Ronald Acuna Jr? BACK. Hunter Greene? BACK. Spencer Strider? BACK. George Kirby? BACK.
This is the best week of news we have had all season. While Strider and Kirby were not stellar in their first starts back, it must feel better slotting them in your lineup than Ryan Gusto or Tyler Anderson. Also, while writing this Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his first home run of the season on the first pitch he saw. I would enjoy this more if I didn’t fade Acuna Jr. due to his knee and have Nick Pivetta starting everywhere…
If there were any injuries missed, feel free to yell at me in the comments or on Twitter/X @RotoSurgeon.
Injuries to Monitor
Anthony Santander (OF, TOR) Hip
The Blue Jays have been flip-flopping Anthony Santander in and out of their lineup throughout the past few weeks. He is out of the lineup at the moment due to a hip issue that flared back up, but he missed time while dealing with a shoulder issue as well. Santander’s struggles this season could be linked to these injuries, but he has been much better in May than April while fully healthy!
This is probably just another hitter struggling to adjust to a new environment in his first season after free agency. Not the biggest red flag, but odd given that he has played in the AL East his entire career. Feels fair to say his 44 HR season in 2024 was a fluke and he is closer to a true high-20’s, low-30’s HR hitter.
Alex Bregman (3B, BOS) Quad
The Red Sox star offseason acquisition injured his quad while running the bases but deemed himself “day-to-day”. In the business, “day-to-day” means “week-to-week” so keep an eye out for a potential IL stint. The funniest outcome of this injury is Rafael Devers being asked to play third base again, so watch out for that as well.
Jared Jones (SP, PIT)
The talented Pirates SP will miss the rest of this season after undergoing surgery to repair his UCL. Jones opted for an internal brace (like Spencer Strider) rather than Tommy John and will be out for the next 10-12 months. This surgery is still quite new for SPs, and we do not have a large enough sample to judge those who return the following season. Strider would be an example if he wasn’t arguably the best pitcher in baseball while healthy. The best bet is to fade 2025 Jones unless he is available at the end of drafts as a flier/IL hold.
George Kirby (SP, SEA) Shoulder
King Kirby returned this week and was greeted with multiple earned runs from the Houston Astros. The good news is that he walked just one batter while striking out four in three and two-thirds innings without a drop in velocity!
His three rehab starts in the minor leagues displayed his usual, elite K-BB which should have fantasy managers optimistic. Kirby will have better days ahead as long as his shoulder does not flare back up.
Dylan Crews (OF, WAS) Oblique
The Nationals placed Crews on IL with an oblique strain, which was initially described as a back injury. Crews’s season has been extremely disappointing, but at least he was making quality contact and underperforming his expected stats according to StatCast. Oblique injuries are always bad news for hitters (unless your name is Josh Lowe), and regardless of severity, his odds of regressing to his peripheral stats upon return are lower. Hell, he could be worse! Crews can be dropped if you are low on IL slots.
Porter Hodge (RP, CHC) Oblique
Of course, Porter Hodge was placed on IL due to an oblique strain immediately after the Cubs’ game started on Monday. This locked him in the lineup for those of us in weekly leagues with no chance to swap him out! Fun stuff! I love fantasy baseball!!
Hodge’s season is a mixed bag, but even with his poor start, he was better suited to close games than offseason addition Ryan Pressly. Nevertheless, the Cubs will potentially give Pressly an opportunity to reclaim the role despite Daniel Palencia earning the most recent save. Pressly has four straight clean outings with three strikeouts, no walks, and just three hits allowed in three and one-third innings pitched. Only pick him up in deeper leagues where you are desperate.
Shohei Ohtani (SP, LAD) Elbow
The reigning NL MVP faced live hitters for the first time since undergoing his most recent elbow surgery in 2023. With Clayton Kershaw back in the rotation, the Dodgers are breaking every glass possible in this emergency, AKA the current state of their rotation. Roki Sasaki might suck while Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are both still sidelined.
Getting Ohtani back to form as an SP is more of a need than a luxury moving forward. How he looks on the mound is a valid question, but given how amazing he is, a return to SP1 form would not be surprising.
