Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Wednesday, April 30, 2025. In today’s edition, Cole Ragans may not need a trip to the Injured List, Cristopher Sanchez returns to the mound today, and AJ Puk may not need surgery after all. FInd out why all three of those pieces of good news come with some risk. That and so much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Shane McClanahan – SP Tampa Bay Rays
#Rays Shane McClanahan is beginning throwing-like activities, but is not playing full catch yet. “Slow and steady,” Kevin Cash said on his recovery from the nerve issue.
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) April 29, 2025
McClanahan has been out of action all season long, after suffering a nerve issue in his triceps during Spring Training. He is already on the 60-day Injured List and will require extensive time away from the team. He has a lot to do before he is back, the first of which is playing catch, which he is not yet ready to do. From there, he will slowly ramp up to the point of being ready to pitch in a rehab assignment, which will likely take the maximum number of days granted. There is a significant chance that he misses the entire first half of the season, though there is also the possibility that he doesn’t pitch in 2025. Stay tuned.
Cole Ragans – SP Kansas City Royals
Ragans’ groin strain is getting better every day but #Royals don’t want to push it. Chance he makes his next start this weekend in Baltimore or early next week at home. https://t.co/iAt60QyAE7
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) April 29, 2025
Ragans seems to be improving daily from his strained groin. The good news is that he seems to be trending toward missing the Injured List altogether. Still, this is a tricky situation, as any push to return that is done too quickly could make the situation even worse. While he is likely avoiding the Injured List, nothing is set in stone, nothing is solidified, and things could change instantly. For now, consider this good news, but buyer beware, he may give you nothing this week.
Philadelphia Phillies – Team Update
Cris Sánchez will start tomorrow, then Taijuan Walker on Thursday. Rest is TBA. Possible Ranger Suárez rejoins rotation over the weekend.
Brandon Marsh is seeing the doctor, but Phillies expect him to resume his rehab this week. No concerns there.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 29, 2025
The Phillies rotation is quite the interesting one. Firstl, it would appear that Cristopher Sanchez is read to return to the Phillies today. While it’s usually a recommendation to put someone as talented as him back into your lineup, his comes with a lot of caution, given how his velocity was lowered last start, and that he left with forearm soreness. It might be just a matter of time before he’s on the Injured List. As for Ranger Suarez, be prepared. Finally, Brandon Marsh has suffered through a setback with a pause in his rehab, but it would appear that he’s about ready for it to resume.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 3B New York Yankees
Jazz Chisholm Jr. exited with right flank discomfort. #Yankees
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) April 29, 2025
The good news here is that Chisholm was able to complete his at-bat after injuring his side mid-swing. He wound up hitting a triple, speeding his way to third base, possibly making the injury even worse in the process. The team will likely have updates later today, but it’s announced that he will undergo testing on his oblique tomorrow. For now, he is considered day-to-day until we hear otherwise, but if it is an oblique, that will take some time. He is also a sloe healer, though some of that could have been because of where he played and their lack of a need to rush anyone back.
Shota Imanaga – SP Chicago Cubs
Shota Imanaga left in the sixth inning with leg cramps, per Cubs. https://t.co/8IlPoI1tER
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) April 30, 2025
It looks like his removal from the game was precautionary, as the Cubs won’t want to take many chances with their already depleted rotation. We should find out more updates today, so for now, consider him day-to-day. That said, fantasy owners would be advised to find a replacement just in case.
AJ Puk – RP Arizona Diamondbacks
No surgery for A.J Puk. No throwing for the next 2-3 weeks. Reassess after that.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) April 30, 2025
Puk has been diagnosed with a flexor strain, and while he won’t require surgery (yet) for this, he will still miss an extended amount of time. He will be reassessed at the end of May, with the hope being that he can begin throwing again. However, given his injury history and the nature of this injury, he likely has a long way to go.
Jerar Encarnacion – OF San Francisco Giants
Jerar Encarnacion started dry swinging yesterday and will increase his hitting progression thru the week.
Casey Schmitt (oblique) will start baseball activities this weekend.
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) April 29, 2025
This is great news, as this progression is something to monitor. While he is likely a bench bat in fantasy, he has a chance to work his way into the starting lineup due to his power upside and successful 2024 season. He is someone to consider stashing now in all leagues if you have the space for him, as all he will need is a rehab assignment to get his timing down.
Masataka Yoshida – OF Boston Red Sox
Cora said Yoshida (shoulder) may head back to Boston this week to get looked at since throwing still not going well
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) April 29, 2025
While Yoshida is able to hit the ball well (as he did during Spring Training), this progression to be able to throw has not worked. The problem here is that Rafael Devers will not play the field at all this year, putting pressure on Yoshida to be able to throw and play in the outfield. As such, the team will take a better look at him to understand why he can’t progress further than he has.
