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MLB Injury Report – Veteran Ace Soon to Return?

By Dave Funnell
Justin Verlander Two-Start Pitchers

Here is the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Thursday, April 4, 2024. Here, you’ll see the latest information on Jeimer Candelario’s elbow, Brandon Lowe’s tightness, and Josh Jung’s setback. All that and much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.

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MLB Injury Report for Thursday, April 4, 2024

Jeimer Candelario – 3B Cincinnati Reds

Very informative interview here. Manager David Bell indicated that Candelario injured himself on the swing before the actual hit, calling it a minor hyperextension of the elbow. He was able to stay in the game and get a hit, but he was in obvious pain. The team will re-evaluate him on Friday and while the trainers are not overly concerned, it’s still something of note. Stay tuned, as a trip to the Injured List is possible.

Justin Verlander – SP Houston Astros

Verlander has done nothing but progress since his initial setback early in February. His final hurdle looks to be a bullpen session later today before heading out to a rehab assignment. If all goes well, the team has discussed April 17 as a possible day for his 2024 season debut. While that is by no means set in stone, it’s a rough estimate indicating how much work he has left.

Jameson Taillon – SP Chicago Cubs

Taillon hurt his back to begin camp and thus had minimal experience there. He progressed toward facing live hitters by the end of Spring Training, and now he gets the chance to pitch in a game. He will likely need multiple appearances before any consideration for a debut is given. He has yet to be built up properly this Spring.

Walker Buehler – SP Los Angeles Dodgers

This will be Buehler’s second rehab start. While the first appearance was focused more on him going through the act of competitive baseball, this one will likely focus more on results. It will be interesting to see if he can not only increase and maintain his velocity but also get more batters out in the process.

Brandon Lowe – 2B Tampa Bay Rays

Lowe left yesterday’s game with side tightness, though he described the injury as feeling like post-workout pain. Whether or not he feels the same way today remains to be seen. What is known is that he does have an extensive injury history, so he could end up missing some time either as a DTD candidate or even on the Injured List. Stay tuned.

Yasmani Grandal – C Pittsburgh Pirates

With Grandal being a ways away from returning, the chance to sign someone like Joey Bart made a ton of sense. He will likely get a chance to backup current catcher Henry Davis, who just surpassed five starts at that position. As for Grandal, he needs to be properly built up and given a chance to ease himself back into the lineup. A return sometime in April seems unlikely.

Luis Rengifo – 2B/SS/OF Los Angeles Angels

There were no updates after the game regarding this move. The hope is that it was a one-time thing and that he will be okay moving forward. His injury history, alongside his move into a short-side platoon, makes every at-bat that more important. This is by no means a positive development.

Robert Stephenson – RP Los Angeles Angels

If all goes well, we could see Stephenson back by the end of April or early May.

Josh Jung – 3B Texas Rangers

The news here unfortunately gets worse. The Rangers and fantasy owners had originally been told that the timeline was approximately 4-6 weeks, but a day later the projection grew. Now, with a departure of around ten weeks, this injury becomes even more significant. Any setbacks in his recovery would be detrimental to his overall value this season. Look for the Rangers to move him to the 60-day Injured List at some point for roster flexibility. He is now expected to return in late May or early June.

Brendan Donovan – INF/OF St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are flush with injuries all over the field. They can ill-afford to lose Donovan for any significant length of time. The hope is that he is DTD and will return shortly.

Eloy Jiménez – UT Chicago White Sox

Another day with Jiménez not on the field. The team has said that they are okay with playing down one man while he gets himself right. It’s unclear if that is because they truly believe that he is returning shortly, or because they just don’t have enough talent to capably fill a spot. Either way, it’s not a pretty situation in Chicago.

Alek Manoah – SP Toronto Blue Jays

Manoah has picked things up here in the last little while, as he will now progress to a rehab assignment. He will likely need close to a full amount of time before returning, though his spot in the rotation is by no means waiting for him. He will need to prove his worth to the team.

Garrett Mitchell – OF Milwaukee Brewers

Great news here to see that Mitchell’s recovery is going as planned. We should know even more about him within the next week or two. Stay tuned.

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