Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Tuesday, April 8, 2025. In today’s edition, we learned that Blake Snell had been injured weeks before he was placed on the Injured List, George Kirby has been progressing well, and Jackson Merrill needs some time off. All of that and so much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
Fantasy Baseball Injury Report
Blake Snell – SP Los Angeles Dodgers
Blake Snell said he’s been pitching through soreness in his left shoulder for three weeks. Thought he could get to the other side of it but couldn’t finish his bullpen yesterday.
MRI yesterday showed inflammation, no structural damage.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) April 7, 2025
This news feels like a punch to the gut for anyone who drafted Blake Snell. Three weeks of soreness go all the way back to the middle of March, when many leagues were starting to take shape. Too often, players do their best to play through an injury and fail to disclose for fear of losing their spot in the lineup, missing out on a chance to prove they’re worth money, out of pride, or for other reasons unknown. As such, we may never truly know the health of any particular player because of these factors, making it difficult to trust anyone. Injuries are a part of the game, and the more transparency we have, the better and more informed our decisions can be. Then again, no player owes anyone else anything, nor do they need to disclose these ailments to the public. As for this particular one, the good news is that the MRI showed only inflammation, so the hope is that he can return within a month.
George Kirby – SP Seattle Mariners
George Kirby “felt great” when throwing a bullpen this weekend, per Justin Hollander. He'll throw two more ‘pens this week and then begin more of a traditional game progression.
No official timeline yet, but sounds like May is more likely at this point.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 7, 2025
Since his placement on the Injured List, the news regarding Kirby had been quiet and almost to the point of being nonexistent. On Monday, Justin Hollander spoke to the media and revealed that he has, in fact, been clearing every hurdle that’s been in his way and is doing well with his recovery. He had a bullpen session this past weekend, which went great, and will have two more this upcoming week. A reminder that the team said that when Kirby did start to build up, it would be a full buildup, similar to that in Spring Training. As such, it will be a gradual ramp-up here, likely with enough innings to simulate what he would have done during Spring Training.
Victor Robles – OF Seattle Mariners
Roster Moves:
🔹 Dominic Canzone, OF, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
🔹 Victor Robles, OF, placed on 10-day IL (left shoulder dislocation).Read More:
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) April 7, 2025
A day after making a miraculous catch in the outfield, it was revealed that Robles had his shoulder dislocated and then popped back into place. He was undergoing an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the situation, but chances are that regardless of what the tests reveal, he will need more than the ten-day minimum here.
Ivan Herrera – C St. Louis Cardinals
#STLCards catcher Iván Herrera has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee following more testing today in St. Louis. He will miss a minimum of four weeks, manager Oliver Marmol said.
Willson Contreras is not a candidate to return behind the plate, Marmol added.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 7, 2025
There was some hope that this wouldn’t be as bad as it looked, but a player missing at least four weeks constitutes a big deal. There is no telling if the four weeks are within reason here, as any setback will likely mean additional time away. Not only that, as a catcher, he needs his knee to be in the best shape possible for an incredible amount of durability and versatility. With Willson Contreras not in the loop for catching, the Cardinals will rely on the offensively challenged Pedro Pages here for an extended time.
Spencer Arrighetti – SP Houston Astros
Spencer Arrighetti suffered a broken right thumb this afternoon after being hit by a line drive while playing catch in left field at T-Mobile Park.
— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) April 8, 2025
This is awful luck here for a rising star in the game. Arrrighetti got hit by a comebacker square in the hand and now will miss what appears to be extensive time with a broken thumb. It’s hard to put a timeframe on this sort of injury, but it’s fair to say that he will miss the rest of this month and possibly May as well. He will need time for the thumb to be immobilized and healed before being used again while he ramps himself back up. For a team that needs all the help that it can get, this is a major blow for the Astros.
Max Scherzer – SP Toronto Blue Jays
Max Scherzer (thumb) threw today. Still experiencing “lingering tightness” from the cortisone shot.
“It’s purely related to the injection.”When I asked him whether that’s encouraging, he said “It’s good / bad.”
Needs more time before he throws again.#BlueJays
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) April 7, 2025
It’s hard to tell if this is a serious issue that requires additional medical attention or if this is part of the aging process, where his body takes longer to recover from ailments. Either way, he has only thrown three innings this season, and with no timetable in sight, it remains to be seen when he will throw again. If this absence extends long enough, a rehab assignment might be in order.
CJ Abrams – Washington Nationals
CJ Abrams is sitting today, though Davey said at the moment there’s no concern with it. Just some tightness in right thigh from the last play yesterday.
— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) April 7, 2025
Consider Abrams DTD for now unless we hear otherwise. His thigh tightened up on the last play of the game on Sunday, and the team wasn’t worried about it long-term. If he misses today’s game, then perhaps this is more serious than what was initially believed.
Zach Eflin – SP Baltimore Orioles
Orioles’ Zach Eflin exited with shoulder fatigue, Brandon Hyde says. He’s going to get further tests done.
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) April 8, 2025
Eflin was pulled from his start last night with shoulder fatigue. He didn’t seem overly concerned in his post-game interviews, stating that he believes it was a precautionary exit. He will, however, undergo testing today to ensure that he is okay in the long term. Stay tuned.
Jackson Merrill – OF San Diego Padres
Padres manager Mike Shildt shares the latest on Jackson Merrill.
Shildt says that Merrill's "legs are tight" — he's out of the starting lineup tonight. pic.twitter.com/n5YFDG5Nqb
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) April 8, 2025
Merrill’s legs have been tight for a bit, and the Padres are merely trying to get ahead of it. Essentially, that means that the team wants to give him the day off to hopefully let the rest and inactivity heal any sort of issue that could be brewing there from overuse.
