MLB Injury Updates: Pepiot, Suzuki, and Lux to Start Season on IL

Another day, another round of MLB injuries to discuss.

Here's yesterday's story that hit on some other injuries. There will be more to come during the opening week of play, so keep checking back!

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

Pepiot Hitting Injured List

Tampa Bay starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot will get a late start to his 2026 regular season because of a hip injury. It's not expected to keep him out too long, but he will at least be out the first 15 days of the season.

The 28-year-old righty has pitched in the big leagues the past four years. Pepiot has a 24-21 record and 3.54 earned run average, while striking out 389 batters over 376 innings.

He was 11-12, but with a 3.86 ERA over 31 starts last year. He struck out 167 batters over 167 2/3 innings.

I tabbed 2026 as a breakout year for Pepiot, and now I'm hoping that this injury doesn't limit him. Hopefully it's just a couple-week absence, and doesn't hold Pepiot back on and off all season.

This is a knock to his fantasy value, and means he'll be droppable in some leagues where IR spots aren't available. I'd stash him if I could, because I truly believe he will break out in 2026.

As for the real-world implications of this injury, the Rays' starting rotation is definitely worse off without Pepiot. Drew Rasmussen, Joe Boyle, Steven Matz, Nick Martinez and Shane McClanahan are the projected rotation members right now. It's a fine rotation, but the team is definitely not as good as it could be with Pepiot in the mix.

Keep tabs on Pepiot, and be ready to add him if he becomes available in your league. Hopefully he returns in short order and gets back to performing well on the bump.

Suzuki to IL

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is now expected to start the year on the injured list. There was hope he'd be ready shortly after Opening Day, so hopefully he's not out too much longer than 10 days.

The 31-year-old played in 151 games last season, but hit just .245. Suzuki got on base at a .326 clip and had 103 RBIs, 75 runs scored, five stolen bases, 71 walks and 164 strikeouts.

He has a career .269 average and .346 OBP, so fantasy owners are hoping for a bounceback season for Suzuki. Injury concerns are part of the equation for Suzuki, and he'll open the year behind the eight ball.

He's worth holding in all leagues, but could become droppable if injuries become an issue, and you have no IR spots available. At the worst, Suzuki should be a good deep-league asset in 2026. He's capable of being a daily starter in standard leagues, so hopefully this isn't an injury that plagues him all year.

With Suzuki out a week or so, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and a platoon between Michael Conforto and Matt Shaw or Dylan Carlson are the projected outfielders in Chicago. Happ and PCA are locked into starting spots, so the projected platoon is the replacement for Suzuki.

Conforto has a little fantasy appeal, but likely falling into a bench role when Suzuki is back, I don't love adding Conforto in a ton of leagues, especially if he's just in a platoon. He's a streaming option in deeper leagues until Suzuki is back on the field.

As I said, it's not expected to be a long-term injury, but it could lead to a slow start for the Cubs. The bigger question mark is what this does to Suzuki over the course of the season. 

We'll keep you up to date on the latest with Suzuki and the Cubs, so keep checking back!

Lux also Out to Start Year

Gavin Lux is another Tampa Bay player who will open the year on the injured list. He'll be out at least 10 days with a right shoulder impingement.

The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Rays, and the start of it will be delayed a bit. He's played second base primarily, but also has spent time in the outfield and at shortstop and third base, so he could help out in several spots when healthy.

In 140 games with Cincinnati last year, Lux had a .269 average and .350 OBP. He doubled 28 times, but had just five homers. Lux had 53 RBIs, 49 runs scored, 56 walks and 114 strikeouts.

With Lux out of the mix, a roster spot opens up. Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, Cedric Mullins, Junior Caminero and Carson Williams are all daily starting options for Tampa Bay, but most of the other spots will be platoons to kick off the year.

At second base, Richie Palacios, Ben Williamson and Ryan Vilade are some options in a projected platoon. Platoons in left and right field are also expected, with Jake Fraley and Chandler Simpson as the left-handed options and Jonny DeLuca and Vilade as the right-handed options.

Palacios could be replaced by Lux when he's healthy again, but with Lux's defensive versatility, the hottest hitter of the non-daily starters could stick in the lineup in some fashion.

Lux is just a deep-league asset when he is healthy, but he can get in stretches where he's worthy of standard league streaming too. So keep an eye on him when he's back on the field.

As for the real-world implications, the Rays are just a bit worse off without Lux. He's not a huge difference maker, but he's probably better than his replacements. 

With Lux and Pepiot down to start the season, plus Taylor Walls and a trio of relievers out, Tampa Bay might struggle to kick off the season. We'll see if the other players on the team can carry the torch until some reinforcements come.