Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Saturday, August 3, 2024. In today’s edition, Gerrit Cole gets a potential day for his next start, Max Scherzer is fatigued yet again, and Jared Jones has a big weekend lined up. All of that and much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Max Scherzer – SP Texas Rangers (fatigue)
Scherzer has now suffered from arm fatigue twice over his last three starts, and this trend is becoming concerning. The team itself has come out and said that rest like this would be necessary for him to make it through the rest of the year. At some point, they may call it quits and give him a full off-season to get himself right for the spring. That said, there may come a point too where both he and the team need to understand that he is 40 years old and it’s unnatural for someone that age to continue doing this at a high intensity.
Luis Rengifo – INF/OF Los Angeles Angels (wrist)
Luis Rengifo has been taken out of the game.
He missed yesterday's game with a wrist issue — the same that kept him on the IL in July.
He didn't look great in his first two at-bats tonight.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) August 3, 2024
From the sounds of it, Rengifo’s one-day rest wasn’t nearly enough and he will need additional time to heal. Perhaps a trip to the Injured List might give him enough time to fully heal.
New York Yankees – Team Update
Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, and Anthony Rizzo update 🔊 pic.twitter.com/Jtnn88z3Wc
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 2, 2024
Gerrit Cole (fatigue) threw a bullpen yesterday and felt fine afterward. That was the final hurdle for him and the belief is that he will throw for the Yankees tomorrow, though plans can change. Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt (lat) will advance to live batters on Tuesday, which is a big step forward for him and could propel him to a rehab assignment in the near future. Finally, Anthony Rizzo (forearm) admitted that his recovery is a slow process moving forward, but it is a steady pace nonetheless. There is no timetable for a return for him, with speculation that he will miss the rest of the season.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Team Update
Injury notes from Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk (1/2)
-Ryan Borucki will not throw for the next 3-5 days. Club is optimistic he can pitch in games sometime in September
-Jared Jones is scheduled to throw live BP on Saturday
-Isiah Kiner-Falefa is scheduled to…— Andrew Destin (@AndrewDestin1) August 2, 2024
A lot to unpack here, but for fantasy purposes, Jared Jones (lat) continues to progress well and will throw his planned live BP session later on today. He has cleared every hurdle on time and without issue, and the hope is that the trend can continue with today’s session. As for Isiah Kiner-Falefa (knee), he went 2-for-4 last night with one double, a few nights after being traded. He also completed two games for Toronto’s Triple-A Buffalo team where he had two hits there. He could be ready for a return soon. Finally, Nick Gonzales (groin) resuming baseball activities soon would be a welcome sight for a player who is expected to be out for weeks.
Drew Thorpe – SP Chicago White Sox (right flexor strain)
Drew Thorpe hits the IL with a flexor strain, sidelining the White Sox headliner from the Dylan Cease trade and one of the main pieces of the future for fans to watch. pic.twitter.com/7bz26WPpTU
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) August 2, 2024
Thorpe has seen his production diminish over the last little while, and that may have in part been because of a lingering injury that didn’t allow him to recover properly. Over his last two starts, he has gone 5.2 innings and surrendered fourteen runs, which is a far cry from his numbers before that. There is a chance that this is a season-ending injury, but time will tell.
Michael King – SP San Diego Padres (calf)
Mike Shildt says on @973TheFanSD that Michael King is “a little sore from the comebacker he took in his last start and he needs a couple of extra days.”
King was hit by a 109 MPH liner in the left calf vs. the Orioles on the game’s first batter. He still threw 6+ strong innings.
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) August 2, 2024
King was set to have an intriguing matchup against the Rockies. Now it looks like he will have to start at the Pirates or Marlins next week, which still could work out well for fantasy owners.
Richie Palacios – OF Tampa Bay Rays (knee)
#Rays Richie Palacios (right knee sprain) will be out 4-6 weeks, Kevin Cash said. No surgery required. He’ll be shut down for the next 10-15 days, “then see how he's feeling, how he's moving around, really look to strengthen around the quad area and have another doctor visit.”
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) August 2, 2024
The only good news here is that there is no surgery required for this injury, which means that he should be fine once he returns. The bad news is that with only eight weeks left in the season, his return may not happen until 2025. The hope is that there are no setbacks and that he can return within a minimal amount of time.
Eduardo Rodriguez – SP Arizona Diamondbacks (shoulder)
Eduardo Rodriguez expected to start Tuesday against the Guardians in Cleveland.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) August 2, 2024
Be prepared.
Merrill Kelly – SP Arizona Diamondbacks (shoulder)
Merrill Kelly will throw in a rehab game for Hillsboro on Tuesday. @Dbacks
— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) August 2, 2024
Fantastic news here, as Kelly will begin his long-awaited rehab assignment. With him and Rodriguez back soon, the Diamondbacks will have some much-needed reinforcements as they try to move forward in their playoff quest.
Walker Buehler – SP Los Angeles Dodgers (hip)
Walker Buehler will make one more start with OKC before rejoining the Dodgers, Dave Roberts said.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 2, 2024
Buehler has struggled mightily in his last rehab start, and the team has decided to allow him another chance to make things right. It’s been a disastrous year for him overall.
Bobby Miller – SP Los Angeles Dodgers (hip, abductor tightness)
Bobby Miller was scratched from his Triple A start tonight due to some adductor tightness, as @ByJackHarris said. Felt it after his last bullpen session. Source said the club is being “overly cautious” and just opting to push him back.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 2, 2024
Miller has struggled both in the majors and on his rehab assignment, and having a setback like this is not what he needs. It remains to be seen when he will return and what his role will be when he does in fact pitch again for the Dodgers this season.
Freddie Freeman – 1B Los Angeles Dodgers (personal)
Dave Roberts said he doesn’t anticipate Freddie Freeman playing any of the games in Oakland. Freeman’s obviously been tending to his son, Maximus. Roberts said Freeman has still been swinging while away from the team.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 2, 2024
The Freeman family is wished the very best during this troubling time.