MLB Injury Report – No Wood for Washington

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Monday, August 17, 2026. In today’s edition, the Nationals are seemingly preparing to be without the services of James Wood for more time than expected, the Yankees hope to have Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton back this week, and the Athletics say goodbye to yet another one of their powerhouse offensive weapons. You can read about all of that and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

More great Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire | Weekly SP Rankings | Pitching Streamers | Two-Start Pitchers | Lineup Analysis | MLB Injury Report | Rookie Report | Advanced Stats | Under the Radar | Overvalued & Undervalued | Bullpen Report

MLB Injury Report

James Wood – OF Washington Nationals

James Wood’s recovery from his oblique strain has been slower than hoped, per Blake Butera. He’s not being shut down, but he’s not ready to advance to more strenuous baseball activities.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) August 16, 2026

The news here isn’t great for anyone relying on a returning Wood to help them down the stretch. It’s an unfortunate development, as there is a chance he won’t return to fantasy relevance down the stretch. While being out for the season has yet to be announced, being close to shut down midway through August doesn’t bode well for a return anytime soon. He’s been able to throw and take dry swings, but after having missed almost two weeks of action, it sounds like things should have been more advanced than they currently stand. For now, he should continue to be rostered and stashed, but if we don’t hear about any progression soon, the discussion of replacing him in redraft leagues should start to happen. Stay tuned.

Logan Webb – SP San Francisco Giants

Logan Webb was pulled after 80 pitches because his back/shoulder started to tighten up after the comebacker in the fifth inning.

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) August 15, 2026

This shouldn’t be something that costs Webb a start, as it’s believed that the soreness developed because of the comebacker her took. Unless we hear about a follow-up test or some imaging soon, he’s a safe bet to make his next start this week.

New York Yankees – Team Update

Aaron Boone said Cody Bellinger is slated to play in rehab assignment games Tuesday and Thursday, likely with Scranton, and could be activated by next weekend

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) August 16, 2026

Both Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton had advanced to running the bases over the weekend. Bellinger admitted that there was still some tightness in his hamstring, but it would appear that playing in games is on the table here. Of note, manager Aaron Boone corrected himself and said that Bellinger’s rehab date would be Thursday, not Tuesday, and that could affect his time to be reactivated from the Injured List to sometime next week. The belief is that by this time next week, both Yankees outfielders will be back in the lineup as the team makes a run toward the postseason.

Aaron Judge – New York Yankees

Aaron Judge started playing catch yesterday, Aaron Boone said. #Yankees

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) August 15, 2026

Good news that Judge can start throwing, as his rib is either getting close to a full heal, or his tolerance for pain is at the point where this can happen. All that being said, he still has a long way to go. His healthy return is likely being treated as a priority for the MLB playoffs.

Trea Turner – SS Philadelphia Phillies

Trea Turner bruised his right knee but didn't require imaging and was walking around the clubhouse without any issue. He said it looked worse than it actually was. https://t.co/UpYhoNhFgZ

— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) August 16, 2026

Turner believes that he’ll be fine, and despite his absence from yesterday’s lineup, he was available off the bench. As long as the team doesn’t have him go for X-rays or imaging, he should be back as soon as he’s at 100% health, which could be within days, if that.

Texas Rangers – Team Update

In injury related news:

• Jacob deGrom played catch today and it “went really well,” per Skip Schumaker.

• Josh Jung is running today and will start a defense progression after if all checks out.

• Danny Jansen should hopefully be “ready soon” for MLB return.

— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) August 16, 2026

Jacob deGrom is out of action with triceps fatigue, and while his MRI came back clean, he still isn’t ready to return. His playing catch yesterday is a good step forward in his attempt to get back on the mound for the Rangers soon enough. It’s unclear if he’ll pitch this week, putting fantasy baseball managers in a predicament. For now, I’d suggest finding a replacement. As for Josh Jung, he is almost one month removed from being placed on the Injured List with a calf strain, which is something that trended in the wrong direction early on. He likely won’t be ready for action this week.

Tyler Soderstrom – OF Athletics

Another A’s slugger goes down as Tyler Soderstrom is placed on the 10-day IL with a left hip impingement.

Darell Hernaiz recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) August 16, 2026

It’s unclear how serious this issue is, but the team entered yesterday’s action with the worst record in baseball. They are now missing Soderstrom, alongside Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, and Nick Kurtz, all with a chance to be gone for the season. They have nothing to play for here, and might be wise not to risk it by pushing him back too soon.

Bryan Woo – SP Seattle Mariners

Woo came out after 75 pitches because he had a little bit of shoulder soreness according to Dan Wilson who called the move precautionary.

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) August 17, 2026

Throwing 75 pitches while only surrendering three hits and one walk over six innings pitched is unfortunate, as he was handling the Astros hitters for the most part. Still, Woo has a peculiar injury history that’s been difficult to diagnose, as he’s always felt like he’s one bad pitch away from a serious injury. The good news is that the team did this for precautionary reasons and may have done it on time before something more significant happened. He himself said that he’s not worried about this, but players have been wrong before. We should get updates on this soon enough.

Boston Red Sox – Team Update

It’s the start of rehab week for the Red Sox:
* Trevor Story in Worcester Sunday
* Roman Anthony in Portland Tuesday
* Isiah Kiner-Falefa in Worcester Wednesday

— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) August 15, 2026

This is great news for Boston, as the long-awaited rehab assignments for all three will begin this week. This coincides nicely with the timing for when rosters expand, and could allow for even more offensive depth in September.

Dansby Swanson – SS Chicago Cubs

Per Craig Counsell, #Cubs Dansby Swanson will go on the IL with a left oblique injury. Severity not yet determined, he will get an MRI tomorrow.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) August 16, 2026

Given the nature of the injury and the timing of it, there’s a chance that this is season-ending for Swanson, especially if it is an oblique strain. Regardless of the severity of the issue here, obliques are tricky as they tend to linger and re-aggravate themselves with premature usage. Today’s MRI should reveal what we’re dealing with, but chances are his fantasy relevance in 2026 is minimal at best. Before getting ahead of ourselves, fantasy baseball managers should have a backup plan in place.

Boston Red Sox – Team Update

The Red Sox are placing Masataka Yoshida and Justin Slaten on the injured list.

They’re recalling Mickey Gasper and Raymond Burgos from Triple-A

Slaten has been dealing with Right Elbow Soreness.

per @alexspeier pic.twitter.com/dwfcrfWcCr

— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) August 16, 2026

For every step forward, karma says there are two steps back. Losing Masataka Yoshida isn’t necessarily the biggest deficit here, though he had been doing well at the plate as of late. He is always a strong points league option, but this is something that could end his season. As for Justin Slaten, he had been a rock for the team at the back end of the bullpen, and now he will miss some time with an elbow injury. With Garrett Whitlock also gone for the foreseeable future, the Red Sox will be looking for stability with Erik Miller and Tyson Guerrero behind Aroldis Chapman. If Chapman goes down with an injury, it won’t be pretty.