MLB Injury Report – Gut Punch for the Nationals

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Wednesday, August 5, 2026. In today’s edition, the Nationals will lose James Wood for the time being, the Guardians need to be cautious with Jose Ramirez, and the Red Sox are working on getting Garrett Crochet back for the playoffs. You can read about all of that and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

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MLB Injury Report

James Wood – OF Washington Nationals

James Wood will go on the IL with a mild oblique strain. Butera is hopeful it’ll be a short stint

Andrew Pickney will be called up. His first appearance will be his MLB debut

— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) August 4, 2026

Just an awful injury here, and the timing puts fantasy baseball managers in a predicament. Obliques are tricky because they tend to linger, and it feels like six weeks is an appropriate amount of time to be missed on average for many oblique strains. This is one to monitor as time goes by to see how quickly he is projected to return. If he can be back before the end of the month, he is worth stashing on your rosters. However, if this will linger into September, a difficult decision may need to be made. If your trade deadline has yet to pass, now might be a time to pivot for anything substantial.

Jose Ramirez – 3B Cleveland Guardians

Jose Ramirez sidelined with soreness in left hand. It’s hand he had surgery on.

— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) August 4, 2026

For now, this isn’t overly concerning, in that it’s not out of the ordinary for his hand to feel somewhat sore after such a major surgery. Ramirez hasn’t looked like himself at all this season, and lately it’s been because of his recoverung had. However, it is worth noting that he didn’t go on a rehab assignment, and this soreness might be his body’s way of telling him that he should have. Consider him day-to-day until the Guardians tell us otherwise.

Samuel Basallo – C Baltimore Orioles

Samuel Basallo (shoulder) is getting close to starting both his catching and hitting progressions and could begin a rehab assignment within next 2 weeks, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said.

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) August 4, 2026

Basallo was re-evaluated last week, and now we find out that he is close to beginning catching and hitting. However, knowing that he may have to wait for two weeks before starting a rehab assignment is a bit discouraging. There’s a world where he doesn’t return until September.

Jordan Walker – OF St. Louis Cardinals

Jordan Walker has been scratched from the lineup due to inflammation in his right knee. Will update with more information when there is an opportunity to get it. #stlcards

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) August 4, 2026

Walker missed yesterday’s game due to inflammation in his knee. Not much was known about the severity of this situation, though he may be dealing with this for a while. He hasn’t hit a home run since July 9, and the reigning Home Run Derby champion could probably use some time to rest. Let’s hope that this isn’t serious.

Garrett Crochet – SP Boston Red Sox

Chad Tracy says Garrett Crochet has resumed throwing. Started on flat ground at 50-60 feet but a notable first step towards a potential return.

— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) August 4, 2026

This is significant in that Crochet has started throwing. The 50-60 feet threshold is the very beginning of this progression, and he needs to work his way up to longer distances to get his velocity back. Once that happens, it’ll be side sessions, mound work, live batting practice, and then a rehab assignment. He may not pitch again during the regular season, but the Red Sox are more concerned with getting him back for the playoffs.

Matt Chapman – 3B San Francisco Giants

Tony Vitello said Matt Chapman (abdominal strain) will fly to Philadelphia for an evaluation.

Surgery is a possibility, and there’s a chance Chapman doesn’t play again this season.

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) August 4, 2026

The writing is on the wall here: Chapman hasn’t played since the end of June, his injury hasn’t gotten any better as the pain is still there, and the Giants aren’t competitive at all. All of these signs lead to my belief that he needs surgery and that his season is over.

Trey Yesavage – SP Toronto Blue Jays

Trey Yesavage is going for an MRI on his left knee tomorrow, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

Yesavage had no concerns about the knee beforehand, but “It's just a pinching sensation where he couldn't really stabilize perfectly,” said Schneider.

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) August 5, 2026

An unfortunate development here for Yesavage, who limited the Astros to one walk through two innings pitched last night. Unfortunately, this pinching sensation began, and the decision was made to take him out of the game. His MRI today should tell us more about what’s going on here, but this isn’t something to be ignored. Hopefully it was just an in-game tightening, and that some time off before his next scheduled start will be enough to allow him back out there.

Carlos Correa – 3B/SS Houston Astros

Astros SS/3B Carlos Correa received good news at the doctor today, getting cleared to start swinging the bat, a source said.

Correa is trying to buck the odds and return to the field late in the season after undergoing tendon surgery in May.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 4, 2026

Correa had what was believed to be season-ending surgery on his ankle earlier this season. Since then, he’s been cleared to begin a running progression, resume baseball activities, and now swing a bat. For those who don’t think a return this year is possible, a reminder that Isaac Paredes did the improbable last year, returning from another “season-ending” injury, so anything is possible. Now, that was a completely different injury, but the point here is that if he is swinging a bat in early August, he could be back in September.

Nick Kurtz – 1B Sacramento Athletics

Nick Kurtz goes on the 10-day IL retroactive to Aug. 1 with a strained right thumb.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) August 4, 2026

The exact term for his injury is acute on chronic volar plate tear of the MCP joint. Yesterday, he underwent an ultrasound-guided PRP injection to help the healing process. I’m not going to try to be a medical expert, but knowing that he’s already receiving injections and that there is no timeline in place, there’s a chance here that he misses a significant chunk of the remainder of the season. In fact, he may not play again, though fantasy baseball managers would be wise to wait before making any drastic decisions on his availability for the rest of the league.

Dalton Rushing – C Los Angeles Dodgers

Following up on what Dave Roberts said to @THEREAL_DV: MRI results revealed a UCL tear for Dalton Rushing. The hope is he can avoid surgery, but he’ll be shut down/no throw for at least a few weeks. If he does return this season, it’s unclear if he’ll be limited to hitting only.

— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) August 5, 2026

Not an ideal situation for the Dodgers here. Rushing with a UCL tear likely means he misses most, if not all, of the season, including the playoffs. That timeline will be revealed once we know if he will require surgery. However, for someone who needs his knee while catching, it doesn’t seem like an optimal position to be in. Just a brutal break here, as the Dodgers are missing Will Smith with a neck issue and will rely on Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia down the stretch. For their sake, let’s hope Smith can return soon.

Chicago Cubs – Team Update

A couple Cubs injury updates:

Edward Cabrera will make his next rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Iowa.

Daniel Palencia starts his rehab assignment at Triple A on Wednesday.

Hoby Milner will make another rehab outing with Iowa tomorrow.

Hunter Harvey threw ‘pen Saturday

— Meghan Montemurro (@MegMontemurro) August 3, 2026

The biggest fantasy-relevant news here is that both Edward Cabrera and Daniel Palencia are beginning the final phases of their recovery today. If all goes well, Palencia should be back before Cabrera, simply because he requires less time in between appearances as a reliever. Either way, though, it’s a great sign for a team that needs pitching stability.

Clay Holmes – SP Chicago Cubs

Expect to see Clay Holmes’ next start to be with Cubs, not another rehab outing.

Kevin Gausman’s Cubs debut will happen in Kansas City.

Based on current alignment, Cubs will likely go with Gausman Friday & Holmes Saturday.

Cubs are skipping Colin Rea this turn, Counsell said.

— Meghan Montemurro (@MegMontemurro) August 4, 2026

Be prepared.