Here is the Fantrax Injury Report for Friday, August 18, 2023. In today’s edition, the Angels got a ton of good news regarding Zach Neto, Mike Trout and Shoehei Ohtani, all of whom are progressing as they should. Also, Michael Brantley appears to be doing well early on in his rehab assignment. Finally, Mason Miller made his first rehab appearance and did well in his short time on the mound. All this and much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
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MLB Injury Report
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – OF Arizona Diamondbacks
Lourdes Gurriel will be out for tonight's game against the Padres. He is listed as day to day. They are hopeful he will be back in the lineup tomorrow.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) August 17, 2023
Gurriel was unavailable to start last night and did not play at all. The hope is that he’ll be back in the lineup today.
Javier Baez – SS Detroit Tigers
Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning to start in doubleheader tomorrow. Javier Baez is expected to return from bereavement list. https://t.co/PNlXDvVdwP
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) August 17, 2023
Be prepared, as Baez looks to be ready to play again.
Michael Brantley – OF Houston Astros
Michael Brantley went 1-4 and played 7 innings on defense. pic.twitter.com/dF4H3Leccb
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) August 18, 2023
Brantley looked sharp at the plate, but playing seven innings in the field is a much bigger deal. Look for him to continue this upward trend. The hope is that he will play at some point this season, though nothing is guaranteed.
Nick Pratto – 1B/OF Kansas City Royals
INF Nick Pratto will begin a rehab assignment in Omaha (AAA) today.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 17, 2023
Pratto finished 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first game back. He last played on July 26 and has been out of action with a groin strain. When back, he looks to reclaim the first base position.
Zach Neto – SS Los Angeles Angels
Neto has been off and on the Injured List for quite a while, but this is encouraging news. He will resume baseball activities with the hopes of returning at some point in September. A rehab assignment seems likely.
Shoehei Ohtani – UT/SP Los Angeles Angels
Good news here for Ohtani, as he should start for the Angels soon enough.
Mike Trout – OF Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout is "likely" to start facing live pitching in the coming days, according to Angels manager Phil Nevin.@jonmorosi gives the latest on the 3x MVP ramping up activity ⬇️#MLBCentral | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/BCzzlBMGDH
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 16, 2023
Once Trout faces live pitching, he could be ready for a rehab assignment, assuming all goes well with this. He is apparently pain-free, which is tremendous news. Still, facing live pitching is a big deal, given the velocity of the pitches thrown.
J.D. Martinez – UT Los Angeles Dodgers
J.D. Martinez was scratched from tonight’s lineup due to groin tightness.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 18, 2023
Martinez was seemingly better from his latest ailments, but apparently the groin flared up again. Stay tuned.
Mark Vientos – UT New York Mets
Mark Vientos is headed to the IL with left wrist inflammation.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) August 17, 2023
Vientos will miss at least ten days with left wrist inflammation. Initial tests showed no structural damage, but he will still need time for it to heal.
Mason Miller – SP Oakland Athletics
Two no-hit innings for Mason Miller in his rehab outing for Stockton. Two Ks, one walk.
— Melissa Lockard (@melissalockard) August 17, 2023
Miller looked sharp in his brief outing, throwing 29 pitches in total. He looks to build on this with another outing next week. He is on track to return before the end of the season, despite the struggles of the A’s in general. He is a major piece for Oakland as they try to build for next year and beyond.
Bryan Woo – SP Seattle Mariners
— Rookie RHP Bryan Woo is throwing a bullpen right now here at Kauffman Stadium. If all goes well with that, the Mariners plan to activate him early next week and start a game against the White Sox in Chicago. The M's plan to go to some sort of 6-man rotation at that point.
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) August 17, 2023
Great news for Woo and fantasy owners, as he looks to be ready for activation. A six-man rotation makes sense as the team has been looking to limit his innings in the second half of the season.
Jarred Kelenic – OF Seattle Mariners
— Jarred Kelenic got out of his walking boot yesterday and is resuming some baseball activity in Arizona. Mariners are optimistic he'll be able rejoin the team sometime in early September.
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) August 17, 2023
Now that Kelenic is out of his walking boot, he could start to ramp things up with regard to his baseball activities and then a somewhat lengthy rehab assignment. Remember him for the final three weeks of the season.
J.P. Crawford – SS Seattle Mariners
J.P. Crawford "continues to improve" and could play in a Minor League rehab game this weekend for High-A Everett, per Jerry Dipoto … If that goes well, he could join the Mariners as soon as Sunday in Houston or next week in Chicago.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) August 17, 2023
Great news here.
Lars Nootbar – OF St. Louis Cardinals
OF Lars Nootbaar (lower abdomen contusion) has been placed on the 10-day IL, per the club. SS Masyn Winn — the #STLCards top prospect — is being promoted for his MLB debut.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 18, 2023
Wynn will finally get his shot at the majors after Nootbar was placed on the Injured List. It doesn’t seem like it will be a lengthy one, and the hope is to have him back soon enough.
Ryan Helsley – RP St. Louis Cardinals
#STLCards closer Ryan Helsley, who underwent a second round of MRIs earlier this week on his right forearm, has been cleared to return to action. He will make another rehab appearance on Friday with Triple-A Memphis, manager Oliver Marmol said.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 17, 2023
Great news in that Helsley can get back to rehabbing with the intention of returning in the near future.
Nolan Gorman – INF St. Louis Cardinals
#STLCards manager Oli Marmol said lefty slugger Nolan Gorman (low back pain) is scheduled to receive a pain-killing injection today. Because he will be out at least three more days, the club made the decision to put him on the 10-day IL. His IL stint was backdated to Aug. 14.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 17, 2023
Gorman was placed on the Injured List and will hopefully get better with this injection. His back seemed to be getting worse this week, so the move seems logical. This has been an ongoing issue for quite a while and the hope is that this will finally put it to rest.
Steven Matz – SP St. Louis Cardinals
Steven Matz is on a conservative rehab plan for the next two weeks to allow his lat to calm down before a follow up MRI. No throw until then at a minimum, and then they’ll see how it progresses. He said it’s too early to tell if he’ll pitch again this year.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) August 17, 2023
The hope is that Matz will return, but him not throwing for two weeks isn’t encouraging news.