MLB Injury Roundup: Lindor on Track, Twins Hit Hard, Kelly in Question

As February wraps up and March approaches, the MLB regular season inches closer and closer. Here, let's take a look at some injury news from around the league.

We will discuss real-world and fantasy baseball implications of each injury.

Fantasy baseball injury news can be found all season on FantasySP.

Lindor Tracking Toward Not Missing Time

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor had a stress reaction in his left hamate bone and had surgery to address the injury. He had his stitches recently removed, and it keeps him on track to not miss any regular season time.

Lindor will get a late start to spring training though, so a slow start to the regular season could be in the cards. This kind of injury is known to sap player's power, so that's another thing to keep in mind.

Lindor is 19th on the average draft position list, going around pick 24 on average so far. That's dropped a bit over the past week, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up dropping a few more slots because of this injury concern.

I have Lindor as a possible bust candidate because of the early-season injury concern. I like him closer to pick 30, or even after that, otherwise I'd let someone else take the gamble.

Lindor is expected to hit leadoff for the Mets, which is a great spot to be as Juan Soto and Bo Bichette are after him. Lindor could still have a big fantasy season if he gets on base a ton, but if he misses any time or has lower power numbers, he could have a hard time living up to his ADP.

The Mets could pivot to Bichette if Lindor isn't ready for the start of the season, and there's enough infield depth to get by without Lindor for a little while. If Lindor's production drops off though, then the Mets' offense won't be nearly as formidable as it has been in past seasons.

Concern for Volpe?

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe is recovering from a left shoulder labrum tear and is ramping things up. He is doing a lot of drills, but won't be diving until April. 

The season starts in late March, so that's definitely a concerning thing. Volpe isn't a massive fantasy asset, but as a daily starter, he could be a fantasy threat if production follows.

Volpe isn't on the ADP list right now, and I wouldn't expect him to be anything more than a deep-league option, especially with this injury concern in mind.

We'll see if Volpe can bounce back after a down year in 2025. You have to think that injury limited him a bit and maybe hurt his numbers, so if he's past the injury for 2026, he could return as a decent fantasy asset.

Twins' Injuries

Royce Lewis, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, David Festa and Julian Merryweather are Minnesota players dealing with injury concerns.

Lopez is out for the season to repair his right UCL. While he's out for this entire season, he should be in good shape to return early in 2027.

Lewis, an oft-injured player, had right side tightness and was scratched from the team's game on Thursday. Hopefully it turns into nothing, but his injury-riddled past seems to be popping up again early. That hurts his fantasy outlook and has him off the ADP list right now.

Ryan has back inflammation. It's not a long-term issue at this time, but the delayed start to his season could mean that he opens the year on the injured list. Ryan might miss the World Baseball Classic, but if he's pitching there, he should be good for the regular season.

Ryan's ADP is 57.75 right now, and it's dropped a couple spots over the past week. Maybe you can use this injury to grab him even later than that, and then hope he's out there all season and turns into a draft steal for you.

Festa has a shoulder injury and will be delayed a couple weeks. He'll likely miss some regular season time as a result. With Lopez also out of the starting pitcher options, that leaves Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Taj Bradley and Zebby Matthews as the projected starting rotation. If Ryan is out, then the Twins will need to insert another starter into the mix.

Merryweather is a relief option, but won't be ready for the start of the season because he's now sidelined 3-4 weeks with a hamstring strain. This has more real-world implications, as that takes away a bullpen arm in the early going. 

Taylor Rogers is the team's projected closer, with Justin Topa and Kody Funderburk as the setup men. Cole Sands, Anthony Banda, Andrew Chafin, Eric Orze and Travis Adams are the other projected bullpen arms for now.

Kelly's Outlook

Arizona's Merrill Kelly might not be ready for the start of the season because of intercostal nerve irritation. He hopes to pitch again soon, but the delay because of the injury could cost him the start of the season.

Kelly's ADP is 164.8 right now, and that's not likely to improve if his status is up in the air. 

He's part of a bruised and battered Diamondbacks' roster right now. Corbin Burnes, Cristian Mena and Blake Walston are three other starting pitchers who are banged up already, and Justin Martinez, A.J. Puk and Andrew Saalfrank are relievers who are injured. Throw in Adrian Del Castillo, Tyler Locklear, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the uncertain status of Corbin Carroll and the Diamondbacks are in a world of hurt to open 2026.

If Kelly is not ready for the start of the season, Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Michael Soroka are the projected starting rotation. Arizona has other starting pitching options, but things are getting thin.

Hopefully Kelly doesn't end up missing any time, but this is the type of injury that could affect him all season, and that could change his fantasy outlook. He's a streaming option in standard leagues to kick off the season (if he's out there), but he's a better deep-league asset.

Orioles' Injuries Piling Up

Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg are two Oriole hitters we've discussed at length this spring, and now Samuel Basallo is dealing with an injury after hurting his right side/abdominal area on Thursday.

Basallo is part of a projected platoon at designated hitter, and as a left-handed hitter, he's expected to be in the lineup often. He could be an option at catcher and first base as well, so he should rack up plenty of at-bats, if he's producing enough at the plate.

This is something to watch, especially if it turns into a larger issue - it's not expected to be a big-time injury though. Baltimore could really be hurting if Basallo, Westburg or Holliday are out at the start of the regular season.

Basallo's ADP is 156.33 right now, and this injury could knock him down a few spots. We'll keep tabs on him and hope for the best for the young slugger.

Other Injuries Worth Mentioning

Let's run through several other injuries to notable players before we break.

Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler threw a bullpen session for the first time after undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery on September 23 of last year. He's a bit behind the game right now, and he's expected to miss some time at the start of the year. Hopefully we get a clearer timeline for Wheeler soon, but for now, his ADP is 99.58.

Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff has an ADP of 128.5 for now. He pitched in a simulated game a couple days ago as he works back from a lat strain he dealt with at the end of last year. Woodruff is behind other pitchers, so the start to his season could be delayed - hopefully we get a clearer timeline on him soon.

Gavin Lux (soreness), Chandler Simpson (hamstring tightness) and Taylor Walls (oblique tightness) are Rays' hitters dealing with injuries early on. None of them are expected to be out long, but those are three projected starters, so that's a concern for the Rays for sure.

Boston's Patrick Sandoval (UCL repair) and Kutter Crawford (wrist subsheath tear) are trending toward missing the start of the season because they haven't pitched in any games yet. Boston has more than enough starting pitchers to get by, so I'd expect a cautious approach with Sandoval and Crawford.