Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Friday, August 23, 2024. In today’s edition, Jazz Chisholhm Jr. could be back today, Fernandno Tatis Jr. ran around Petco Park, and Ozzie Albies wore a soft cast. All of that and so much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Jazz Chisholm Jr. – INF/OF New York Yankees
The Yankees plan is indeed to activate Jazz Chisholm from the IL for the series opener Friday against the Rockies as @martinonyc 1st reported.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 22, 2024
This is nothing short of incredible, as it would appear that Chisholm will miss only the minimum time away from the team with an injury that at one time seemed ready for surgery. Given the nature of his injury and the history of the person involved, you can count this writer as one of the many who doubted Jazz’s intentions to return on time. It’s amazing that he is back and his resilience should be celebrated.
Fernando Tatis Jr. – OF San Diego Padres (thigh)
Fernando Tatis Jr. just ran some sprints at Petco Park, he said, for the first time since he went on the injured list. He estimated he ran at about 70 percent intensity.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) August 22, 2024
This was a major step forward for Tatis in his recovery process, as he hadn’t done much physical laboring in quite a while. The team did say that they have a plan in place for getting him back to in-game action, but they didn’t want to go through the details of it just yet. While that should be expected in the next few days, it’s important to know that he is now trending in the direction of playing again this season, though exactly when isn’t yet known.
Atlanta Braves – Team Update
Snit said there’s a good chance Soler will be back in the lineup tomorrow.
Albies is now wearing a soft cast. No definite timetable on when he can begin swinging a bat. He’s been able to run and throw since fracturing his left wrist on July 21.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 22, 2024
This is good news for the Braves on both fronts, which is something this franchise desperately needs. Concerning Jorge Soler (hamstring), he should be back after missing the majority of the past week. As for Ozzie Albies (wrist), upgrading from a hard cast to a soft one is a sign of healing, and he is approaching the midway point of his eight-week timetable for recovery. While nothing has been announced yet as to when he may start swinging a bat, chances are that it is soon. The good news is (knock on wood), he hasn’t had any setbacks.
Bo Bichette – SS Toronto Blue Jays (calf)
Bo Bichette has started running down in Dunedin, John Schneider says.
He will join the #BlueJays in Boston and stick with them through the road trip as he builds towards a rehab assignment.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 22, 2024
Bichette running on the field is a big upgrade for his health and recovery plan. If he is able to do this pain-free over the next little while, he may be back to full baseball activities and en route to a rehab assignment in the near future.
Kyle Tucker – OF Houston Astros (shin)
Kyle Tucker did not accompany the Astros to Baltimore. Joe Espada said "there's nothing new for me to report" regarding his progress.
"Trying to ramp him up, do a little bit more than he's been doing and see if we can get him running at a faster speed."
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 22, 2024
Tucker will remain away from the team, which likely means he still needs a few days to prepare himself to start running at a faster speed. For those who were hoping for an immediate return following the positive update a few days ago, this isn’t a “back-to-square-one” news item, but instead, it’s a “have-some-patience” moment.
Alex Bregman – 3B Houston Astros (elbow)
Joe Espada said Bregman could play defense during this road trip, including perhaps first base.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 22, 2024
While it’s important to see that he was playing defense, one note here is that he did not throw while he was taking first-base reps. That being said, Espada did say that he would experiment with Bregman at first base occasionally the rest of the way, which could mean that he gains first-base eligibility this year and possibly next.
Zach Eflin – SP Baltimore Orioles (shoulder)
Zach Eflin said shoulder already feels 100 times better than it did a few days ago. Doesn’t think will need rehab assignment. Ready after 15 days #orioles
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 22, 2024
Roch later clarified that he meant ten times better, but mathematically speaking, either multiplier is great news going forward.
Jacob deGrom – SP Texas Rangers (elbow)
Jacob deGrom made his first rehab start for the @Rangers' Double-A Frisco affiliate. He threw 21 of his 29 pitches for strikes. pic.twitter.com/a6LM09Dt9H
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2024
This was about as good of a debut as anyone would have expected. deGrom used velocity, command, and control to dominate last night in his Double-A rehab start. Barring any unusual physical pain the day afterward, he should be on track to throw for more pitches in his second of four starts next time around.
Max Scherzer – SP Texas Rangers (fatigue)
Max Scherzer is not making a rehab start Friday, #Rangers announce. No reason given other than he's not quite ready.
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) August 22, 2024
It’s an ominous fact that there was no reason given here other than Scherzer was not ready. Hopefully, he just needs another day before trying to pitch, but it’s yet another setback in this troubling season of his.
Ryan Mountcastle – 1B Baltimore Orioles (wrist)
Ryan Mountcastle came out of the game with a sore wrist, per #Orioles manager Brandon Hyde
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) August 23, 2024
When it rains, it pours for the Orioles, as here we have another injury for a team that doesn’t need anymore. He will likely have some imaging done to determine the extent of it, and the hope is that things will be okay. Stay tuned.