MLB Injury Report – Spring Training Updates

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Wednesday, February 25, 2026. In today’s edition, Brandon Woodruff continues to baffle us with his injury status, Merrill Kelly continues to delay what might be the inevitable with respect to the results on the condition of his back, and Yordan Alvarez’s Spring Training debut gets delayed. Read about all of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

MLB Spring Training Injury Report

Brandon Woodruff – SP Milwaukee Brewers

Brandon Woodruff is scheduled for a two-up live BP session on March 1 and then begin game progression, the Brewers say.

"On track to begin the season in the rotation."

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 24, 2026

All of this, a day after he gave a very confusing interview where he had to preface the news by justifying it as positive. On the one hand, the 33-year-old has remained positive throughout this entire ordeal. He has reminded us that his body isn’t what it once was and that he has the end goal of playing games when it matters most in October. Sure, that’s important, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s likely not healthy enough to pitch to start the season. And for someone who is being drafted just after the 100th overall pick, it feels hard to justify a selection for someone returning from a major injury with the possibility of missed time or shorter outings. Woodruff is being drafted too early and has major red flags here.

Merrill Kelly – SP Arizona Diamondbacks

Still waiting for diagnosis for @Dbacks RHP Merrill Kelly. Torey Lovullo said Kelly has had additional testing on his back, including a CT scan. They are hopeful for some clarity by Wednesday.

— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) February 24, 2026

This development took a dark turn when the initial MRI results came back (what is believed to be) inconclusive. If that’s the case and Kelly needs additional, more in-depth testing, there could be an underlying issue we haven’t seen yet. What else is worrisome is that he is 37-years-old, and at that advanced age (in baseball terms), his recovery time is by no means what it once was. Fingers are crossed that this is nothing major, but it has the makings of a potentially serious outcome. At the very least, a short trip to the Injured List could be in store here.

Houston Astros – Team Update

Carlos Correa and Christian Walker will also make their spring debuts Thursday in the home split-squad. Jose Altuve is scheduled to play Friday. Yordan Alvarez will be “a little bit later” due to normal buildup, Joe Espada said. Yainer Diaz will DH tomorrow and catch Friday. https://t.co/Vj3v9KHpB7

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) February 24, 2026

Good news here on Yainer Diaz, as his foot issue seems to have dissipated to the point of non-existence. As for Yordan Alvarez, this is confusing. The reports were that he was 100% healthy and ready to go, with the team minimizing his time in the outfield for preservation.

Now his Spring debut will be delayed to the normal buildup. Could this be something that they haven’t disclosed? Or is this even more preservation? Or, since it’s the Astros who are well known for improperly diagnosing injuries, is Alvarez suffering from a broken arm? Who knows with this team? Give it time to see what happens, but your eyes should be focused on when he plays and any updates that coincide with this.

Los Angeles Angels – Team Update

Ben Joyce said his throwing progression has been going well. He’ll throw another bullpen tomorrow but likely only fastballs and changeups again. Robert Stephenson threw a bullpen yesterday and said he believes he’ll be ready for Opening Day.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) February 24, 2026

This one is plain and simple. Ben Joyce throws hard and has had a plethora of pitching-related injuries over the years. He missed most of last season with a torn labrum, which required surgery. As for Robert Stephenson, he has missed significant time of his own for many reasons, one of which is thoracic outlet syndrome. Both pitchers are the epitome of what it means to be the Angels: rostering, signing, and trading for players that nobody else wants because of major concerns or a lack of production. Even better, their best bullpen option (Reid Detmers) is fighting for a rotation spot. Not an ideal situation here.

Chandler Simpson – OF Tampa Bay Rays

#Rays Cash said OF Chandler Simpson (hamstring) is tentatively slated to start playing games Friday. New 2B Gavin Lux has been held out of games so far just due to "overall spring training soreness" but is fine.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 24, 2026

For someone whose value is tied to their legs for speed, this is a positive piece of news. Simpson has been working hard with new coach Kevin Keirmaier as well this offseason in an effort to improve his defensive abilities. If everything works out, he could be a value in drafts because he helps with speed and batting average.

Carlos Estevez – RP Kansas City Royals

Carlos Estévez's velocity was way down today in his spring debut, 86-89 mph. This is obviously eyebrow-raising and something to monitor but not new — it's exactly what came up last year. It's typically a slow start for him. #Royals really rely on how he says he feels.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) February 24, 2026

This is something to keep an eye on over the coming days. For someone whose fastball averaged 95.9 miles per hour last year, this is a significant drop in velocity. Still, as mentioned, he’s a slow starter, and this is an early Spring Training game. Don’t fire off the alarms just yet, but it could signify an underlying issue if things continue. Stay tuned.

Trey Yesavage – SP Toronto Blue Jays

Trey Yesavage is still around a week away from pitching in a Grapefruit League game as the Blue Jays build him up deliberately following a considerable workload jump in 2025.

Yesavage is throwing a side session Tuesday and his next mound work is scheduled to be a live BP.

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) February 24, 2026

Blue Jays plan to manage Yesavage's workload fluidly throughout the season. His rotation turn could be skipped or pushed back at times depending on his measurables and how he's recovering between outings.

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) February 24, 2026

Obviously, not the news fantasy owners want to hear at this time. It’s understandable, mind you, that the Blue Jays want to manage his workload, given the jump in innings from 2024 – 2025. If we include the postseason, and we svery well hould, then the 22-year-old threw 125.2 innings last year, up from 93.1 innings the year prior in college. The team understands what they have here, and they want to protect their talented arm as best they can. As such, it’s fair to expect his regular-season innings to be around the same mark this year as they were last year, with the anticipated playoff run to happen later this year. He is being drafted around pick 150 these days, and knowing that his turn might be skipped throughout the season makes this a volatile pick.

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