Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Friday, May 9, 2025. In today’s edition, Hunter Greene gets an official diagnosis for his groin, and the news is better than expected. Also, two key players return this weekend in Ivan Herrera and Zach Eflin. Finally, the Diamondbacks get some much needed positive news on their key bullpen arms, giving some hope for the future. That, and so much more, are all in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Hunter Greene – SP Cincinnati Reds
Terry Francona said Hunter Greene will go on the IL. No move today. “All things considered, he’ll be ok.”
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) May 8, 2025
Hunter Greene was diagnosed with a Grade 1 groin strain. This is significant because Greene will need time on the Injured List from which to recover. Some reports were stating that he wouldn’t need time away from the team, but manager Terry Francona confirmed that he would. The timeline for an injury like this is a two or three-week absence, but because it’s a pitcher, it could be longer. Much like Spencer Strider’s hamstring strain, these lower-body injuries make it very difficult to keep one’s arm active and loose, since throwing from the stretch can reaggravate the groin or whatever muscle is injured. As such, he may need a rehab assignment to work on his mechanics. What’s important is knowing that the injury isn’t as serious as it could have been.
Ivan Herrera – C St. Louis Cardinals
As expected, the #STLCards optioned 1B/DH Luken Baker to Triple-A. The move makes room on the roster for returning catcher Iván Herrera, who missed a month with a bone bruise in his left knee. The Cards will likely keep three catchers: Herrera, Pedro Pagès and Yohel Pozo. pic.twitter.com/ABGVYWkPi6
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) May 8, 2025
Be prepared!
Arizona Diamondbacks – Team Update
Diamondbacks health updates from
Torey Lovullo.– Justin Martinez has begun his throwing program
– A.J. Puk is asymptomatic
– Kendall Graveman threw a rehab game yesterday in Reno and will likely throw again tomorrow For the Aces pic.twitter.com/VvpNtjhv7J
— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) May 8, 2025
Big update here on important pieces to the Diamondbacks’ bullpen. First, Justin Martinez has begun his throwing program, which is great, though there’s an important note to make. Martinez’s program has begun with 90 feet of tosses. That is the beginning stages of his program, as distances increase over time. Once he can throw for more than double what he is now, then he may start throwing from a mound. All of this is a way to say that he has a long way to go. As for A.J. Puk, he has yet to throw, but rather, he is working in the gym and with trainers to keep his body active and versatile. The good news, as mentioned, is that he is asymptomatic, meaning that the pain and the reason for the pain are seemingly gone. That said, ramping up too soon or too quickly could reaggravate this injury and start the healing process all over again.
Boston Red Sox – Team Update
Red Sox injury updates:
Richard Fitts is throwing his second bullpen today.
Walker Buehler is playing catch.
Kutter Crawford is throwing a live on Friday.
Alex Cora believes Masataka Yoshida could begin his throwing program again this weekend.
— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) May 8, 2025
Major update here on some big names in Boston. First, Richard Fitts has now thrown two bullpens, which is good progress since landing on the Injured List in the middle of April. He will need to continue progressing toward a rehab assignment, but there is no timeline for that to happen. As for Walker Burhler, he intended to have a minimal stay on the Injured List, but playing catch is just the beginning stage of his recovery. He has a lot of momentum to gain if he wants to be back when he is first eligible to return on May 14, which may include one rehab start, making this nearly impossible. Also, Kutter Crawford, who has missed all of this season, has progressed to throwing to live batters, but his eventual rehab assignment will most definitely be an extended one, to simulate Spring training build-up. Finally, Masataka Yoshida’s beginning of a throwing program this weekend is great news for someone looking to find a role within the Red Sox organization. The question of where he will play is about as complicated as when.
Michael Kopech – RP Los Angeles Dodgers
#Dodgers Michael Kopech started his rehab assignment with OKC — by walking all five batters he faced. Threw 23 pitches. 3 strikes. On the bright side, he touched 98 mph
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) May 9, 2025
This was about as bad an outing as one could ask for concerning a pitcher who is trying to figure things out and get it right. Kopech threw just three of his 23 pitches for strikes, making that a 13% strike rate. While the velocity was good, his inability to locate any part of the strike zone is concerning, though White Sox fans know this story too well. Usually, relief pitchers don’t require as many rehab appearances as starters, simply because they have less of a workload to build up toward. That said, because this was so poor, the Dodgers may want to eliminate this from memory altogether and count his next start as his first. Regardless of what they do, this was not the way he and the team wanted to start.
Zach Eflin – SP Baltimore Orioles
Orioles’ Zach Eflin will “more than likely” make his return from the IL on Sunday against the Angels, Brandon Hyde says.
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) May 8, 2025
Be prepared!
