MLB Injury Report: A Look Ahead at 2026 Injury Concerns

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Friday, September 26, 2025. In today’s report, we review the pitchers who missed significant time down the stretch in 2025 and look ahead at their offseasons as they enter an offseason of uncertainty. Often, pitchers say that they would prefer a normal offseason, where they can rely on the routines and traits they have developed over the years, as it’s a way to have some peace of mind heading into a new year. The following players may not have that, and as such, their start to the 2026 season could be discombobulated.

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MLB Injury Report

Atlanta Braves – Team Update

#Braves pitchers Reynaldo Lopez & Grant Holmes have both headed down to North Port to continue their throwing programs. Spencer Schwellenbach is still throwing in Atlanta. All three hope to face hitters in live BP sessions before going home for the winter.

— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) September 23, 2025

This is big news for all three pitchers, as they all attempt to clear the hurdle of facing live batters before the winter break.

Concerning Spencer Schwellenbach, the team believes there is a chance for some semblance of live batting practice, although time is essentially running out. He would need to expedite his regular bullpen sessions into live bullpen sessions, and while that’s not impossible, it’s quite unprecedented, given his extended absence. Fantasy players would be wise to keep tabs on this, simply for the aforementioned peace of mind aspect of heading into the offseason.

As for Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes, both enter an offseason with uncertainty. While Lopez has been seen throwing upward of 20 pitches in a bullpen session recently, he is returning from arthroscopic surgery, and as such, pushing through each obstacle too soon could do more damage than good. Finally, Granth Holmes is attempting rest over surgery with his partially torn UCL, and as such, he feels like an early-season candidate for regression. His progress will be one to closely monitor.

Grayson Rodriguez – SP Baltimore Orioles

Interesting answer here from someone far more in tune with the Orioles than anyone reading or writing this. The hope and belief is that the elbow debridement operation would be enough for him to overcome his history of elbow problems and successfully pitch.

The problem is that if it doesn’t, then they’ve only just delayed the inevitable, which would be an even bigger surgery on his ailing elbow. An important note is that, at the time of the recommendation for surgery, it was revealed that the operation request was not UCL or Tommy John related. Above everything else here, he was suffering from a lat issue that also kept him off the mound, and that was never addressed either.

He is a giant mess right now with so many questions surrounding him. It’s quite possible that missing the entire 2025 season and this operation were enough to get him right for next season. That being said, there are too many questions and not enough answers right now to warrant rostering him.

Kris Bubic – SP Kansas City Royals

This is great news for both Bubic and the Royals, as it appears that the breakout pitcher of 2025 is progressing nicely. Out of action since the end of July, the 28-year-old was prescribed rest, as surgery was not an option for him to get better. Now, six weeks after the fact, it looks like things are going as planned. It’s noteworthy to mention that Bubic said that he dealt with shoulder pain for a large part of the season, so this injury was a long time coming. Whether or not he can shoulder the load (pun intended) of throwing more than 130 innings (his career high) remains to be seen. His offseason and his velocity come Spring Training will be a key determinant in how well he’s recovered.

Gerrit Cole – SP New York Yankees

As Gerrit Cole continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery, he’s scheduled to throw 45 pitches from 75 feet today. “Feels great,” Cole said.

— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) September 10, 2025

Cole underwent Tommy John surgery with the internal bracing procedure in March. Since then, he has started a throwing program, which began with flat-ground throwing, and has now escalated to 75-foot tosses.

While he still has a long way to go to be ready to pitch again, he is seemingly on the right path back. However, with the season ending for the Yankees by the end of October (and possibly sooner), it makes the months after that a massive challenge. When players are away from the team, they don’t always keep up with their plans as well as they should since they’re not challenged or closely monitored. After all, they’re human beings just like us.

While he could return and be ready for Opening Day (this would be well within the expected timeline for the procedure), the logistics of it add up to advantageous aggressiveness. In addition to that, players returning from Tommy John Surgery and internal bracing tend to struggle with command and control early on, since they’re learning how to adapt to their new selves. While we are months away from next year’s drafts, from a distance, it is advisable to be cautious if and when deciding to draft Cole to be one of your starters.

Justin Steele – SP Chicago Cubs

Justin Steele is expected back the second week of April. If his spring training goes well, he might only miss one or two rotations. He's proven himself with consistent performance over the last three years. #FantasyBaseball #ChicagoCubs pic.twitter.com/qcUoWtXPdB

— Locked On Fantasy Baseball (@LO_FantasyMLB) September 16, 2025

This is a warning to all readers here, regarding posts like this. First of all, I do not want to trash anyone who does any work regarding fantasy baseball. The season is a grind, and there is a lot of content out there. The “Locked On” network does a lot of good and is recommended.

However, this is the only source of information. It has been revealed that Steele is expected back during the second week of next season. There have been no updates on his ability to play catch, throw for distance, throw bullpens, and more. Steele had Tommy John surgery back in April, and the timeline for a recovery from that operation is anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

It is important to stay updated on player progress, as pitchers in particular go through a rigorous process of growth as they learn how to throw with a surgically-repaired elbow. There has been nothing out there to show that Steele has done any of this, and while it’s not out of the realm of possibility, sometimes seeing is believing. Keep an eye on these things in the offseason.