Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Who’s Out and Who Benefits to Start the Season

The MLB regular season opens on Wednesday, so there will be a ton of injury news that's revealed this week. That's the purpose of this article.

Let's look at some injury news for notable fantasy baseball players and what those injuries mean in the real world and for fantasy baseball.

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

Strider to IL

The big news is that Atlanta starting pitcher Spencer Strider is opening the year on the injured list with an oblique strain. 

Strider is 27 years old and can be one of the more dominant pitchers in the game when healthy. Health has been an issue for Strider, and he begins the 2026 season injured too.

He excelled in his first full MLB season in 2022, posting a 2.67 earned run average over 31 appearances (20 starts). Strider had a 3.86 ERA over 32 starts, while striking out 281 batters in 186 2/3 innings in 2023.

In 2024, he made just two starts. Strider made 23 starts in 2025, posting a 4.45 ERA and striking out 131 over 125 1/3 innings.

He was expected to fill a big role in the team's starting rotation, especially with Spencer Schwellenbach already on the 60-day injured list. Now, the Braves' rotation is down two starters and is looking a bit thin.

Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes are the projected 1-2-3 starters in the rotation now. That's a solid trio, but definitely not what a Sale-Strider-Schwellenbach rotation would have been.

Bryce Elder and Jose Suarez are the other projected starting pitchers to open the season. Didier Fuentes is another option for starts early on, as Strider and Schwellenbach miss time.

AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep and Joey Wentz are other starting pitchers who are banged up, so the Braves' rotation is a question mark as it's starting to run a bit thin.

In time, Atlanta should get healthier, and the rotation could be bolstered, but for the time being, the offense is going to have to carry the Braves.

As for how to approach Strider in fantasy, you'll need to stash him for the first couple weeks of the season, at least. Hopefully he returns after a couple weeks.

If you don't have an IR spot to stash Strider in, then you'll have to use a bench slot. That always hurts, especially to kick off a season, but when healthy, Strider is just too good of a fantasy asset.

The injury doesn't seem to be anything too serious, so hopefully it doesn't impact him longer than a couple weeks. We'll update you if the status of Strider is changed, but otherwise just hold him until he's back on the mound.

Lodolo Dealing with Blister

Cincinnati starting pitcher Nick Lodolo has a blister that forced him from his last spring training appearance. 

He's tentatively scheduled to pitch the second game of the season, but the team also plans to take things cautiously with him, so there's a chance he opens the year on the IL too.

With Hunter Greene already destined for a long-term stint on the IL, Cincinnati could be hurting if it's down Lodolo too. Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns are the other projected starting pitchers to kick off the 2026 season.

Brandon Williamson is the projected long reliever, and he could replace Lodolo's spot in the rotation if Lodolo hits the IL. We'll see exactly what comes of Lodolo's injury, but it's worth tracking.

Lodolo is owned in almost all fantasy leagues, but would be easier to drop than Strider if he misses the first couple weeks of the season. I'd still do my best to stash Lodolo, as he can be a really good fantasy asset when healthy.

In 2025, Lodolo went 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA over 29 appearances (28 starts). He struck out 156 batters over 156 2/3 innings.

Stowers Out Multiple Weeks

Miami's Kyle Stowers will also open the year on the injured list. He has a hamstring strain that will cost him at least 3-4 weeks.

Stowers is owned in most fantasy leagues, but opening the year on the IL won't help his cause. He would be easier to stash in deeper leagues, or if there's IR spots to throw him in.

The 28-year-old outfielder broke out in 2025 with Miami. He played in 117 games, posting a .288 average and .368 on-base percentage. Stowers had 115 total hits, including 21 doubles and 25 homers. He added 73 RBIs, 61 runs scored, five stolen bases, 48 walks and 125 strikeouts.

He can be a really solid fantasy asset when healthy, but out maybe close to a month means he'll be dropped in a good amount of standard leagues. Keep an eye on his status and be ready to add him as he nears a return.

Jakob Marsee, Griffin Conine and a platoon of Owen Caissie and Javier Sanoja or Heriberto Hernandez are the projected outfielders now. Marsee is locked into a starting spot, and that won't change after Stowers returns.

Miami might stick with Conine or whoever is producing more from that platoon when Stowers is back. That's several weeks off, so in the meantime, those are the Marlins to take advantage of.

Daniel Johnson is another outfielder projected to make the Opening Day roster now. We'll see who ends up producing without Stowers around and determine if anyone can stick as fantasy assets after his return. 

Tauchman Injured and Out

Mets' outfielder Mike Tauchman will miss time with a torn meniscus in his left knee. The injury will require surgery and there's no timetable for his return at this point.

With Tauchman out of the mix, it looks like prospect Carson Benge is destined to make the MLB roster. He's projected to be in a platoon with Tyrone Taylor to kick off the season.

Benge is the left-handed hitter, so he could have some fantasy value right away. He'll need to perform well to keep that starting spot after Tauchman is ready to return. 

Taylor has been a decent fantasy asset in the past, and could steal that starting role away too, so keep tabs on him too.

Tauchman wasn't a big fantasy asset anyways, but this injury means he won't be owned in too many leagues. Benge should be added in some deeper leagues, and standard league owners need to keep tabs on him.

We'll see who steps up in Tauchman's absence. His injury doesn't hurt the Mets that much in the real world, as the top end of the lineup is where the high-end players are. The injury will just test the team's outfield depth, and could be a detriment to the team if those players cannot deliver enough.

Yesavage to the IL

Trey Yesavage is the latest Toronto player to hit the injured list. He has a right shoulder impingement and will miss the start of the regular season.

With Yesavage out of the mix, and Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber and Bowden Francis also injured, the Toronto starting rotation is projected to be Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer.

That's still a very good rotation, but it's running a bit thin with all those pitcher injuries. Lauer and Ponce are the two guys who will be battling for rotation spots while the others are out.

Toronto could eventually move to a six-man rotation, so that will be something to keep in mind down the line. For now, anyone who makes a start has a pretty good fantasy outlook on what should be a very good team.

Lauer, Ponce and Scherzer are streaming assets in the projected rotation at the start of the season. Cease and Gausman are owned in all leagues already. Utilize some of the other pitchers while they are in the rotation.

As for Yesavage, I'd expect the team to play things safe with their young hurler. Hopefully he doesn't miss too much time, but if you don't have an IR spot to utilize, he could become droppable if he misses too much time.

Yesavage is owned in about 85% of leagues, so we'll see how low that drops after he gets placed on the IL.

Others to Track

Miami outfielder Esteury Ruiz has an oblique strain that will cost him 6-8 weeks. His injury opens the door for others to contribute as Stowers misses time.

Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki won't play on Opening Day with a minor PCL strain, but the team might not place him on the IL. Watch his status and be ready to pivot if he's out 10 or more days.

Grayson Rodriguez will open the year on the injured list for the Angels. That opens a rotation spot in Los Angeles, and Rodriguez's outlook takes a hit too.

Sung-Mun Song has right oblique tightness that will lead to him opening the year on the IL. That opens a spot for another Padre infielder to make the team and help out early in the season.

Houston's Jeremy Pena has a right ring finger fracture, and his status for the start of the season is up in the air. That would open a starting spot for the Astros, so watch that one closely.

Lars Nootbaar will open the year on the 10-day IL because of his heel injury he's working back from. That will open a daily spot in the Cardinals' lineup.

Milwaukee's Quinn Priester is likely to open the year on the IL because of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. Watch his status for further details, but that would open a rotation spot for the Brewers.