RADIO
The 2024 fantasy baseball playoffs will be here before we know it, so the season is entering "must-win" territory over the next few weeks. There is no shortage of high-impact fantasy baseball studs dealing with bumps and bruises, so let's take a look at the top injured players, including Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Mason Miller, Yandy Diaz, Byron Buxton, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and more.
This is the next edition of this year's fantasy baseball injury updates for hitters and pitchers as of August 5, 2024. Some players on this list impact fantasy baseball more than others, but with leagues of all shapes and sizes, all players should be monitored ahead of the start of the week.
To keep close tabs on all of the news across the MLB, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy baseball player news page, and download the free RotoBaller fantasy baseball mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news. Let's look at the injury updates for the top fantasy baseball players.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:- Fantasy baseball injury reports
- Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
- Daily MLB starting lineups for fantasy baseball
- Fantasy baseball BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
- Fantasy baseball PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts, bullpens, saves
- Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard, daily leaderboards
Freddie Freeman Injury Update
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman could rejoin the team during their series against the Philadelphia Phillies, which starts on Monday. According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, an exact date is to be determined, but Freeman is trending toward returning next week against the Phillies.
Dave Roberts said Freddie Freeman could rejoin the Dodgers during their series against the Phillies this week
Any exact return date remains TBD, but Roberts made it sound like it’s trending that way
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) August 3, 2024
The 34-year-old has been away from the team for a week while on the family emergency list. He is slashing .288/.395/.493 with 16 home runs, 67 RBI, 63 runs, and five stolen bases over 456 plate appearances in 2024. Cavan Biggio will continue to handle first base duties while Freeman is out. Biggio is hitting .190 (4-for-21) with two home runs, five RBI, and 11 strikeouts over his last six games. The 29-year-old is mainly a streamer in deep leagues until Freeman returns to action.
Mookie Betts Injury Update
Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Mookie Betts (hand) is targeting a return during the team's next road trip. The Dodgers' next road trip begins on August 12 against the Milwaukee Brewers and follows up with a three-game-set versus the St. Louis Cardinals. The 31-year-old has been sidelined since June 17 with a fracture in his left hand.
Dave Roberts said #Dodgers are targeting Mookie Betts return to the lineup during their next road trip. Milwaukee-STL.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) August 4, 2024
Betts has been participating in batting practice and is trending toward returning from the injured list in mid-August. He slashed .304/.405/.488 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 50 runs, and nine stolen bases over 72 games before landing on the injured list. Fantasy managers should continue stashing Betts in all leagues, as he is expected to return from the injured list and boost the Dodgers lineup soon.
Mason Miller Injury Update
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Mason Miller (finger) was seen playing catch on Saturday without a cast and is set to throw live BP on Monday, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Miller has been logging successful bullpen sessions while wearing a cast on his non-throwing hand but will now progress to the next step without the protection.
Mason Miller played catch today without his cast and is set to throw live BP in a sim game on Monday.
Dany Jiménez threw a live BP today and will join Triple-A Las Vegas for a rehab assignment on Tuesday.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) August 3, 2024
The hard-throwing right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 25 after fracturing his left pinkie. Before the injury, the 25-year-old was enjoying a big sophomore season, boasting a 2.21 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and a 14:70 BB:K ratio across 40 innings of work. Under the hood, he carried a 45.8% K rate, 38.2% chase rate, and a 43.0% whiff rate, which are the best marks in the sport. Fantasy managers could expect the top-tier reliever back on the mound potentially earlier than expected, given his progression so far. When he returns, Miller will be one of the best relievers in all formats, given his incredible strikeout potential despite the limited save opportunities.
Yandy Diaz Injury Update
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz was taken out of Sunday's game against the Houston Astros early after fielding a hard-hit grounder that struck him in the left wrist. Diaz stayed in the game directly after but eventually had to come out. Fortunately, the X-rays came back negative, and the Rays are considering Diaz day-to-day.
He was 1-for-2 with a walk before being taken out. The 32-year-old is having a down season compared to his breakout 2023, but in the last month, he's batting .323 with a .940 OPS, so maybe things are taking a turn for the better. (MLB.com)
Byron Buxton Injury Update
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton was removed early during Sunday's game against the Chicago White Sox. The speedy outfielder collided into the wall making an incredible catch to end the sixth inning. After that, Buxton was removed from the game, but it was likely for precautionary reasons.
#MNTwins say Byron Buxton was removed entirely for precautionary reasons. He's been fully medically cleared.
Sounds like there was a decent chance he was going to be removed from the game around that point anyway because of the score.https://t.co/mQMXl5bHaL
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 4, 2024
The Twins were already running away with the game so there was no reason to push Buxton back out there. He was checked out by the medical staff and appears to be fine going forward. Fantasy managers should double check on Monday just in case something does pop up.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Injury Update
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (shoulder) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Saturday. It was Yamamoto's first bullpen session since being placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury. " He threw fastballs, curveballs, and splitters in Saturday's bullpen session. The team was excited about his command and velocity," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a 20-pitch bullpen session today, his first since going on the IL with his shoulder injury
Roberts said the team was “excited about his command and velocity”
He threw fastballs, curveballs and splitters
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) August 3, 2024
The 25-year-old has been on the injured list since June 16 with a rotator cuff strain. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list and will look to continue to progress in his rehab without any setbacks. Yamamoto could return by September, and fantasy managers should continue to stash him in all leagues after posting a 2.92 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and an 84:17 K: BB across 74 innings in 2024.
Luis Rengifo Injury Update
Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Rengifo (wrist) was placed on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation on Saturday. He exited Friday's game against the New York Mets early due to a wrist inflammation and will be out for at least 10 days. The Angels purchased Charles Leblanc's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move.
#Angels transactions:
•Selected the contract of INF Charles Leblanc
•Placed INF Luis Rengifo (right wrist inflammation) on 10-day injured list
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) August 3, 2024
Rengifo is slashing .300/.347/.417 with six home runs, 30 RBI, 41 runs, and 24 stolen bases across 304 plate appearances in 2024. Luis Guillorme and Michael Stefanic should see an uptick in at-bats while Rengifo is sidelined.
Jacob deGrom Injury Update
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (elbow) logged another bullpen session on Saturday and is now set to face live hitters. The 36-year-old has been sidelined all season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery last June. However, he has been throwing successful bullpen sessions through most of July and is now ready to face live hitters for the first time. The two-time Cy Young winner expressed, "Where I was at, throwing these three-ups, I was seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Now you're going to have somebody step in, and that's when it's starting to get close.
I'm definitely looking forward to it." This is a great sign as the hard-throwing right-hander is approaching his rehab assignment. Prior to injury last summer, deGrom was on track to have another successful season, holding a 2.67 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and a 4:45 BB:K ratio across 30 innings of work. deGrom is worth stashing in all standard leagues going forward, as he could be a league winner later this summer due to his potential to produce elite strikeout numbers. (MLB.com)
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
