MLB Injury Report – Mead Done for the Season?

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Wednesday, July 29, 2026. In today’s edition, the Red Sox got very unlucky news on the status of Curtis Mead’s injured wrist, the Pirates also got some fluky news on the recovering Spencer Horwitz, and the Orioles are hopeful to get some good luck soon enough with respect to Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. You can read about all of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

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MLB Injury Report

Curtis Mead – 2B Boston Red Sox

Can confirm IF Curtis Mead is headed to the 10-day IL.

Just an astonishingly unlucky break two ABs into his Red Sox career. pic.twitter.com/KzRMOv80Fl

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) July 28, 2026

The wording from Ari Alexander says it all: astonishingly unlucky. The Red Sox traded away a promising young pitcher for Mead in the hopes of having him down the stretch en route to a playoff spot. Now, the team will be without his services for an extended time, and there’s a chance that he won’t be back at all this season. He is arbitration-eligible for three years, so the team has a lot of control over him in the long run, but for 2026, this feels like sunk cost.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B Toronto Blue Jays

John Schneider said Vladimir Guerrero Jr. “wanted to stay in and it was my call just to be careful with him and not have anything worse happen.”

Guerrero “checked out pretty good and we’ll see how he is tomorrow,” the manager added, not ruling out he might play in the finale. https://t.co/hLac0aBr46

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) July 29, 2026

Guerrero was injured and replaced at first base after trying to run out a ground ball. He grimaced immediately after touching the first base bag, and then jogged over to second base on the passed ball. It’s a good sign that he felt like he was able to continue playing, and we may find out today that everything is okay for a return without a trip to the Injured List. That being said, it’s been one thing after another for him in this disastrous season, and perhaps ten or more days off would be beneficial for him to get himself physically right for the final seven weeks of the season.

Spencer Horwitz – 1B Pittsburgh Pirates

Spencer Horwitz has a concussion and will stay on the IL for the time being. He was hit in the helmet by a pitch during his rehab assignment.

— Aiden Stepansky (@AidenStepansky) July 28, 2026

Speaking of unlucky, Horwitz will miss some time here with a new injury, this one being a concussion. It wasn’t believed to be a long rehab assignment for the first baseman, as his hamstring was likely close to being fully healed. Now, he will need to be assessed and monitored for a concussion, and it’s unclear how much time he will miss as a result. The Pirates can’t seem to catch a break this year, yet they remain somewhat competitive.

Oneil Cruz – OF Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates GM Ben Cherington said that CF Oneil Cruz has had "good days of late."

Seems to be past soreness of where the fracture is on contact. Bones are healing

Now it's ramping up baseball stuff and progression and then leads into a rehab assignment

— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) July 26, 2026

All of this is great news for Cruz, who is seemingly pain-free right now. As such, the next little while will be focused on him ramping back up to the point of being in-game ready. That being said, a reminder that he isn’t eligible to return until either August 7th or 8th because he was recently placed on the 60-day Injured List.

Byron Buxton – OF Minnesota Twins

Byron Buxton aggravated his hip injury during his second at-bat tonight, leading to his early removal.

Twins manager Derek Shelton said the team will have the hip re-evaluated on Wednesday before deciding the next step.#MNTwins | #MLB pic.twitter.com/X5smzduYH7

— Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) July 29, 2026

It’s been one issue after another for Buxton over his career, but this one may cost him significant time. The veteran missed almost two weeks of games earlier this month because of a hip injury, and if this is the same condition, the team may take things slowly with their franchise player. He will be re-evaluated today, and we should know more. Stay tuned.

Baltimore Orioles – Team Update

C Adley Rutschman (wrist) and C Samuel Basallo (shoulder) will both be reassesed to progress to baseball activities during the Orioles’ upcoming homestand.

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) July 28, 2026

As it stands, neither Adley Rutschman nor Samuel Basallo are seemingly close to returning, but once they’re reassessed, perhaps we’ll know more about where they are with their progress and whether or not the Orioles will have either of their starting catchers back within a reasonable amount of time to help keep them in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.

Los Angeles Dodgers – Team Update

Dodgers Notes 7/28

– Tyler Glasnow will throw another live BP tomorrow; could start rehab assignment after that

– Ohtani is getting close to building his arm completely from scratch due to the extended time missed from his knee injury. Dave Roberts hoped it would not get to…

— Cody Snavely (Canelo) (@SnavelyCody6) July 28, 2026

This is a great summary of the extensive amount of news the Dodgers relayed yesterday. Where to begin? First, Tyler Glasnow is progressing nicely (albeit slowly) as he recovers from a back injury. If he does indeed begin a rehab assignment that soon, a minimum of three rehab starts should be expected. Meanwhile, arguably the biggest news is that Shohei Ohtani will likely need to undergo another buildup if he cannot resume throwing. The sad part is that this likely takes him out of the NL Cy Young race. Also, Will Smith has been out of action since the beginning of June and will probably need some sort of rehab assignment to regain his timing and get his body back into catching shape for the playoffs. Additionally, Blake Snell will aim to throw four innings today, with the possibility of rejoining the rotation afterward. Chances are that, if he does rejoin the rotation, he will be on a pitch count in his first start back. Finally, today is a big day for the Dodgers, as they welcome back Kike Hernandez and Edwin Diaz. One note to keep an eye on regarding Diaz, however, is that his velocity wasn’t necessarily as high as one would have hoped upon his return. Unless that was by design, it’s something to monitor when he gets back on the mound. Don’t drop Tanner Scott just yet.

Vinnie Pasquantino – 1B Kansas City Royals

Pasquantino was removed from yesterday’s game early due to hand soreness, raising concern because it was the same hand that had been operated on when he had a fractured hamate bone. With that in mind, and with the ongoing and renewed soreness, it’s easy to put the dots together as to why he is having such an unproductive season at the plate.

Jack Flaherty – SP Detroit Tigers

"Until he starts throwing, we can't really map out what that looks like," Hinch said. "The good news is the treatment that he's gotten has alleviated some of the immediate sensations that he was feeling."

— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) July 28, 2026

Keep an eye on reports of when Flaherty begins throwing again. Once that happens, the Tigers will have a better idea of when he will possibly be ready to come back. Keep this in mind, though: the longer this goes, the more likely he will need a rehab assignment.

AJ Smith-Shawver

Sale will start tomorrow’s second game. The Braves are listing TBA for the first game. It’s The Big Arm AKA AJ Smith-Shawver

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 28, 2026

Be prepared!