Fantasy Baseball Injury Notes: Shane McClanahan, Felix Bautista, German Marquez, Brandon Woodruff, Sandy Alcantara and More

Discussing injured MLB players as spring training ramps up.

As MLB spring training gets rolling, fantasy baseball drafts draw closer and closer (if you haven’t had yours already). 

I was working through some season projections the other day and had to do quite a bit of research about some players that were listed as injured. I learned the long-term status of several guys I really didn’t know about, so I figured it makes sense to compile all those players into one article for all to read (a list is also available on the FantasySP site). The focus will be on fantasy players expected to miss extended time.

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Arizona Injuries

The only big injury the Diamondbacks are dealing with near the end of February is one to pitcher Drey Jameson. He’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to pitch at all this season.

You can avoid Jameson in all redrafts formats. He could be a late pick in deeper dynasties.

Atlanta Injuries

There’s a few injured Braves at this point, but the biggest fantasy name is pitcher Ian Anderson. He’s also recovering from Tommy John surgery. He hopes to return by mid-summer.

Anderson isn’t part of the FantasySP Average Draft Position list at this point, and shouldnt make the list with his uncertain return date. You could add Anderson to your fantasy team once/if he returns.

Baltimore Injuries

The big blow to the Orioles will be playing the season without top-end reliever Felix Bautista. He too is recovering from TJ surgery and is expected to be out the full season. 

John Means also is working his way back from that surgery, but is expected to return sometime in April. He’s pitched just 31 2/3 innings over the past two years. His ADP is 180 right now. He’s worth a pick at some point in the latter point of fantasy drafts, but I’d make sure my team was pretty much set before taking a chance on him.

Kyle Bradish is dealing with an elbow injury and is expected to be out until May. His ADP is 87.5, so the injury concern definitely makes him a risky pick that early in drafts. He won 12 games and had a 2.83 earned run average across 30 starts last season, so if he can return to that form, he’d be a steal at that ADP.

Boston Injuries

The biggest name that’s injured for the Red Sox is reliever Liam Hendriks. He’s dealing with an elbow injury and is expected to be out until at least August. 

Hendriks pitched in just five games a season ago, so he’s going to likely need to return to the field before fantasy owners add him to their rosters. Hopefully he can regain his old form and be one of the top relievers in the game again.

Chicago White Sox Injuries

Davis Martin and Matt Foster are two White Sox pitchers working their way back from TJ surgery. Foster is expected to be out until at least July, while Martin will be out until at least August.

Neither pitcher took the field in 2023, and neither are on the FSP ADP list, so it’ll likely take them returning to the mound for fantasy owners to make a move regarding them.

Colorado Injuries

The Rockies have several pitchers that are dealing with injuries.

Antonio Senzatela is not expected to pitch at all this season because of an elbow injury.

Starter German Marquez is expected to be out until the middle of July while recovering from TJ surgery. He only pitched in four games a season ago, but was an inning-eater in the previous two seasons, so he probably is worth streaming after he returns.

Houston Injuries

Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia are both expected to miss significant time this season. McCullers isn’t expected back until sometime in August, while Garcia is expected to be out until at least July.

McCullers hasn’t pitched since 2022, but was emerging as one of the better arms in the game at the time he was injured. Garcia had back-to-back strong seasons before getting injured in his sixth start of 2023. Both are solid fantasy options for when they return, but you’d probably be better off getting them on the waiver wire instead of spending a pick on them.

Kansas City Injuries

Kris Bubic and Kyle Wright are two pitchers for KC that are injured coming into the season. Wright won’t pitch this season, and Bubic is expected back in July.

Bubic hasn’t had a ton of MLB success, but he’s an option in deeper leagues and as a streaming option in standard leagues.

Los Angeles Angels Injuries

Jose Quijada is still working his way back from an elbow injury, so he won’t pitch until at least July.

Quijada had four saves over nine innings pitched in 2023, so it’s possible he gets the chance to close again when he returns. Carlos Estevez is expected to be the closer to start the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

Several Dodgers’ pitchers are banged up to start the season.

Tony Gonsolin won’t pitch this season and Nick Frasso is likely out until September. Walker Buehler will miss at least the start of the season, Dustin May is likely out until at least mid-July and Clayton Kershaw likely won’t pitch until August.

Buehler and Kershaw are still being drafted, according to the ADP chart. Buehler makes some sense to draft because his return date is likely going to come within the first half of the season. I’m not sure I’d draft Kershaw (outside of deep leagues) because he’s only going to make a couple months of starts. If you can stash him on IR, then he could be a great late-season “addition” to any fantasy team.

Miami Injuries

The lone long-term injury for the Marlins is a big one, as Sandy Alcantara is out for the season because of TJ surgery.

Hopefully he’ll be able to return to his dominant self again in 2025.

Milwaukee Injuries

Brandon Woodruff is the big injury to the Brewers’ roster. He’s not expected to pitch this season with a shoulder injury.

He was just recently signed by Milwaukee, so don’t make the mistake in thinking he’s going to pitch this season.

New York Mets Injuries

Three New York players are dealing with long-term injuries right now.

Infielder Ronny Mauricio won’t play until September (if he plays at all). He played in just 26 MLB games before suffering a knee injury.

Kodai Senga is expected to be out through April with a shoulder injury. His ADP is 52 at this time. He won 12 games and had a 2.98 ERA last season across 166 1/3 innings, so if he can put this injury behind him, he can definitely help fantasy teams out.

David Peterson is another starter that’s injured to start the season. He’s not expected back until June because of a hip injury. He made 21 starts and pitched 111 innings in 2023, but had a 5.03 ERA. Maybe a healthy hip can help Peterson get his ERA closer to the 3.83 mark he posted in 2022.

New York Yankees Injuries

Jasson Dominguez is out until the middle of July with an elbow injury. He played just eight games last season before suffering the injury. 

Dominguez has been a top prospect of the team for several years, so hopefully he can show us why when he takes the field again.

Oakland Injuries

Ken Waldichuk is a starting option for the Athletics once he returns from his elbow injury. He’s expected back in late May.

Waldichuk appeared in 35 games (makes 22 starts) in 2023. He covered 141 innings, but had a 5.36 ERA.

Pittsburgh Injuries

The Pirates are dealing with several injuries. Endy Rodriguez and Johan Oviedo are both expected to miss the entire season.

JT Brubaker won't pitch until at least July because of his elbow injury. Pitching prospect Mike Burrows could return by August. Brubaker didn’t pitch in 2023, while Burrows hasn’t pitched in the MLB yet. Both could be waiver wire options when they return.

San Francisco Injuries

Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray could bolster the Giants’ rotation at some point this season. Both are expected back sometime in July.

Cobb was an All-Star in 2023 and finished with a 3.87 ERA across 28 starts. Ray only pitched once for the Seattle Mariners in 2023 - before that, he’d been pitching as good as he ever has. Both could be solid waiver wire adds when they get close to returning.

Tampa Bay Injuries

Shane McClanahan isn’t expected to pitch this season for the Rays. Drew Rasmussen is expected to be back maybe in September, while Jeffrey Springs could return in July 

Rasmussen got just eight starts in 2022 - he posted sub-3 ERAs the previous two seasons. Springs made only three starts a season ago after a breakout campaign in 2022. Both would be strong waiver wire adds when they get close to returning.

Texas Injuries

Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom are all injured to start the season. Scherzer is expected back in June, while Mahle and deGrom are hoping for August returns.

All three are solid fantasy options when on the mound, with Scherzer being the top target.

Washington Injuries

Stephen Strasburg won’t pitch for the Nationals this season, or ever again. If you haven’t read about his situation, it's quite fascinating.

Pitcher Cade Cavalli is likely out until June. He only got in 4 1/3 MLB innings before suffering an elbow injury.

#injuries