Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report. In today’s edition, Royce Lewis injured himself while running the basepaths yesterday. Also, Spencer Strider will make his Spring Training debut today, much to the delight of Braves fans everywhere. Finally, Mookie Betts is ill, and in serious jeopardy of missing Opening Day. All of this and much more is in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Royce Lewis – 3B, Minnesota Twins
Royce Lewis will get imaging done on his hamstring tomorrow, after which the Twins will know a lot more about his injury.
— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) March 16, 2025
Lewis injured his hamstring by trying to outrun a groundball in yesterday’s Spring Training game. He hurt it midway down the baseline and limped his way past the first base bag. This is concerning for the young star who has been decimated by injuries throughout his short career. From a twice-torn ACL to a quad ailment and even missing time due to a hamstring injury in 2023, his career and potential have been marred due to these continuous setbacks. The team will have updates tomorrow, but given his injury history, there’s a real chance that this will be a significant injury. It is already being reported that he will likely begin the season on the Injured List. Stay tuned.
Mookie Betts – SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Per Dave Roberts — Mookie Betts will not play in either game v Cubs. #Dodgers “contemplating” sending him home early
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) March 17, 2025
Since arriving in Japan, Betts has been battling an illness. It has caused him to lose weight and miss time in practice while he recovers. As such, he will miss both games while in Tokyo and may even be sent home early to heal and prepare for the team’s domestic games. This doesn’t seem to be a long-term issue, but something that at the moment needs to be addressed.
Spencer Strider – SP, Atlanta Braves
Strider will start tomorrow’s game against the Red Sox
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 16, 2025
This was always considered to be an unlikely outcome, given the hurdles that Strider would need to clear along the way. However, since arriving at camp, he has progressed to the point where both he and the team have enough confidence to allow him to be in a game. It’s fair to expect him to have a very minimal role in this game, but being out there and pitching is a significant step forward.
Jung Hoo Lee – OF San Francisco Giants
Jung Hoo Lee is still experiencing some discomfort in his back and could be out a few more days, Melvin says. Not a baseball injury, just slept on it wrong.
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) March 16, 2025
The team revealed on Saturday that Lee slept awkwardly the night before, and that that led to his absence. While that very well could be the case (because he’s human like all of us), missing a few more days of action is a bit worrisome. This is a situation to monitor to ensure that he didn’t do significant damage.
Clarke Schmidt – SP, New York Yankees
Clarke Schmidt will not start tomorrow against the Blue Jays, Aaron Boone said. Schmidt is dealing with shoulder soreness and is “not getting all the way back to how he normally would.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 16, 2025
The news this spring goes from bad to worse for the Yankees, who have already lost Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil to serious injuries. On top of having to insert a disgruntled Marcus Stroman into their rotation, they can ill afford to lose another pitching option. The hope is that this is minor and that Schmidt can rebound and be a piece of good news for New York. We should find out more about this situation later today.
Daulton Varsho – OF, Toronto Blue Jays
John Schneider says the #BlueJays should have a decision on Daulton Varsho (shoulder) by the end of the week. He’s throwing at 120 feet.
Schneider threw some cold water on the DH idea. It’s all very day-to-day, but a brief IL stint to open 2025 is feeling likeliest.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 16, 2025
While this is a piece of discouraging news, some added context should give fantasy owners less cause for concern. Varsho has had a fantastic spring thus far and has been ahead of the schedule that was laid out for him at the time of his surgery. He’s been on point with the bat thus far, but he just hasn’t been able to progress with his ability to throw the ball. From the sounds of things, he needs a little time to build up some tolerance and strength for throwing and make his debut shortly after.
Christian Walker – 1B, Houston Astros
The plan is for Christian Walker to get into games this weekend, Joe Espada said.
“I’m optimistic he should be fine for Opening Day,” Espada said.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 16, 2025
While Walker did not get into any games this past weekend, he is still feeling better and progressing. The injury allegedly isn’t as serious as last year’s oblique ailment, but it’s still something to keep in mind, as these things tend to linger and persist. That being said, he is inching closer to a return, which is good news for the Astros.
Philadelphia Phillies – Team Update
Max Kepler was removed from the game for precautionary reasons with a bruised lower back. Brandon Marsh was removed from the game for precautionary reasons for a bruised left knee.
Marsh fell onto the warning track in the first inning. Kepler collided with the wall in the first
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) March 16, 2025
This weekend, the Phillies had two ailments to deal with from a pair of outfielders with a troublesome track record of injuries. First, Max Kepler collided with the outfield wall and was removed from the game as a result. He said that had this been a regular season game, he would have ground through and continued playing. He referred to the injury as a bruise, as if a pitch had hit him. As for Marsh, he slipped and fell on his left knee, the same knee that caused him to miss time in 2023. He said that this was nothing major and that he would be fine. Both situations are likely of a day-to-day nature but should be monitored nonetheless.
Yu Darvish – SP, San Diego Padres
Yu Darvish getting a rest due to ‘fatigue’ https://t.co/RnDzukpfnX
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) March 16, 2025
The team and Darvish have downplayed this and deemed it a precautionary measure. Nonetheless, at 38 years old, it is somewhat worrisome that he is already fatigued and we have barely scratched the surface of a long and grueling season.
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.
