MLB Injury Report – National League Pitching

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Friday, July 18, 2025.

With the All-Star Break pause, we’ll take some time to examine the current injuries in baseball, position by position. In today’s edition, the pitching landscape of the National League will be examined. Keep in mind that injuries change and get updated rapidly during the All-Star Break; news tends to slow down. Thanks for reading. Look for the usual Injury Update to return next week.

MLB Injury Report

Arizona Diamondbacks

Shelby Miller

Good news for #Dbacks closer Shelby Miller. He will begin throwing ASAP according to Manager Torey Lovullo and won’t need surgery.

— Mark McClune (@MarkMcClune) July 18, 2025

There was some belief that Miller would be finished for the season, as his seeking a second opinion felt ominous. Instead, surgery will not be an option, and he will begin a throwing program to pitch again this season. While it’s still not a guarantee that he makes it as far as pitching in a game, it’s good news nonetheless that his injury isn’t as severe as it was once believed to be.

Atlanta Braves

Chris Sale

Chris Sale played catch yesterday. He won’t be eligible to be activated until after Aug. 19. But he’s at least progressing toward his return to the Braves rotation

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 16, 2025

This was Sale’s first time doing anything remotely close to pitching, and judging by the intensity of it, he still has a long way to go. The good news is that it’s at least something, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. It’s hard to imagine a team trading for him, given his current state, and if the team is out of contention, he may not return at all.

Spencer Schwellenbach

The #Braves today selected RHP Jesse Chavez to the major league roster after optioning LHP Dylan Dodd to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta transferred RHP Spencer Schwellenbach to the 60-day injured list.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 6, 2025

Schwellenbach was shut down from throwing for four weeks, and the hope is that he can pitch again this season. As mentioned earlier, the Braves might be out of contention by then, and his return could be based on his own personal “peace of mind” to build toward the 2026 season. Either way, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect much from him in 2025.

Cincinnati Reds

Hunter Greene

Terry Francona said Hunter Greene is going to the spring training facility to rehab. There’s no new injury, but there are still symptoms. Francona said that Greene has to feel confident. “There’s no roadmap” for the next step in his progression.

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) July 9, 2025

The story of Hunter Greene’s season is a curious one, as none of his multiple injuries have been arm or shoulder-related. Instead, he is suffering from a recurring groin ailment, and now the team has him on a recovery program that will be based on how he feels. Essentially, it’s all on him to ramp up and progress as he sees fit. The team tried to do so before, and unfortunately, he suffered a setback by doing so too quickly. With “no roadmap,” that feels like a different way of saying “indefinitely,” and for that, it’s hard to guess when he returns. That said, a return before September seems possible.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki is back to throwing bullpen sessions, manager Dave Roberts said. His first one was two days ago, and he'll throw another tomorrow. Roberts thinks Sasaki could be back around late August.

— Sonja Chen (@SonjaMChen) July 13, 2025

Sasaki has been out of action since the beginning of May, and his return to this point has been deliberately slow. He’s suffered minor setbacks along the way, as he’s felt uncomfortable in his abilities to throw and ramp up. Now that the team has more options already in their rotation, the Dodgers may feel more comfortable in taking things slowly. It’s hard to imagine Sasaki pitching again before September.

Blake Snell

Blake Snell Tonight's Rehab vs. ACL Guardians:

3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K#dodgers pic.twitter.com/ZRffh91hM4

— DodgersLite (@dodgerslite) July 16, 2025

This was Snell’s second rehab outing, as he was able to work through three innings and settled in by retiring ten straight. He will look to increase his workload and go against tougher competition in his next outing, which should be this weekend or shortly after that. He remains on track to return by the end of the month.

Milwaukee Brewers

Nestor Cortes

Nestor Cortes last night for the High-A @TimberRattlers: Four scoreless innings, three hits, no walks, two strikeouts, 54 pitches. He told reporters afterward that he would have at least one and probably two more rehab starts before rejoining the Brewers. pic.twitter.com/ieWaM9DBXQ

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 11, 2025

Cortes has built himself up to 54 pitches and has done quite the job while rehabbing. With the potential for two more rehab starts before a return, Cortes looks to be on track for an early-August return, though it remains to be seen what his role will be.

New York Mets

Tylor Megill

We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/CGXi5EgLCl

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 8, 2025

Megill’s return will be a slow one, since it’s an elbow sprain. His placement on the 60-Day Injured list means that he won’t be able to return for around another month. Any setbacks here will be detrimental to a return at all, given that the Mets do have a lot of pitching, and that’s before the Trade Deadline.

Philadelphia Phillies

Aaron Nola

Nola’s ankle is completely healed, and now it’s about building up his tolerance for pitching with a re-strengthened right rib. There wasn’t news on the planned live batting practice scheduled for July 15, but we may get information on that once the team reports later today. All that being said, even when healthy, it remains to be seen what version of Nola we get when he does return.

San Diego Padres

Michael King

Michael King throwing in the bullpen before today’s game. pic.twitter.com/maB91xhK76

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) July 13, 2025

This sighting was most definitely a positive sign, as he threw days after tossing a 25-pitch bullpen session. He is seemingly on the right track here for a return, though the progress will be slow and tedious. The difficult part is dealing with nerves, which can easily get triggered if overused at the wrong time. That being said, look for some updates in the coming days for how he’s feeling and any plans that the team has for a return.