MLB Injury Report – Injury Relief on the Pitching Front?

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Friday, April 17, 2026. In today’s edition, the Yankees seem to be getting two important pitchers back next month, the Blue Jays get some good news regarding three injured players, and the Tigers may need to look in the mirror with respect to Justin Verlander. Read about all of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

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MLB Injury Report

Tatsuya Imai – SP Houston Astros

Tatsuya Imai is playing some light catch on the field at Daikin Park with a team trainer nearby.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) April 16, 2026

This is usually the very first step of any pitcher’s recovery process, as it’s an initial way of testing a player’s arm. If he can feel good afterward, he will advance to playing catch regularly, with some extra force and velocity in each toss. That being said, he likely has a long way to go before returning, which may include time in a rehab assignment.

Josh Hader – RP Houston Astros

Hader had just finished throwing to live batters earlier this week, and the news that he has about a month left of recovery is a bit surprising. One would think that he would be throwing at least once this weekend, and that another session or two after that would be more than enough for him to start a rehab assignment. With relievers not needing as much time on rehab assignments as starters, it’s fair to believe that he could be back within three weeks at the most. That said, there’s something peculiar here about how the team has treated his injury. His sessions have never been close together, giving him time to heal in between. Will they use him that way once he’s back with the Astros, possibly utilizing a committee? Who knows, but how he’s getting better is definitely noteworthy.

Carlos Rodon – SP New York Yankees

Carlos Rodon will throw live BP on Saturday, then should advance to Minor League rehab starts. Aaron Boone said Rodon will probably need three starts. They've been guarding his hamstring issue.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) April 16, 2026

Rodon’s throwing this Saturday will likely lead to him beginning a rehab assignment shortly afterward. With five days in between each start, he may just be about three weeks away from making his 2026 debut. The team is still concerned about his hamstring, but not enough to hold him back.

Gerrit Cole – SP New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole will make a rehab start for @SOMPatriots on Friday, Aaron Boone said.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) April 16, 2026

From the sounds of it, Cole is slightly ahead of Rodon here in terms of his recovery process. He may need all 30 days before returning, but there’s an outside chance that he could be back after three starts himself. It’s still amazing to see how quickly and efficiently he’s been on this journey back. That said, the real test comes later today.

Justin Verlander – SP Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander threw a bullpen yesterday. His recovery is "going a little slower than I think he anticipated or we anticipated," A.J. Hinch said.

Here's the rest of Hinch's comments on Verlander: pic.twitter.com/69xQHDhw5h

— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) April 16, 2026

The team may not want to categorize this as a setback, but it sure feels like one. Verlander isn’t recovering as well as he should be, and the team really doesn’t know why. It could be an underlying injury. It could be his hip not healing. Or, more likely than not, it could be the fact that he’s 43 years old with over 3500 innings of work under his belt, and his body isn’t the same as it once was.

Addison Barger – 3B Toronto Blue Jays

Addison Barger (ankle) has resumed baseball activity at Blue Jays complex in Florida. He played catch the last two days and is expected to begin swinging on Friday or Saturday.

Goal is for Barger to resume running by Tuesday or Wednesday and go from there.

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 16, 2026

Barger continues to show some progress after resuming baseball activities. Eyes should be on the news of how he feels later next week, and if he can resume running. If that’s the case, then the plan is working as it should. However, if not, it could be thought of as a setback. Stay tuned.

Jose Berrios – SP Toronto Blue Jays

José Berríos allowed four runs on four hits and a walk in the first inning of his rebah start in Single-A, which took 30 pitches. We'll see how much more he throws.

Everything is in the zone and he's sitting 93-95 mph, which is the better news. #BlueJays

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) April 16, 2026

Good news that Berrios was able to hit the intended velocity for his first rehab game. The results aren’t as important as the process, so his throwing hard is his way of showing that his body is able to push through this elbow injury. However, as I’ve said earlier, I don’t know how he will be able to pitch with and through a fractured elbow.

George Springer – OF Toronto Blue Jays

Injury Update:
George Springer hit in the cage yesterday and today – just off the tee, and some flips, but “looked pretty normal, which is good.”

John Schneider continued to say there will be no need for rehab assignment, the toe will just be “annoying” for a couple weeks

— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) April 16, 2026

From the sound of it, the Jays will have Springer play through this injury and not worry about him utilizing time in a rehab assignment to work out the kinks. That is something to remember and monitor when he returns, as his production may not be as it usually is.

Kyle Teel – C Chicago White Sox

Teel has apparently felt great with respect to the hitting and catching components of his position. The only issue left is the buildup to be able to run at 100% health, which is almost there. The belief is that he can get there by the end of this weekend and begin a rehab assignment on Monday.