Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Wednesday, April 21, 2026. In today’s edition, the Yankees get some good news regarding the progress of three important players, the Brewers get good news of their own, and we finally have a debut date planned for Zack Wheeler. You can read about all of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.
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MLB Injury Report
New York Yankees – Team Update
Gerrit Cole will make his next rehab start on Thursday with High-A Hudson Valley, with Carlos Rodón following on Friday.
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) April 21, 2026
The Yankees got some good news yesterday, as it was revealed that Gerrit Cole would continue his rehab assignment with another start tomorrow. This shows that he’s feeling physically fine after his last start and that he’s ready to progress. As for Carlos Rodon, his return to the mound to begin a rehab assignment is a welcome sight to those fantasy managers who have rostered and stashed him, thinking he’d be back in April. A return in mid-May is plausible.
Anthony Volpe – SS New York Yankees
Today, the Yankees transferred the rehab assignment of INF Anthony Volpe from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 21, 2026
Volpe is thriving in this current rehab assignment and will now move ahead to tougher competition in Triple-A. There’s no timetable for a return, but he could very well make his 2026 debut at the beginning of May.
Milwaukee Brewers – Team Update
Brewers injury updates from Pat Murphy:
– Kyle Harrison is seen as 100% healthy, but they'll manage the pitch count carefully tonight after the long layoff between outings.
– Jackson Chourio is scheduled to hit on the field tomorrow. Andrew Vaughn has started swinging a bat.
-…— Jack Stern (@ByJackStern) April 21, 2026
More good news on this report, as Jackson Chourio appears ready to take a big leap forward in his rehab. He had been limited to some baseball activities, but now being ready to swing indicates that he should be taking on live pitching soon enough. That being said, with so much time off, he will likely need a rehab assignment. As for Andrew Vaughn, he might actually be ahead of Chourio here…different injuries, but similar in their path to recovery. Finally, Robert Gasser looks almost ready to return to the Brewers, but he needs to show he can stay healthy in a game first.
Nick Lodolo – SP Cincinnati Reds
JUST IN: #Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo will make his first rehab start here in High-A Dayton with the Dragons on Sunday.
Lodolo opened the season on the IL due to a reaggravated blister on his left index finger. @WDTN pic.twitter.com/BjU6rr3vNb
— Joey DeBerardino (@JoeyDeBerardino) April 21, 2026
The 28-year-old southpaw just recently threw a 50-pitch, multi-inning outing, and seems ready to start a rehab assignment. This likely means that his blister is all but gone, and he can now focus on his command, control, and mechanics. Great news.
Zack Wheeler – SP Philadelphia Phillies
Zack Wheeler will return to the rotation and start Saturday in Atlanta.
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) April 21, 2026
Be prepared!
Raisel Iglesias – RP Atlanta Braves
Raisel Iglesias returned to Atlanta for a MRI that showed no structural damage. The Braves are hopeful his stay on the IL will be a short one. They debated about just resting him for 4-5 days, but didn’t want to go short in the bullpen
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 21, 2026
Even more good news (sort of) in this edition… who knew that I could be so positive? That said, while the news is positive that there is no structural damage in Iglesias’ shoulder, it’s still worrisome nonetheless that he went from an injured neck to shoulder inflammation. Either it was misdiagnosed or reported over the weekend, or he hurt himself while trying to pitch through the neck injury. He is also 36-years old and has a lot of mileage underneath the hood. Chances are that this isn’t a short absence.
Jackson Holliday – 2B Baltimore Orioles
Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday just left his rehab game against Triple-A Norfolk with right hand discomfort. He struck out on a foul tip in his first at-bat and was removed the following frame.
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) April 21, 2026
This is Holliday’s second setback, which now makes this a worrisome development. His first setback was suffering from soreness, which could have been explained by him getting used to his new hand and possibly pushing to return too hard, too fast. Now, with discomfort in his hand, this becomes an issue that might result in some examinations and a shutdown period. He was in significant pain when it happened, and seeing someone reinjure themselves during a rehab assignment is painful to watch because he feels so close to being ready. The team will likely have updates soon enough, though it’s worth noting that he is getting an MRI later today.
Robert Garcia – RP Texas Rangers
Skip Schumaker said Robert Garcia is still day-to-day with shoulder inflammation.
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) April 21, 2026
If this is anything more than a DTD situation, it makes figuring out who the Rangers’ closer is that much more difficult. Stay tuned.
Daniel Palencia – RP Chicago Cubs
Cubs closer Daniel Palencia underwent an MRI that showed a lat strain, manager Craig Counsell said: “He’s responding very well right now. There’s a chance that we’re throwing here before we go to the West Coast.” An optimistic timeline would have Palencia activated in two weeks.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) April 21, 2026
Palencia has been out of action for what was believed to be an oblique injury, but this MRI confirms otherwise. While lat injuries aren’t as tricky to return from as obliques, they do pose a challenge of their own and tend to recur. All that being said, it feels like his return within the aforementioned two-week timeline feels like a real possibility.
Wyatt Langford – OF Texas Rangers
Wyatt Langford said that the forearm tightness developed in his second at-bat. He went back out for defense, and the throwing he did before the inning felt fine. He will have an MRI tomorrow. #Rangers
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) April 22, 2026
This is just an awful development, especially if it turns into something significant. We will know more today after his MRI, but chances are that he misses the next little while of games while he recovers. Stay tuned.
Sonny Gray – SP Boston Red Sox
Sonny Gray is still encouraged this will be a short-term IL stint. Says his hamstring feels OK but the smart thing was to shut him down.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) April 21, 2026
The decision to place Gray on the Injured List happened on Monday, but the news that this isn’t considered a serious issue is new. That being said, it is peculiar that he was designated so quickly without a chance to see how he would feel the next day. Hamstring injuries are tough for pitchers because they restrict the amount of movement a pitcher can do, and thus, their arms aren’t as loose as they normally would be.
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