MLB Injury Report: Bad to the Bone – A Hamate’s Tale

This past week, pitchers and catchers reported to camp with a lot of anticipation for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, what we got was three separate but similar major injuries to incredibly fantasy-relevant players, all of which resulted in surgery. Over two days last week, Corbin Carroll, Francisco Lindor, and Jackson Holliday all broke their hamate bone and received surgery to repair their hands. What does this mean for Opening Day?

MLB Injury Report

What is the Hamate Bone?

Before examining these specific situations, it’s important to know what we’re talking about. The hamate bone is located just below the pinky finger. It is shaped like a rock, is located in your wrist, looks like a tiny hook, and helps control the grip of a bat. When a player swings, the bat tends to rest and/or run on the hook. Because of how it’s used, the bat can either vibrate or put pressure on the hamate bone, and as such, it could eventually break. In these three cases, the broken bones resulted in a necessary procedure to fix them. For more information on this injury, this is a great read. In essence, the surgery required to fix this injury results in a four-to-eight week recovery period, which was approximately as much time left until the start of the season as of last week.

Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

https://twitter.com/GCStateSports/status/2021632438724854086?s=20

The good news is that Corbin Carroll was seen training the day after his injury. Still, the timeline does make it difficult for Carroll to shake off any plate rust, work on his timing with pitches, and get a feel for his body. After all, a return too soon could worsen the fracture or delay treatment. Before the injury, Carroll was being drafted at around the 8th overall pick (three weeks’ worth of drafts at the NFBC website).

Since then, in all draft formats from that site, Carroll has been drafted on average right in the middle of the 14th and 15th overall picks. His minimum pick was 9th overall, and his maximum pick was 20th overall. To help get a better gauge of his public perception, I made a poll over on Twitter/X (I’m @sportz_nutt51, by the way), for all three of the injured players. Here’s what was said about the Diamondbacks outfielder:

Corbin Carroll over the past three weeks: NFBC ADP 8.10 in DC. After the news of his surgery, where do you feel comfortable drafting him?

— Dave L Funnell (@sportz_nutt51) February 12, 2026

It looks like the consensus is within the second round of both 12 and 15-team leagues. In my opinion, this is too early. Keep in mind, I’m personally a risk-averse fantasy player this early in the draft, and what I want from my first two picks is certainty.

By taking Corbin Carroll with my second overall pick, I have questions. What if there are setbacks in his recovery? What if a lack of Spring Training games gets him slow to start? What if he needs at least ten days on the Injured List? In a 162-game season, all of this might be small, but they do have the chance of growing in concern. I would much rather take him in the third round of drafts and get him at a value pick.

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

Notes from Francisco Lindor’s presser:

• Said the hamate issue is something he has dealt with on and off over the years.

• During a full workout last Friday, something didn’t feel right, which led to imaging and ultimately surgery.

• He’s optimistic he’ll be ready for… pic.twitter.com/LbC1muqMba

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) February 15, 2026

Francisco Lindor also had his surgery this past week and has been on the field with his team. The only wrinkle in his diagnosis is that he has apparently been dealing with this hamate issue for years, playing through the ailment the entire time. It shows how little a hamate bone is needed when it comes to baseball. Almost as if it’s an accessory, which it isn’t, but I say to help prove my point of its lack of importance.

Before the injury, Lindor was being drafted around the 18th overall mark, making him a borderline first-round pick. He had a minimum pick of 12th overall and a maximum pick of 24th overall. After the injury, his draft price plummeted to approximately the 29th overall pick, with a minimum selection of 18th and a maximum pick of 49th overall. This surgery will put him on the same timeline as Carroll, bringing up an important question about when he should be drafted. Keep in mind that before his injury.

Francisco Lindor over the past three weeks: NFBC ADP 18.10 in DC. After the news of his surgery, where do you feel comfortable drafting him?

— Dave L Funnell (@sportz_nutt51) February 12, 2026

Once again, the public seems to be on the pulse of things. With 34% of people comfortable anywhere within the 26th and 33rd picks, this aligns well with the data that we’ve seen. However, this goes against what I mentioned above about not wanting your first two picks to have question marks alongside their status to start the season. The same worries arise here as with Carroll, and as such, I would prefer to take him later. He makes a fine third-round pick, albeit preferably later in that round.

Jackson Holliday, 2B, Baltimore Orioles

Jackson Holliday will begin season on IL with broken right hamate bone. Surgery tomorrow #orioles

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) February 11, 2026

Interestingly, the Orioles have already declared that Holliday will miss the start of the season. There have been reports of him being ready to return as of mid-April, which would signify that this would be a minimum stay on the Injured List. Still, it’s a major blow to the Orioles and to fantasy players looking for help at one of the weakest positions in baseball.

There is a silver lining, though, which I’ll outline here. Holliday’s price had crept up to around pick 140 by the time of his injury. At that point in the draft, fantasy players are still looking for performance rather than potential. While the 22-year-old had shown glimpses of being a star player, he never quite put it together in the big leagues, and the price always felt like the result of position scarcity. Now that he’s been injured, the price has dropped to an average price of pick 173, making it much more affordable to take a chance on what he could be capable of doing.

Jackson Holliday over the past three weeks: NFBC ADP 148.70 in DC. After the news of his surgery, where do you feel comfortable drafting him?

— Dave L Funnell (@sportz_nutt51) February 12, 2026

This is the first time I agree with consensus, but I wouldn’t be opposed to taking him sooner than 186 overall. While he will miss at least ten days, this injury shouldn’t keep him out of action for much longer, and it shouldn’t stop him from producing at the plate. Yes, he will miss Spring Training, and yes, he’s the only unproven commodity here. However, at this price, someone drafting can afford to take more chances, as long as Holliday is backed up by a different second baseman later in the draft. Take a chance on Gleyber Torres a few rounds later, and you’ve got yourself a nice pairing here.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.