Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports for Hitters - Updates for Aaron Judge, Matt McLain, Josh Jung, Nathaniel Lowe, Byron Buxton, more

The 2024 MLB season began with the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the San Diego Padres this week, but a ton of fantasy baseball drafts are still taking place between now and the official Opening Day. Unfortunately, there are plenty of key hitters dealing with bumps and bruises ahead of the league-wide beginning of the season. Let's take a look at injured hitters Aaron Judge, Matt McLain, Josh Jung, Nathaniel Lowe, Byron Buxton, and more.

This is our weekly edition of fantasy baseball injury updates for hitters, as of March 21, 2024. Some players on this list impact fantasy baseball more than others, and some players are more hurt than others. Either way, fantasy baseball ADPs and outlooks are sure to be affected.

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 hitters.

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Aaron Judge Injury Update

As expected, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (abdomen, oblique) was back in center field on Wednesday and hitting third in the team's Grapefruit League contest versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Judge's return to spring action had been pushed back a few days over the weekend, causing fans and fantasy managers to panic about his availability for Opening Day next week against the Houston Astros.

Judge returns to the lineup pic.twitter.com/41YsPxeWGi

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) March 20, 2024

But the Yankees and the 31-year-old All-Star continued to downplay the severity of his injuries, and fantasy managers should be able to relax a bit now that Judge is back in the starting lineup. The top-10 fantasy asset is a difference-maker at the plate when he's healthy, but it's fair to wonder how healthy he'll be in 2024 while having to start in center field for the first half of the season.

Matt McLain Injury Update

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder) won't be ready for Opening Day on March 28. "I think it's safe to say he's not going to be ready to start the season," Bell said. After being scratched from a Cactus League game on Monday due to left shoulder soreness, McLain is going for a second opinion, and the team hasn't ruled out the possibility that he might need surgery. The 24-year-old second-year player went from being fine to potentially missing extended time to begin 2024 because of his shoulder injury.

McLain is going to get a second opinion.

As it stands, Spencer Steer would be the team's backup shortstop to Elly De La Cruz. Erik González had a nice day in the field today and is still in minor-league camp. Josh Harrison is still available. The Reds went from 3 SS to 1 https://t.co/ssu9XPVnXD

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) March 20, 2024

The former 17th overall pick in 2021 out of UCLA was set to open his sophomore year as Cincy's primary second baseman after slashing .290/.357/.507 with a .864 OPS, 16 homers, 50 RBI, and 14 steals in 365 at-bats in his rookie season, but now Jonathan India will open the year as the Reds' second baseman.

Josh Jung Injury Update

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (calf) is likely to be ready to play in time for Opening Day. There was some uncertainty surrounding Jung's status after manager Bruce Bochy expressed caution regarding his injury. The 26-year-old has been sidelined since early in camp due to a calf injury.

It sounds like Jung is expected to be back in action within the next few days. Fantasy managers don't need to panic as it sounds like Jung is going to be ready for the beginning of the season. (MLB.com)

Nathaniel Lowe Injury Update

Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) won't be ready in time for Opening Day. The expectation was that Lowe would miss some time after suffering an oblique strain earlier in the month. Now, the Rangers are expecting Lowe to be sidelined until at least mid-April.

The organization should give a better timetable later, but for now, fantasy managers should expect to be without Lowe for a few weeks. It's unclear how the Rangers plan to fill the void at first base. There's a good chance that Wyatt Langford makes the roster, while Justin Foscue could see some action at first base. (MLB.com)

Byron Buxton Injury Update

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (back) served as the designated hitter and is batting second in the team's Grapefruit League game on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. Buxton was scratched from the spring lineup on Monday due to back tightness, but it turned out to be a minor issue, which is great news for the oft-injured 30-year-old outfielder.

Buxton wasn't able to play a single game in center field in 2023 for Minnesota due to a knee injury that eventually required surgery. His knee is healthy this spring, though, and he's hit one home run and has a 1.074 OPS in Grapefruit League play. The power/speed combination has always been tantalizing with Buxton, but his inability to stay on the field trumps any of the offensive skills he has these days. (MLB.com)

Ryan Mountcastle Injury Update

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (neck) returned to the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Wednesday versus the Philadelphia Phillies and started at first base and hit fifth in the batting order. Neck stiffness kept Mountcastle out of the spring lineup since last Friday, but he's back in there on Wednesday and should be fine to play on Opening Day next Thursday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels.

#orioles lineup pic.twitter.com/sw1GWgvA2H

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) March 20, 2024

The 27-year-old's fantasy arrow is pointing up after hitting .270/.328/.452 with 18 home runs and 68 RBI in 115 games in 2023 despite missing time with vertigo and a shoulder injury. He's never played in more than 145 games in his four seasons in the big leagues, but he did hit 33 homers in 2021 and could be an excellent value pick in fantasy leagues if he can stay healthy in 2024. Mountcastle is RotoBaller's No. 24 ranked first baseman.

Max Kepler Injury Update

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (pectoral) was scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Detroit Tigers due to left-pectoral tightness. It's unclear how serious Kepler's pectoral injury is, but for now, he'll be considered day-to-day. With Opening Day just right around the corner next Thursday, though, the 31-year-old veteran outfielder could be in danger of missing the start of the regular season, depending on the severity of the injury.

Max Kepler was scratched from today’s spring training game with left pectoral tightness.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) March 20, 2024

Kepler had a bounce-back year in 2023, slashing .260/.332/.484 with a .816 OPS, 24 home runs, and 66 RBI in 130 games played in his ninth big-league season. He hit the ball hard and lowered his strikeout rate while also slightly improving against left-handed pitching. Kepler should once again see most of the playing time in right field for the Twins and is an outfield depth option for his power in deep-mixed fantasy leagues.

DJ LeMahieu Injury Update

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot), who is dealing with a significant bone bruise in his right foot in camp, isn't ruling out being in the starting lineup for Opening Day on March 28 against the Houston Astros. "I've had a good spring training. I've had plenty of at-bats. I'm pretty much ready," LeMahieu said.

DJ LeMahieu (bone bruise in foot) isn’t ruling out being in the lineup for Opening Day. “I’ve had a good spring training. I’ve had plenty of at-bats. I’m pretty much ready.”

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 20, 2024

If the 35-year-old veteran isn't able to get into another Grapefruit League game before the spring schedule ends next week, there's a pretty good chance LeMahieu won't be in the Yankees' Opening Day lineup. When healthy, he's expected to be the team's leadoff hitter and everyday third baseman in 2024. If he's not ready to go for the start of the regular season late next week, Oswaldo Cabrera figures to fill in at the hot corner in the Bronx.

Wilmer Flores Injury Update

San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores (knee) was scratched from the team's Cactus League lineup on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels due to a little knee soreness. Flores said, "It's nothing." Flores should be considered day-to-day for now and should be ready for Opening Day next Thursday versus the division-rival San Diego Padres.

Flores has a little knee soreness he says “it’s nothing.”

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 20, 2024

Despite the 32-year-old Venezuelan putting up the best offensive numbers of his career last year for the Giants -- .284 average, 23 home runs, and 60 RBI in 126 games -- playing time is going to be an issue for him in 2024. Flores was a bit fortunate to put up the numbers that he did, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he hits lefties well. At worst, he should be in some sort of short-sided platoon role in San Francisco's infield.

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