MLB Injury Report – We All Miss Marte

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Friday, August 21, 2026. In today’s edition, I try to get to the bottom of the Ketel Marte situation, I throw my sympathy to the Royals and Maikel Garcia, and I discuss the plethora of 2027 sleepers in Sacramento. 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

Ketel Marte – 2B Arizona Diamondbacks

Mike Hazen on @WolfandLuke was noncommittal on whether Ketel Marte will return this year – he did say he was hopeful. He said he plans to talk to him face to face tomorrow.

— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) August 19, 2026

Normally, restricted list designations don’t qualify for injury discussions; however, the reports state that Marte will be getting an MRI on his knee. As such, here goes: I don’t know what to make of this entire situation. Marte didn’t show up to the ballpark earlier this week, but he did talk to team officials. Additionally, he was said to be at the team bar, and teammates are keeping him in their thoughts. Also, manager Toey Luvollu was almost in tears when talking bout this situation. He will have an MRI on his knee, though it’s unclear when he injured it or aggravated it, as he’s had issues earlier this season. Could this be a family issue? A domestic dispute that caused an injury to his knee? Is the MRI a cover-up for something else that will allow the team the opportunity to place him on the Injured List and utilize that roster spot? Something off the field, perhaps? Whatever the case may be, we should find out this weekend. Fantasy baseball managers need to have a plan in place not only for this week, but for the rest of the season. There’s a chance that he doesn’t play again this year.

CJ Abrams – SS Washington Nationals

X-rays on CJ Abrams’ left ankle were negative, but he was unable to do any baseball activity today. Blake Butera said he’ll probably have to sit again tomorrow but hopefully will be back playing Saturday.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) August 21, 2026

Abrams injured his ankle while trying to avoid a tag on Wednesday. He finished the game, but on Thursday he informed the team that the injury had gotten worse. He went for X-rays, and they came back negative, which is a good thing, but he won’t be in tonight’s lineup. Hopefully he can return on Saturday and get back to adding to his breakout season.

Maikel Garcia – 3B Kansas City Royals

Matt Quatraro says Maikel Garcia likely to go on the IL with a hamstring strain tomorrow.

— Joel Goldberg (@goldbergkc) August 20, 2026

Every time the Royals start to gain traction, they suffer a major setback. Garcia has looked good since his return to the lineup, and the Royals’ offense has been clicking. It appears now that he will miss some time with a hamstring injury, and, given the timing of it, he may not return this season. That’s speculation for now, but fantasy managers should look elsewhere.

Jac Caglianone – OF Kansas City Royals

Good news, as Caglianone had been regaining his stroke at the plate as of late. Hopefully he can return soon enough and give fantasy baseball managers one good final run to end the season.

Aaron Judge – OF New York Yankees

Aaron Judge started hitting off the tee today, Boone said.

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) August 20, 2026

Judge continues to take steps forward on his route back to the Yankees’ lineup and help them get to and advance in the playoffs. He still has a long way to go, including what is likely some sort of rehab assignment, since he has been out of action for so long. Again, though, their focus here is on the playoffs, which means he may not play again in the regular season.

Chicago Cubs – Team Update

Huge update here, as the Cubs have a lot of news here to review. That said, for fantasy purposes, only a few will be covered. First, Justin Steele and Ben Brown both are trending in the right direction. With them both likely facing hitters soon, there is a chance that they both return late in September to give them some time to get reacclimated to pitching in big league games. That said, they will both likely be relegated to relief duties, and as such, their fantasy values will plummet. They are both great buy-low opportunities for next season. As for Daniel Palencia: BE PREPARED!

Bryan Woo – SP Seattle Mariners

https://twitter.com/by_ZachSweet/status/2090486285722911178?s=20

Woo left early on Sunday, but because he threw his regularly scheduled bullpen yesterday, there seems to be a decent shot that he can, in fact, make his next scheduled start on Saturday.

Marcelo Mayer – 3B San Francisco Giants

Per @extrabaggs: Marcelo Mayer won’t join the Giants in Cleveland and his debut might come at the start of the next homestand Monday, Tony Vitello said. Boston series still a possibility but sounds like less so.

— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) August 19, 2026

The Giants are a team that not only traded for Mayer, but may have a spot open at third base, given the long-standing injury to Matt Chapman. For volume alone, he should be an everyday player and get every opportunity in the world to prove his worth.

Jacob Wilson – SS The Athletics

Hearing Jacob Wilson will be placed on the IL and is heading back to Sacramento to see a doctor for his left shoulder. His season is likely over.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) August 20, 2026

Wilson will join Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langeliers, and Brent Rooker as players with tremendous promise that will miss significant time from the Athletics’ lineup. This lineup had the potential to do some damage offensively, yet they never got their fair share. Keep them all in mind for next year as undervalued sleepers.