it but anything is possible.”
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) April 16, 2025
Fantasy baseball managers should be somewhat prepared for an activation. If not tomorrow, it will be soon, as Neto is close.
Luis Gil – SP New York Yankees
Luis Gil was scheduled to resume a throwing program this week, but it has been pushed back about 10 days. Gil had an MRI and Aaron Boone said the doctors want to see more healing before he throws.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) April 16, 2025
This could be considered a setback of sorts, since he’s healing at a slower rate than was anticipated. Still, it’s not like he’s getting worse by the day, or did something to trigger a physical ailment. For now, just consider him healing slowly, but also keep in mind that the injury is likely more serious than originally believed.
CJ Abrams – SS Washington Nationals
The good news is that Abrams is getting closer and is progressing. His ability to run on the field is a huge hurdle to clear, giving hope that he will be returning soon. That said, he still needs to be able to move around the field without recurring pain in his hip, something he cannot do just yet. Once that happens, it’s a matter of time before a return. With Paul DeJong on the Injured List himself, the Nationals will need Abrams back as soon as possible.
Francisco Alvarez – C New York Mets
Francisco Alvarez will catch again tonight for Double-A Binghamton after getting hit in the hand with a pitch last night:
"A little scary, but he's fine" pic.twitter.com/HzPipIpRWZ
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 16, 2025
This could have been a disastrous setback for Alvarez, as getting hit in the hand by a pitch is never a good thing. Tomorrow will be an important day to see if there are any lingering effects of this incident, but the likeliest of outcome is that he will continue to progress as he has been.
Lucas Giolito – SP Boston Red Sox
Lucas Giolito had a tough one in Hartford last night. Two innings and 60 pitches.
Alex Cora:
“I talked to him. He didn't feel he didn't feel great about it. Two innings, 60 pitches, inconsistent. Stuff was okay. He wasn't able to finish hitters. He was very honest."— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) April 16, 2025
From the sounds of things, Giolito will need at least one more outing to prove he is ready to pitch in Boston. It’s important to note that he did this against Double-A hitters, since the weather for their Triple-A affiliate was slated to be poor. That said, perhaps it was travel-related fatigue, or it could have been an off-night. Either way, he will likely need another start to prove his readiness.
Boston Red Sox – Team Update
Brayan Bello grinded through his latest rehab outing and Liam Hendriks posted his third straight scoreless appearance. Next up for both, Boston?https://t.co/Po9z8sBiMg
— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) April 17, 2025
Bello tossed 71 pitches over 4.1 innings of work. He gave up four earned runs on six hits, but did strike out seven batters. His next start will likely be in Boston, though it feels more out of necessity than readiness. As for Hendriks, he will likely add depth for Boston’s bullpen, but it would be advantageous to think he will be in line for saves after missing so much time.
