MLB Injury Report – Top 100 picks getting hurt

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Monday, April 6, 2026. In today’s edition, Hunter Brown may miss significant time with a shoulder strain, Mookie Betts looks to be missing multiple weeks with a back injury, and Juan Soto’s status is day-to-day with a calf injury. Read about all of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

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MLB Injury Report

Hunter Brown – SP Houston Astros

Hunter Brown is going on the IL with a right shoulder strain.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 5, 2026

Not much is yet known about the severity of this injury. All we know is that he tried throwing after “things didn’t feel right”, and that he was then sent for some testing to see what was wrong. The team downplayed the situation here, but a reminder that this is the Astros, who also downplayed the injuries to both Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker in consecutive years. Regardless, Spencer Arrighetti needs to be rostered and stashed in all leagues. Stay tuned.

Carlos Rodon – SP New York Yankees

Carlos Rodon felt some soreness after his bullpen/agility work yesterday, "but that's to be expected," Aaron Boone said. Next step would be another side session, then potentially a Minor League rehab start.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) April 5, 2026

There was no clarification as to where the soreness was. If it is in his hamstring, then it’s understandable, given that he is testing out his leg while stretching his arm out. However, if the soreness was in his elbow, then this should be considered a setback, and his timeline should change, possibly by a significant amount. Stay tuned.

Mookie Betts – SS Los Angeles Dodgers

Dave Roberts said Mookie Betts’ MRI revealed a right oblique strain. Thinks it happened on a check-swing in his at-bat yesterday

He’s going on the IL. Hyeseong Kim will be activated

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) April 5, 2026

This is simply a terrible break for a guy who was looking to rebound after a poor 2025 season. Now, his potential redemption story will have to be on hold while he recovers from this injury. The good news is that this is considered a mild oblique injury, and the expectation is that he will miss anywhere between four and six weeks. Hyeseong Kim was recalled in his place.

Nick Lodolo – SP Cincinnati Reds

Terry Francona on Nick Lodolo: "Today, he's going to throw plyo balls. Without the seams on the plyo ball, we can keep his arm moving. The one good thing about this is his arm has continued to move. It hasn't been like he has been down a ton. We just have to figure it out. We've…

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) April 5, 2026

Lodolo will continue to keep his arm moving while he recovers from this ongoing blister. It’s important that he’s able to do this so that he doesn’t require time to build himself back up. There has been no timeline regarding a return, but if the Reds are turning to Plan B here, then it could mean that he won’t be back anytime soon.

Cade Horton – SP Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have placed Cade Horton on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 4) with a right forearm strain.

— Kyle W (@K_Williamsmedia) April 5, 2026

Horton exited a game early on Friday, after throwing a pitch and immediately calling for the trainers. The weird part of this injury was that he felt pain in his wrist as well, which could mean something different altogether. Regardless, he will miss time, and it will likely be more than the 15-day minimum for pitchers. This is a significant hole for the Cubs to fill.

Seiya Suzuki – OF Chicago Cubs

Per #Cubs Craig Counsell, Seiya Suzuki will stay on rehab assignment Tuesday/Wednesday and rejoin the team Friday in Chicago.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) April 5, 2026

Be prepared!

Juan Soto – OF New York Mets

Juan Soto reveals he has a minor strain in his right calf and no decision is made yet on if he will go on IL:

"We're going to see how I wake up the next couple of days and go from there" pic.twitter.com/TIzVNiQ9Jz

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

Soto hasn’t played in a game since leaving early on Friday. The team feared the worst, but received mediocre news, as he will likely need some time off in order to let it fully heal. He is someone who tends to play through injuries, so his not being placed on the Injured List is most definitely a possibility. While a decision has not yet been made, they do have today off, which could give them an extra 24 hours to make a decision.

Zack Wheeler – SP Philadelphia Phillies

Zack Wheeler will start again Wednesday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’ll have another minor-league start after that one, Rob Thomson said.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 4, 2026

Wheeler’s velocity was down a significant amount in his last start. It’s unclear what the reasoning was behind that, but the team is optimistic that they’re giving him another start on what would be regular rest. It will be interesting to see how he responds to this poor outing (mechanically) and if he can bounce back with increased velocity. If these trends continue, the team may put a pause on things or come to grips that this is the new Wheeler. All that being said, this is me getting ahead of myself. Let’s wait and see how Wednesday’s start goes.

Mike Trout – OF Los Angeles Angels

Mike Trout is day to day. Just a contusion. X-rays negative per Kurt Suzuki.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) April 6, 2026

Trout exited Sunday’s game early after getting hit by a pitch on his hand. The team was worried that he would have suffered a fracture, but alas, all seems good here. While he has avoided a long-term absence, he may only miss a handful of games while the contusion heals. Great news.

Merrill Kelly – SP Arizona Diamondbacks

Merrill Kelly will make one more rehab start before coming back, Torey Lovullo said.

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) April 5, 2026

Kelly looked phenomenal in his last rehab start, and there was speculation that he would be ready to be brought up to the Diamondbacks. However, the team has said that he will need one more start before making his 2026 debut. A reminder that he didn’t have much of a Spring Training, so these games are quite an importat tune up for him. Nick later speculated that Kelly would debut against the Orioles in Baltimore, assuming all went according to plan.

Addison Barger – OF Toronto Blue Jays

Schneider said Barger hurt both ankles on that early play at first base (with the bases loaded):

“Hopefully he's all right. Hopefully it's just a day or two, or maybe not even a day.”#BlueJays

— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) April 5, 2026

The injury looked worse than it (allegedly) was, as both the team and the player don’t see this as a longstanding injury. The hope is that he can return soon enough and avoid the Injured List. We should know more later today or tomorrow, as we’ll see how he feels a day or two after the incident.