MLB Injury Report – Winter Meetings News and Notes

Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Wednesday, December 10, 2025. In today’s edition, the Astros offer updates on both Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes, the Yankees give mixed updates on Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole, and Anthony Volpe, and Maikel Garcia hurt himself while playing winter ball in Venezuela. Read about all of this and more in today’s edition of the MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.

MLB Injury Report

Yordan Alvarez – OF Houston Astros

Joe Espada said he would like for Yordan Alvarez to “spend most of his season” at DH.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) December 8, 2025

Interesting development here, as it was revealed that there is a plan in place for Yordan Alvarez to spend most of his season as the team’s designated hitter. As someone who missed most of last year with a mysterious hand injury, he wound up on the Injured List at the end of the season with a sprained left ankle, leaving fantasy players frustrated.

The hope and belief is that this will help keep him healthy and better able to provide the elite upside that everyone knows he’s capable of producing. That said, earlier in November, it was revealed that he is not yet near 100%, so his offseason will be occupied with recovery instead of preparation.

Isaac Paredes – 3B Houston Astros

Isaac Paredes of the Houston Astros will be "full-go" for spring training, according to general manager Dana Brown. Paredes is recovering from a hamstring issue. #MLBNews #FantasyBaseball @grok

— MiloX Sports MLB (@MiloXSportsMLB) December 8, 2025

Isaac Paredes missed significant time last summer with a very serious hamstring injury. At the time, it was believed that it would be of the season-ending variety, but in the end, he wound up playing a handful of games to end the season.

There are murmurs of him possibly being traded, given the fact that the aforementioned Yordan Alvarez will occupy the designated hitter position, and Carlos Correa is now a member of the Astros. If there is interest from around the league, it’s a safe bet to believe that Paredes will be 100% healthy in time for the start of the season.

New York Yankees – Team Update

The Yankees expect Carlos Rodon to return in late April or sometime in May, with Gerrit Cole targeted for May/June. They don't expect Anthony Volpe back in April.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) December 8, 2025

Massive update here on some of the bigger Yankees players. First, Carlos Rodon, who had a minor offseason operation to remove loose bodies and shave a bone spur, is fully expected to be read for Opening Day. His throwing program will begin before the end of the 2025 calendar year.

As for Gerrit Cole, his return from Tommy John Surgery has gone swimmingly smooth; he could miss at least two months of the season, but that’s assuming all goes well. His draft stock should be seen as someone who could play for half of a season, all while learning how to alter his throwing as he recovers from a serious injury. In other words, it’s a risky investment.

Finally, Antony Volpe, who had surgery to repair a partially torn labrum, will hopefully start hitting in February. It’s unclear when he can do much else, however. All in all, these are three names that the Yankees will be counting on, but to begin the season, they may not be all that we’re used to seeing.

Ivan Herrera – C St. Louis Cardinals

#STLCards manager Oli Marmol said C Iván Herrera (arthroscopic elbow surgery) is working on a curriculum designed by coaches and will begin throwing again in a matter of weeks.

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) December 8, 2025

While Ivan Herrera has yet to begin hitting, the belief is that he will be ready for Opening Day. He will be eligible at catcher in some leagues, but not all, as he had just fourteen appearances behind the plate in 2025. The plan is for him to continue to catch part-time.

Maikel Garcia – 3B Kansas City Royals

Royals IF Maikel Garcia, who exited last night’s game in the Venezuelan Winter League, was diagnosed with a hamstring strain. He is expected to miss a week or so, but he will wait for the Royals’ green light to see if he can return to play in Venezuela, a source says.

— Marcos Grunfeld 🇮🇱 (@TheBeatwriter) December 8, 2025

It’s worth noting that Maikel Garcia suffered this injury, but nothing here seems significant enough to warrant worries as we get closer to the start of the 2026 season. Even if he doesn’t return to the Venezuelan Winter League, chances are it’s the Royals being overly cautious.

Zack Wheeler – SP Philadelphia Phillies

Zack Wheeler started playing catch last week, Dave Dombrowski said.

— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) December 8, 2025

The good news here is that Zack Wheeler has progressed towards the first real step in his recovery, resulting in him playing catch. However, this is the beginning of a long road for him to be able to pitch again.

Many pitchers begin with playing catch, then slowly start to advance their levels of intensity and distance before heading to the mound. On top of that, he’s recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, which often prevents a pitcher from returning close to his former self. Luckily, this isn’t as serious as those issues in other players, but it’s a massive deal nonetheless. Consider any setbacks to be major.

Reynaldo Lopez – SP/RP Atlanta Braves

Weiss said he’s open to Acuña moving back to the leadoff spot. He understands Reynaldo Lopez is a bullpen option, but he said he’ll stretch out as a starter in Spring Training. He also said he’d be very comfortable with Dubon being the everyday shortstop

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) December 9, 2025

Reynaldo Lopez had major arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder early in the 2025 season, resulting in him lasting through one appearance. It’s unclear how his body will respond to this return, but the team seemingly sees him as a significant piece of their pitching in 2026.

Anthony Santander – OF Toronto Blue Jays

Anthony Santander’s back and shoulder “finally feel normal” Schneider said.

“Tony is going to be huge for us.”#BlueJays

— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) December 9, 2025

From the sounds of things here, Anthony Santander is finally healthy. This, after a tumultuous season where almost nothing went right for him, and he missed extensive time in both the regular season and playoffs. His health could be a huge boost for the Blue Jays, who are looking for redemption from missed opportunities in 2026.