Latest MLB Injuries and What They Mean for Fantasy Baseball

Another wave of MLB injuries has happened, so let's go over some injury updates across the MLB.

We'll discuss real-world and fantasy baseball impacts throughout the article. Let's get to it!

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

Jeremy Pena and Tatsuya Imai - Houston Astros

Pena has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a grade one hamstring strain. Imai will be out at least 15 days because of right arm fatigue.

Pena is expected to be out for longer than 10 days, but there's no exact timetable for his return. Imai doesn't have a clear timetable yet either, so his status will be one to watch.

Pena opened the year with an injury, and now officially hits the IL with a different ailment. He has a .256 average and .304 on-base percentage over 10 games and 46 plate appearances. Pena has four doubles among his 11 hits, plus a stolen base, five runs scored, three walks and six RBIs - he has no RBIs.

He was coming off a big 2025 campaign, so the start to his 2026 season has been discouraging. Pena is down to 84% rostered, and he could be let go in a bunch more leagues now because of this injury.

Pena can be a good/great fantasy when healthy, but if you don't have an IR spot to stash him in, then he's maybe droppable. Being at a loaded shortstop spot makes Pena droppable.

Imai is 1-0, but with a 7.27 earned run average over 8 2/3 innings pitched this season. He has allowed seven runs on seven hits and 11 walks, while striking out 13 batters.

He was over 85% owned to kick off the season, but is down to 62% now. This injury makes him droppable in standard leagues, but I'd still hold him (and Pena) in deeper leagues, as long as the absences aren't too long.

Carlos Correa is expected to play shortstop with Pena out, and third base will be handled by Isaac Paredes. Nick Allen is the only other Astro who has appeared at shortstop so far. Allen will move up the depth chart, but still be behind Paredes and Correa.

Houston's starting rotation is decimated with Imai, Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Ronel Blanco, Brandon Walter and Hayden Wesneski all on the injured list. Be watching who the Astros call up and give starts to, then any waiver wire/streaming adds. 

The rotation is hurting massively after the Imai news, and the offense takes a hit without Pena. Houston has bodies to cover the innings and plate appearances, but the talent isn't nearly as good, so the Astros might struggle for a while.

Shane Bieber and George Springer - Toronto Blue Jays

Bieber has been transferred to the 60-day injured list with his right elbow inflammation. Springer hit the 10-day IL with a left toe fracture.

Bieber will now at least be out through late May with his injury. The Blue Jays will continue to work him along slowly, as they have all along. Springer is hoping to be back after the IL stint is up, but he could miss several weeks after that.

Talk about a team decimated by injuries… Bieber and Springer are joined by Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander, Jose Berrios, Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce, Trey Yesavage and Yimi Garcia on the injured list. Toronto has struggled out of the gate, and might continue to struggle until the team gets a bit healthier.

Springer had a .185 average and .290 OBP over 14 games and 62 plate appearances before hitting the injured list. He had four doubles and two homers among his 10 hits, plus six RBIs, four runs scored, a stolen base, eight walks and 14 strikeouts.

He was great in 2025, and even though regression was expected in 2026, he was going to be a big part of the team's success. Now, the team will be without him for a bit, and it will hurt his fantasy owners, who might need to drop him if he misses more than 10 or so days.

Bieber hasn't pitched yet in 2026, but he's been an ace in the past, so not having him for longer is another blow to the battered Blue Jays.

Lenyn Sosa was acquired from the White Sox on Monday, so he could factor into things for Toronto. Daulton Varsho is a daily starter in the outfield, with left and right field projected to be platoons for the time being. The rotation doesn't get impacted since Bieber has been out, but it means they will have to keep patching things together.

Keep watching the team's gamelogs and the waiver wire list to see which Blue Jays are rising to the occasion in their expanded roles while several regulars are out.

Adley Rutschman and Tyler O'Neill - Baltimore Orioles

Rutschman has left ankle inflammation and it will hold him out at least 10 days. O'Neill is on the seven-day IL with a concussion.

Rutschman is hoping to return after the 10 days, while O'Neill will need to pass concussion protocol before returning to the field.

Rutschman struggled big time in 2025, but had a .294 average and .385 OBP over 10 games and 39 plate appearances, so his absence will hurt Baltimore. He had six doubles among his 10 hits, plus three RBIs and runs scored, five walks and six strikeouts.

Samuel Basallo will handle most of the starts at catcher until Rutschman is back. That opens the designated hitter spot, so we'll see who gets the starts at that spot until Rutschman can return.

O'Neill made most of his starts in right field, so that's another open spot in Baltimore for a bit. I'd expect a platoon to replace him until he's ready to return.

O'Neill is droppable being at a loaded outfield fantasy spot. He had just a .241 average, but a nice .353 OBP over 10 games and 34 plate appearances before hitting the IL.

Baltimore is still without Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Heston Kjerstad too, plus Zach Eflin and a bevy of relievers, so the Orioles are another team that's been battered early on.

Brent Rooker - Athletics

Rooker is on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain. He has no timetable yet, but a multi-week absence is expected.

He had a .146 average and .245 OBP over his first 12 games and 49 plate appearances. Rooker had two homers among his six hits, plus eight RBIs, four runs scored, two stolen bases, six walks and 17 strikeouts.

Rooker has been a good fantasy asset over the past two years, so he's started slow and been a disappointment so far. The injury is another blow to his fantasy owners, who had begun dropping him. Now, you could hold out hope and stash him on an IR spot, if you wanted.

Rooker mostly was DHing this year, and that spot is expected to be a platoon until Rooker can return. It's a blow for fantasy owners and the Athletics, who will miss Rooker in the meantime.

I'd do my best to hold Rooker, but the longer he is out, the better chances are that he'll be dropped in standard leagues (at least). Keep tabs on him and hope for a quick recovery, then better results when he gets back on the field.

Royce Lewis - Minnesota Twins

Lewis is on the 10-day IL with a left knee sprain. He isn't expected to miss too much time, and he could be back after his IL stint is up.

The oft-injured Lewis is down to 33% rostered in fantasy leagues. He was near 50% at the start of this month.

Lewis played third base, so that spot is open, and expected to be filled by a platoon for the time being. If Lewis returns after his 10 days are up, then that doesn't leave much time for anyone else to make a significant contribution, but it's worth watching.

Lewis has just a .222 average, but a .378 OBP over his first 12 games and 45 plate appearances in 2026. He has two homers and doubles among eight total hits, plus eight RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, eight walks and 12 strikeouts.

He can be a great fantasy hitter at times, but injuries derail his fantasy outlook. Lewis is a better deep-league asset, but when healthy and producing, he can be a standard league streamer at times.

Keep tabs on him, but he's droppable in most leagues right now.