Welcome to the MLB Injury Report for Saturday, June 15, 2024. In today’s edition, the Braves lost Michael Harris, the Royals might lose Salvador Perez, The Orioles are afraid of what’s to come for Kyle Bradish, and the Pirates are unsure what they have in Oneil Cruz. All of that and so much more in today’s edition of the Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report for Saturday, June 15, 2024.
Michael Harris – OF Atlanta Braves (hamstring)
#Braves will put Michael Harris II on the IL and have his hamstring MRI’d tomorrow.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 15, 2024
Harris was running the bases when he began to limp. He will be checked out today with an MRI, but the fact that he’s already been placed on the Injured List can’t be a good thing. He will almost certainly miss more than 10 days here, and the team will miss another star in their lineup. It’s not a good situation for Atlanta who needs their offense to wake up. We should know more about the length of his absence once the results of the MRI have been released.
Oneil Cruz – SS Pittsburgh Pirates (ankle)
Oneil Cruz (ankle) scratched Friday.
— Underdog MLB (@Underdog__MLB) June 15, 2024
The news about this decision came well after the lineups were released, and there was some concern that this could be a situation to monitor long-term. The good news is that during the game there were many clips of Cruz being silly and charismatic with his teammates and reporters. While nothing has been set in stone, he did move around the dugout and was very playful which could lead one to believe that this is a DTD situation and nothing more. There wasn’t much news on his ankle outside of the report, mind you.
Henry Davis – C/OF Pittsburgh Pirates (concussion-like symptoms)
C Henry Davis was removed from the game due to concussion-like symptoms. He is currently being examined by our medical staff.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 15, 2024
There was some confusion surrounding this removal as it is unknown what caused Davis to feel this way. The team should have some details regarding his situation today before lineups are released.
Salvador Perez – C/1B Kansas City Royals (knee discomfort)
Salvador Perez addresses his early exit due to right knee discomfort. He says it's "a little sore" and the #Royals will reevaluate it Saturday. pic.twitter.com/C9qImVpKeO
— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) June 15, 2024
Perez injured himself while making a catch where he had to extend himself upward. From there, his soreness continued to grow to the point where it became unmanageable. The biggest problems for him was that he was unable to squat like a catcher should, so the team made the choice to remove him from the game. We should know more today after the team gets a re-evaluation. Chances are that he misses some time here, though it’s unclear if he will require a trip to the Injured List.
Kyle Bradish – SP Baltimore Orioles (elbow)
After the fifth inning, Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish said his elbow was bothering him. Manager Brandon Hyde said Baltimore will have further tests
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) June 15, 2024
Bradish was seen shaking his elbow all game on a night when his velocity was up a significant amount. He would later reveal that his elbow was hurting and the team announced that he would go for testing later today. There was an ominously scary tone surrounding the team here as everyone seemed worried that this was a significant injury. The hope is that everything is structurally sound and that he is able to continue pitching, perhaps after a short break. That said, he did miss time to start the season after receiving an injection in his UCL for a sprain. Stay tuned.
Kyle Tucker – OF Houston Astros (shin)
Kyle Tucker won’t be ready by tomorrow (Saturday). He hasn’t done any baseball activities on the field.
— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) June 14, 2024
There was hope that Tucker would be ready at some point this weekend, but he has yet to resume baseball activities. With Saturday out of the picture, it feels like a lot would have to happen today in order for him to be activated tomorrow. Perhaps this injury is more significant than what was first believed.
Elias Diaz – C Colorado Rockies (calf)
#Rockies reinstate OF Nolan Jones from the 10-day IL. C Elias Díaz goes on the 10-day IL (retro to June 11) with a left calf strain.
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) June 14, 2024
Diaz has missed all week due to the injury that he sustained on Monday. The hope was that he would improve by now, but alas, here we are. Hunter Goodman will serve as the catcher for today and will see reps at this position in the meantime.
Gerrit Cole – SP New York Yankees (elbow)
Gerrit Cole in his third rehab start:
4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 70 P pic.twitter.com/LWEG2F9CMK
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 15, 2024
Cole looked absolutely dominant in this outing and looks more than ready to return to the Yankees. No official word just yet, but chances are it will be soon.
Toronto Blue Jays – Team Update
#BlueJays updates:
– Yariel Rodriguez (back) will pitch for Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday. John Schneider said they want to build his pitch count to at least 80
– Jordan Romano (elbow) is throwing from 90 feet today— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) June 14, 2024
Given the context of Yariel Rodriguez’s (back) next start, it seems clear that he will be brought back as a starter when he is reinstated from the Injured List. He has looked good in most of his outings thus far. As for Jordan Romano (elbow), he continues to be brought back slowly from this injury which has caused him to miss time twice this season. He has just 13.2 innings pitched in between injections, which is worrisome for any long-term sustainability.
Arizona Diamondbacks – Team Update
Diamondbacks injury updates, per Torey Lovullo:
-Alek Thomas will play OF in the AZL tomorrow.
-Zac Gallen threw a 37-pitch bullpen today. Next: sim game on Tuesday.
-Eduardo Rodriguez throwing out to 105 feet. MRI tomorrow.
-Miguel Castro threw a 26-pitch bullpen today.
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) June 14, 2024
Big update here with some big names to boot. Alek Thomas (hamstring) continues to progress and will now head to the Arizona Complex League to hit. He will need to play in the outfield next, but the team wants to test the waters at the plate first. As for Zac Gallen (hamstring), he continues to slowly progress forward, but a simulated game could be a big step. Once that hurdle is completed, he may jump right into a rehab assignment, which seems likely to be on the table. Eduardo Rodriguez continues to throw and this MRI should help determine if and when the next steps in his recovery are able to happen. Finally, Miguel Castro (shoulder) seems to be trending in the right direction toward a rehab assignment in the near future.
Los Angeles Dodgers – Team Update
#Dodgers MGR Dave Roberts said RHP Bobby Miller will return to the rotation to pitch Wednesday at Colorado, and LHP Clayton Kershaw will begin minor league rehab stint for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) June 14, 2024
Great news regarding Bobby Miller (shoulder) as his return this Wednesday should catapult him up the rankings and FAAB pricing. The team has already announced that with his return, they will implement a six-man rotation for the time being. It remains to be seen how long that will last. As for Clayton Kershaw (shoulder), his lengthy rehab assignment will begin this Wednesday as well. His velocity is where it has been in previous seasons and he will likely not be rushed back to the Dodgers by any means.