Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Wednesday, April 9, 2025. In today’s edition, there were a lot of players who exited games yesterday, including Fernando Tatis Jr., Wyatt Langford, Pablo Lopez, Jake Cronenworth, and Tyler Soderstrom. It was an especially tough day for Padres fans, as Jackson Merrill was placed on the Injured List as well. All of this, plus so much more, in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Jackson Merrill – OF San Diego Padres
We have recalled OF Oscar Gonzalez from Triple-A El Paso and placed OF Jackson Merrill on the 10-day IL (retro: April 7) with a right hamstring strain.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 8, 2025
The Padres had been trying to get ahead of a situation by resting him to help the healing. Instead, things haven’t been improving, and thus, more time was needed. Merrill will miss the next week or so to hopefully get himself right and ready to break out like so many people have pegged him to do. The team is taking a cautious approach here, as they have postseason aspirations in mind.
San Diego Padres – Team Update
Mike Shildt provided the latest injury updates on Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth, as well as discussed what he saw from Dylan Cease tonight: pic.twitter.com/46rUIVk5wr
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) April 9, 2025
Two big injuries here from last night’s game. First of all, Fernando Tatis Jr. winced while taking a swing earlier in the game and looked to be in noticeable pain. Later in the game, he slid into third base and tweaked his shoulder injury again, compounding the issue. The team was said to have “erred on the side of caution” here, and justifiably so, as this is the same shoulder that he had surgically repaired years ago. Given his extensive injury history and how cautious the team was with him last year, it would seem logical for him to miss some time. In fact, a trip to the Injured List could be the decision made sooner, rather than later. As for Jake Cronenworth, he left last night’s game due to cramping in his ribs, but the team isn’t as concerned here. He will likely be held out of today’s game while the team checks him out. For both players, we should know more before the Padres’ next game today.
Wyatt Langford – OF Texas Rangers
Wyatt Langford will get an MRI in the morning, but he said his level of concern is low with the side tightness.
He said it feels much better than his oblique stressing during Spring Training.
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) April 9, 2025
Langford left last night’s game with tightness in his side after striking out. It is somewhat concerning that he suffered a similar ailment during Spring Training, and these types of injuries are known to either linger or recur over time. The good news is that he himself said that he feels better now than he did when his side injury first occurred earlier this spring. Either way, he can likely be ruled out of today’s game, and the team will offer updates when they have them. Fantasy owners can hold their breaths in the meantime.
Pablo Lopez – SP Minnesota Twins
Rocco Baldelli and the Twins seem pretty confident that Pablo Lopez' hamstring injury is "very mild"… pic.twitter.com/9oCOzfwcDi
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 9, 2025
Lopez left last night’s game with a hamstring injury. After throwing a pitch, he was noticeably in pain, so he mentioned it to the trainers, and it was decided that he should exit the game. Manager Rocco Baldelli called the injury very mild and said they would get it checked out with an MRI today. After that, we should know more, but the Twins feel that (for now, at least) that no plans need to be changed. A reminder that Zebby Matthews and David Festa are in Triple-A St. Paul waiting for a promotion.
Tampa Bay Rays – Team Update
Injury rundown from Kevin Cash pregame:
– Shane McClanahan (nerve irritation in left triceps): "No real update, making progress, but slow progress."
– Richie Palacios (right ring finger fracture): "Richie had a good day, went and saw the doctor yesterday, so he's making progress.…— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) April 8, 2025
Massive update here with some big names involved. Beginning with McLanahan, there wasn’t much of an update, only that he continues to be progressing, but slowly. He has been on the Injured List for two weeks, with his 15-day window for a return soon to pass. There was never a doubt that he would need much more time off than that. As for Palacios, it would appear that things are moving smoothly since a post-doctor visit didn’t reveal any significant changes to his process. Ha-Seong Kim looks to be doing well, as fielding groundballs on this new clay was a step forward in his production. That being said, he had been doing this in other fields before. Finally, it’s a good sign that Josh Lowe’s pain has subsided, as now he can focus on conditioning and possibly swinging shortly. However, the issue here could be moving along too quickly, so the team will likely take things slowly.
Spencer Arrighetti – SP Houston Astros
Spencer Arrighetti was placed on the 15-day IL (retro 4/7) due to a broken right thumb. Luis Contreras was recalled.
— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) April 8, 2025
This move was unsurprising in the sense that Arrighetti has a broken thumb. There is no current timeline for a return.
Reynaldo Lopez – SP Atlanta Braves
https://twitter.com/DOBrienATL/status/1909703572692033557
Good news out of Atlanta, as Lopez’s clean-up procedure went well. They found no structural damage in his shoulder, and the team will subsequently shut him down for three months before reevaluating him once more. There might not be many updates on him before then, as he will not be doing much. With the team being hopeful of him throwing again this season, chances are that we would be looking at a return in September or the playoffs, if at all.
Spencer Strider – SP Atlanta Braves
#Braves Spencer Strider throwing today. He'll head to Norfolk to make another rehab start for Gwinnett on Thursday. Target is 90 pitches in what could be his last outing before rejoining Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/xZOMsxrzPu
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) April 8, 2025
Strider threw yesterday to keep himself loose. He will be throwing his next (and possibly last) rehab start tomorrow, with 90 pitches being his goal. If it’s anything like his last outing, the team will be strict with this number, unafraid to pull him regardless of the situation. He has looked solid every step of the way and has cleared every hurdle in front of him with ease.
New York Mets – Team Update
Alvarez will start a rehab assignment tomorrow, per Carlos Mendoza. McNeil will do so later this week.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 8, 2025
This is great news for both Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez, as they have progressed toward regular batting practice over the last little while. For McNeil, this will be more about timing than anything, as obliques can be tricky to navigate and learn to work through. As for Alvarez, hamate surgery saps power, so for him it will likely be about getting solid contact and driving it. Both will likely need a handful of games before they’re back with the Mets.
Matt McLain – 2B Cincinnati Reds
This was an interesting read by Charlie Goldsmith, who covers the Cincinnati Reds. What he explains here is that injuries have been an ongoing issue for McLain for quite some time. It’s another soft tissue ailment for someone who has so much promise but is unable to stay on the field. There is no indication of how long he will be away, but because he missed games before the designation, the retroactive date isn’t as bad as it seems. Hopefully he can return healthy sooner rather than later.
Tyler Soderstrom – 1B The Athletics
Kotsay said Tyler Soderstrom was pulled due to his calf tightening up as the game went on. They’ll see how he feels tomorrow.
— MartÃn Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) April 9, 2025
It’s unclear exactly when the injury took place, or even why Soderstrom did not inform the trainers at the time, unless it was just a minor tweaking. Still, these sorts of things can increase in severity, as this is a case of it just building up to the point of being worrisome. The Athletics will likely provide updates today, and his inclusion or exclusion from the lineup will be a big indication of how severe this really is.
