Welcome to the MLB Injury Report. In this edition, Jacob deGrom assessed himself this past weekend; there are mixed reviews on the health of both sides of the Cubs’ infield; and the Dodgers have their own woes regarding their rotational pieces. All of that and much more in this Fantasy Baseball Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report for January 20, 2025
Jacob deGrom – SP Texas Rangers
Jacob deGrom is having a normal offseason and his arm feels really good. He’s looking forward to pitching this season.
“The goal is to go out there and make as many starts as I can to help contribute. Things have been feeling really good.” pic.twitter.com/4bjNEUPhxW
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) January 18, 2025
The Rangers had their FanFest this past weekend, and much attention was paid to deGrom. It was reiterated here that he is healthy, feels great, and that he is ready to pitch an entire season. The goal that both he and the team have set for him is to pitch through 30 starts in 2025. That’s a lofty goal for someone who hasn’t thrown more than 100 innings in six seasons and is coming off of his second Tommy John Surgery. Keep in mind that the goal of these festivals is to sell tickets for the upcoming season. Jacob deGrom telling us that he feels great is fantastic, but fantasy baseball managers need to remember that what they foresee for him would be exceptional and not the norm for any pitcher who has undergone what he has and at his age. That being said, if there is anyone out there to prove the doubters wrong, it would be him.
Josh Jung – 3B Texas Rangers, Evan Carter – OF Texas Rangers
Of note, the article does state that there is a chance that the team takes things slowly with both out of the gate. This is explained by the team having to remind both players in the past to not be so physically “all-in” with regard to their style of play, putting themselves into physical harm. However, the good news is that both players look and feel ready to prove to the world that they are ready to be the productive big leaguers they were drafted to be.
Nico Hoerner – 2B Chicago Cubs
Nico Hoerner (flexor tendon surgery) says he dealt with the injury throughout '24 season & most impacted his throws.
Hoerner hasn't started throwing program or hitting & didn't have answer yet whether he'll be ready for Opening Day (in Japan 3/18, 3/27 at AZ or home opener 4/4).
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) January 18, 2025
With the Cubs starting the season so early, it wouldn’t be surprising at all for Hoerner to miss the games (and maybe the trip) to Japan. While this news is a bit of a downer, it needs to be remembered it was always going to be a close call for him to start the season healthy. Chances are that he begins the season on the Injured List, as this operation can take up to six months from which to recover. With the season being a long grind, all this means is that a potential buying opportunity exists for fantasy owners who are patient enough to wait for him to debut.
Dansby Swanson – SS Chicago Cubs
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is "doing well," he says, after having core surgery in October. He played through a sports hernia in 2024.
"I’m feeling right where I’m supposed to be at this stage," Swanson says.
Listen to Swanson's full interview: https://t.co/yu94JQvZ9Z pic.twitter.com/S8KfKi9LJP
— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) January 17, 2025
Swanson revealed in this interview that he had been dealing with this ailment since the end of the 2023 season, and played through it last year. This might help explain his power drop last season, as he hit under 20 home runs in a full season for the first time since 2019. While he made up for it with a career-high 19 steals, it was still a disappointing season for him in 2024, but the explanation here makes sense. Now that he has had the surgery to fix the problem, we may find him ready by Opening Day and able to take a step forward in his overall numbers. A 20/20 season is completely within the realm of possibilities here, and for where he’s going in drafts, that’s a bargain.
Ronny Mauricio – 2B New York Mets
Ronny Mauricio is continuing his knee rehab, but it's possible he won't be ready for the start of spring training. Mets officials are taking it day by day with him.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) January 16, 2025
It has been over one year since Mauricio had surgery to repair the right ACL that he tore while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He missed all of 2024 with what was described as a process that was going slower than expected. Now, weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting, he is expected to miss some time to begin the season. There is no guarantee that when he is healthy he will even rejoin the Mets either, as he may need some time to develop after missing an entire season. This is not an ideal situation.
Max Kepler – OF Philadelphia Phillies
The good news here is that Kepler now feels healthy. He’s doing everything this offseason that one would want and expect a ball player to do. However, at age 31, he does have an extensive injury history with eight different physical ailments costing him time on the Injured List throughout his career. The hope is that a change of scenery will help keep him healthy, but it is worrisome that he has spent that much time away from the game.
Andrew Painter – SP Philadelphia Phillies
A reminder that the Phillies will be playing to win a World Series, and the makeup of their roster in October will look a lot different than it does to begin the season. The article in question also states that Painter will be on a throwing program that allows him to be active while conserving innings for later in the season. Essentially, fantasy owners should not be worried if he is slowly building himself up for a debut later in the season. That said, their end-of-the-rotation options don’t have the best injury history, so an earlier debut isn’t out of the question.
Los Angeles Dodgers – Team Update
Just a reminder that Shohei Ohtani is returning from (probably) his second Tommy John Surgery, Roki Sasaki has had injury problems in the past, Tyler Glasnow didn’t finish the season healthy, both Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May didn’t pitch last season, Yoshinobu Yamamoto missed extended time with a rotator cuff strain, and Blake Snell went on the Injured List twice last year. While the team may have all the money to bring together these talents, figuring out how to utilize them might be a tricky proposition.
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.
