Jackson Chourio Among MLB Stars Injured to Start Season

Opening Day is today! Baseball fans rejoice! It's not all fun and games though, as some notable players are out with injuries.

Let's go over some of the notable players on the injured list to start the year. We'll discuss the real-world and fantasy baseball implications of a couple of the new injuries. 

Let's get to it.

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

Chourio Hits Injured List

Milwaukee was dealt some bad news on their Opening Day, as outfielder Jackson Chourio has a broken hand and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.

He was hit during the World Baseball Classic. Chourio has played since, but an MRI showed a hairline fracture. He'll now miss a couple weeks.

Blake Perkins was called up in a corresponding move. Sal Frelick is the other locked-in outfielder in Milwaukee, while Christian Yelich is the designated hitter. Yelich could play more outfield while Chourio is out.

Milwaukee also has Garrett Mitchell, Brandon Lockridge and Jake Bauers who could fill in while Chourio is out. Bauers and Perkins are now in a projected platoon, as are Mitchell and Lockridge. Whoever is hitting the best might be the one to crack the lineup most often, so you'll need to be watching things closely.

Replacing Chourio won't be easy. The 22-year-old has 42 homers and 157 RBIs over his first two MLB seasons, which has spanned 279 games. He will miss a chunk of games again in 2026, so that's becoming a concerning theme for the young outfielder.

He was expected to hit atop the lineup, so things are all out of whack now in Milwaukee. We'll have to wait and see how the Brewers approach things, starting with their Opening Day lineup.

Chourio is too good to drop in any leagues. Hopefully you can stash him on an IR spot. He should be a big-time fantasy asset when he's back, so be patient and reap the rewards when he's back.

This will be a blow to the Brewers in the early going. There's enough talent on the roster to still win games, but the team is definitely not as good without Chourio. We'll see if they can fare adequately in the meantime.

Pitchers On the IL

Houston reliever Josh Hader is one of the bigger names on the injured list to kick off the season. The Astros' closer got a late start to his spring, after missing time at the end of 2025 too. In the meantime, Bryan Abreu should hold down the closer role in Houston.

Toronto has Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage on the injured list. That's three starting pitchers, so the rotation is lacking to start the regular season. The Blue Jays have depth there, but the rotation is definitely not as good without those three in the mix. It'll be interesting to see how the team works them into the mix when they are ready to pitch again.

Atlanta has Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider and AJ Smith-Shawver on the IL. So it's another team without three starting pitchers. The Atlanta rotation doesn't have as much depth, so those injuries will hurt their squad a bit more.

Milwaukee also placed Quinn Priester on the injured list. There's a ton of depth in Milwaukee, so it's not a huge issue, but it does open a rotation spot for a bit. Several guys could be battling for long-term roles in the rotation in the meantime.

Justin Steele is a Cub on the injured list. He is a big part of the Cubs' rotation, so the sooner he can return, the better off the team will be. 

Corbin Burnes is among the D-Backs out to open the year. That's not a surprise, but he's worth keeping in mind for whenever he can get back on the bump. Add him in fantasy leagues a couple weeks before his return.

Blake Snell is among the Dodger pitchers on the IL to start the year. He's a big part of the rotation for LA, but there's also more than enough depth to get by without him for a little while.

Bryce Miller was one of the Mariners who got placed on the injured list. The rotation is already missing a couple arms, so not having Miller, even for a bit, really hurts. Hopefully he can return and get back to delivering good results for Seattle in short order.

Zack Wheeler is a Philly pitcher on the IL to start 2026. He's a big-time fantasy asset, so be watching his status and be ready to add/activate him when he's back on the bump. Hopefully he doesn't deal with injuries all season.

Jared Jones is a Pirate on the IL to start the year. He'll be out for a while, but could be a really good asset when back. Be ready to add and utilize him when he's close to returning.

Ryan Pepiot is a Ray on the injured list. His injury news came late in spring training, so make sure you get him out of your starting lineups and to your bench or IL spots.

Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Patrick Sandoval are three Boston pitchers on the IL. They aren't huge fantasy assets, but could be solid ones when active. The Boston rotation is stacked, so I'm really interested in how things shake out in the long run.

Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are two Cincinnati pitchers on the injured list. Those are two big pitchers, so the Reds will be hurting, especially early on, without those two. Lodolo should be back a lot sooner than Greene, but both guys being out is a blow to the Reds.

Jackson Jobe is a notable Detroit pitcher who is out to open the year, and Reese Olson is out for the season. Jobe will be an option later in the season, so be ready to add him when he's closer to returning. 

Pablo Lopez is out for the season in Minnesota. He's the team's ace, so that's a big blow to a team that was already going to struggle to push for the postseason.

Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt are three New York pitchers who are out to start the year. That means the starting rotation will look a lot different in the weeks/months to come, so be watching things closely to see who sticks in the rotation and who falls out.

Hitters On the IL

Anthony Santander is another Blue Jay on the injured list to start the year. He'll miss a bunch of time, which opens a spot in the outfield, or at designated hitter. Be ready to add Santander if he returns later in the season.

Ha-Seong Kim is a notable Atlanta hitter on the IL to open the year. He could play a bigger role when healthy, so be ready to add him if he comes back and delivers in a daily role.

Lars Nootbaar is a Cardinal on the injured list, which is a blow to an offense already decimated after an offseason of shipping out talent. Nootbaar being out opens a spot in the outfield for a little while.

Seiya Suzuki is on the injured list, but hopefully not for too long. The Cubs will have an opening in their outfield as a result, so look for some type of platoon to fill Suzuki's spot for a little bit.

Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernandez are two Dodgers on the injured list. Those are more role players, but could be regular starters when healthy and producing. Others will hold things down in the meantime, but note that Edman and Hernandez could replace some guys in the weeks/months to come.

J.P. Crawford is on the injured list for the Mariners. Seattle has some guys to fill the void, but Crawford was slated for an everyday role at shortstop, and losing a SS is never a great thing for any team, so we'll see how it affects Seattle.

Kyle Stowers and Esteury Ruiz are two outfielders on the injured list for Miami. Stowers is a daily starter when healthy, while Ruiz could have helped replace him. That means Miami's outfield depth will be tested early on.

Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg are two Orioles on the shelf to open the year. Being down two infielders is a blow for Baltimore, who is looking for a bounceback season. We'll see who steps up in their absences and if these two injured guys can deliver when back on the field.

Sung-Mun Song is a Padre out in the early going. The Padres have plenty of options otherwise, but keep Song in mind for when he's back on the field.

Gavin Lux and Taylor Walls are each out for Tampa Bay. Both can play the infield, while Lux is also an outfield option. Others will have to step up in their absences, and we'll see if the “others” can hold things down for a bit.

Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez are two infielders from Boston who opened the year on the IL. They'll be starting options when healthy, but in the meantime, Boston has others to turn to.

Kyle Teel is a White Sox on the shelf to start the year. Chicago has catcher depth, but missing Teel will hurt for a couple weeks.

Anthony Volpe is out for the Yankees. Jose Caballero started in his place in the team's opener on Wednesday, and I'd expect him to start until Volpe is back.