MLB Injury Report – Carroll Survives Back Scare, Soto is Back?

Welcome to the MLB Injury Report from Fantrax for Monday, April 20, 2026. In today’s edition, the Diamondbacks avoided a major scare with Corbin Carroll, the Phillies get some bad news regarding their closer, and the Mets could be seeing their best hitter back this week to help rejuvenate a slumping offense. Read about all of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

More great Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire | Weekly SP Rankings | Pitching Streamers | Two-Start Pitchers | Lineup Analysis | MLB Injury Report | Rookie Report | Advanced Stats | Under the Radar | Overvalued & Undervalued | Bullpen Report

Fantasy Baseball Injury Report

Corbin Carroll – OF Arizona Diamondbacks

Torey Lovullo said Corbin Carroll will start in right field on Tuesday.

— Alex D’Agostino (@AlexDagAZ) April 19, 2026

There was some worry about Carroll after he was pulled from yesterday’s game with a back injury. It looks like part of the reason why he was pulled from the game, too, was because the team was down by so much. Just be prepared with your lineups.

Gabriel Moreno – C Arizona Diamondbacks

Gabriel Moreno going through catching drills and playing catch on the field pregame. pic.twitter.com/DwMwaXKX3D

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) April 19, 2026

This was the first concrete news that we have received regarding any progress on Moreno. That being said, the team has been adamant that he would not miss much more than the minimum, so they must believe that what he’s going through with this oblique issue isn’t overly serious. Still, it’s a difficult injury from which to recover, and the team would be wise not to speed things up too much; setbacks will occur.

Jhoan Duran – RP Philadelphia Phillies

Obliques are tricky to manage, and the timeline for the return from a mild ailment like this is about six weeks. This makes it quite difficult to hold onto Duran in leagues without spots on the Injured List. That being said, he is one of baseball’s best closers with immense job security. Fantasy managers are encouraged to keep rostering him and wait this one out. It looks like Brad Keller will take over as the team’s closer in the meantime. If he pitches as well as he did last year, he should provide some fantasy goodness.

Houston Astros – Team Update

Brown said on @SportsTalk790 that late May/early June is timetable for return of Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier. “Hopefully it could be a little sooner.”

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 19, 2026

Both timelines seem optimistic, simply because a lot can happen before then. Keep in mind that what Dana Brown is talking about here is the best-case scenario, assuming that nothing goes wrong. However, with both pitchers in a shutdown stage where their bodies are doing nothing baseball-related, we won’t know more about their progress until they start throwing again. With Hunter Brown getting injured before Cristian Javier, it’s fair to assume that Brown will return before Javier.

Nick Lodolo – SP Cincinnati Reds

The Reds are taking things much more slowly and carefully here, after Lodolo reinjured his blister. He has yet to pitch in 2026, other than 2.2 innings of rehab work. He will need an extensive rehab time to ramp himself back up. A return in mid or late May seems likely here, barring a setback.

Daulton Varsho – OF Toronto Blue Jays

Daulton Varsho told Blue Jays manager John Schneider before Friday’s game that he was dealing with some left knee discomfort up into his lower quad.

He was pulled from the game as a precaution and is considered day-to-day. Schneider said Varsho hasn’t had any imaging done.

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 18, 2026

Varsho missed both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games, and the team did not indicate whether or not they would consider placing him on the Injured List. They did, however, say that they would be very cautious here with how they proceed, and wouldn’t rush anything. The Jays don’t have a day off until Thursday, and it’s quite possible that he doesn’t play again until next Friday.

Brent Rooker – OF Sacramento Athletics

Brent Rooker (oblique) is starting to move around and do some light baseball activity. He’ll travel with the team on this upcoming road trip to Seattle/Texas to increase his level of activity.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) April 19, 2026

All had been quiet concerning Rooker after he injured his oblique almost two weeks ago. Now here he is, beginning to do some light baseball activity, bringing hope that he could return soon. Just a reminder that obliques are tricky because they can be easily reaggravated if used too soon. It would be advantageous to think that he would be returning anytime sooner than late May, but stranger things have happened before.

Atlanta Braves – Team Update

Spencer Strider and Sean Murphy will both start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday

— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) April 19, 2026

Great news for the Braves, as reinforcements are on the way for them….soon enough. It’s hard to tell who will be up first, but the guess would be Spencer Strider, as he’s already up to 70 pitches, as evidenced by his last outing. He may need just one or two more games to be ready to make his 2026 debut, assuming his velocity holds. As for Sean Murphy, he is coming off surgery and did not have himself a Spring Training to work on his timing and mechanics. He may need additional time as he has yet to record a hit in the minors.

Juan Soto – OF New York Mets

Juan Soto is still on track to return on the next homestand, Mendoza said.

— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) April 19, 2026

Be prepared!

Brendan Donovan – 2B Seattle Mariners

Brendan Donovan (left hip soreness) is available to play off the bench today.

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) April 19, 2026

The team indicated that Donovan would be available from the bench yesterday. This likely means that he is going to play most of this next week in games for the team. They finish a homestand with a three-game series against the Rangers tonight before heading out east.