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At long last, MLB opening day is here, and that means it's time for fantasy baseball! Unfortunately, there are several key players dealing with bumps and bruises before the season even gets underway. We have the latest updates. Let's take a look at injured pitchers Kevin Gausman, Jordan Romano, Eduardo Rodriguez, Kodai Senga, and more.
This is our weekly edition of fantasy baseball injury updates for pitchers as of March 28, 2024. Some players on this list impact fantasy baseball more than others, but with leagues of all shapes and sizes, you never know which injured players could affect lineups.
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 pitchers.
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Kevin Gausman Injury Update
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that the team still hasn't decided on when right-hander Kevin Gausman (shoulder) will make his first start of the season, but it will be either Sunday in Tampa Bay against the Rays or on Monday in Houston versus the Astros.
John Schneider says they still haven’t decided on a day for Kevin Gausman, it’ll either be Sunday or Monday.
Romano, Swanson, Manoah all likely to land on IL tomorrow, per the manager.
Wes Parsons has made the roster.#BlueJays— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) March 27, 2024
Gausman came out of his only Grapefruit League start on Monday fine and will not need to open the regular season on the injured list after dealing with shoulder fatigue in spring training. Neither matchup is ideal for the 33-year-old's first start after missing time in spring training, so he'll be more risky than normal in season-long fantasy leagues and DFS in his first start of 2024. But fantasy managers should feel comfortable that the Blue Jays' ace can put his shoulder injury in the rearview and put forth another strong season as a No. 1 starter.
Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson Injury Update
Toronto Blue Jays relievers Jordan Romano (elbow) and Erik Swanson (forearm) will officially open the 2024 season on the injured list, according to manager John Schneider. As a result, Nate Pearson and Wes Parsons will open the year in Toronto's bullpen. Swanson has already resumed playing catch, while the Blue Jays hope Romano can begin throwing off a mound next week.
Nate Pearson and Wes Parsons open the season on the Blue Jays roster with Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson headed for the IL, said manager John Schneider.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) March 27, 2024
Hopefully, both pitchers will be able to return in the middle of April, but there's no guarantee. Romano should be stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues for the time being. With both Romano and Swanson on the shelf, the Blue Jays are expected to roll with a closer-by-committee approach, consisting of arms like Chad Green, Yimi Garcia, and Tim Mayza.
Eduardo Rodriguez Injury Update
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (late) started his throwing program on Tuesday and appears to be ahead of schedule. Rodriguez threw from 60 feet on Tuesday, which was the first time he had done any throwing since suffering a left-lat strain in spring training on March 19.
Torey Lovullo says E-Rod started his throwing program yesterday and appears ahead of schedule
— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) March 27, 2024
The 30-year-old veteran southpaw is still going to start his first year in Arizona on the injured list, but his stay there may not end up being a lengthy one. In any event, the Snakes still felt the need to add lefty Jordan Montgomery to their rotation on Tuesday. E-Rod had career-highs in ERA (3.30) and WHIP (1.15) in his final year in Detroit in 2023, but fantasy managers should be expecting regression from an injury-prone pitcher who has exceeded 160 innings just once in his eight major league seasons.
Kodai Senga Injury Update
New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) did some throwing at Citi Field on Wednesday. Senga continues to work his way back from a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder and is expected to take six weeks to ramp back up, so fantasy managers can expect him to miss at least the first month and a half of the 2024 campaign.
Hey, Kodai 😀
Kodai Senga throws this morning at Citi Field pic.twitter.com/zlUIlCO9tr
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 27, 2024
The 31-year-old was extremely impressive in his first year in the big leagues with the Mets in 2023, going 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA (3.63 FIP) and 1.22 WHIP with 77 walks and 202 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings over his 29 starts. While his shoulder injury this spring has dimmed his fantasy value for his sophomore season, Senga should be stashed in an injured list spot in all leagues.
Nick Lodolo Injury Update
The Cincinnati Reds put starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (leg) on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. Lodolo will miss the first couple of turns in Cincy's rotation, but the southpaw is set to make his 2024 debut on April 10 at home versus the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers following a long road back from a stress reaction in his tibia that dates back to May of last season.
The #Reds today announced the following transactions: pic.twitter.com/99neJ5phzp
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 27, 2024
The 26-year-old former No. 7 overall pick tallied an underwhelming 6.29 ERA (5.79 FIP) and 1.74 WHIP through 34 1/3 innings in 2023, but he registered a strong 28.3% strikeout rate as well as 6.0% walk rate and gave up only one run while punching out five hitters covering two spring training appearances. Considering a favorable matchup is on tap for his first showing, Lodolo's bat-missing upside means he probably shouldn't be lying around on very many waiver wires in fantasy leagues for managers that can afford to stash him.
Max Scherzer Injury Update
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) continues making progress from his offseason back surgery and was able to play catch on Wednesday. The veteran right-hander won't be ready for Opening Day, but might not miss too much time. Rangers manager Chris Young doesn't believe that Scherzer will need to be placed on the 60-day injured list.
Max Scherzer progressing well. Chris Young says he’s guessing Scherzer won’t be placed on the 60-day IL. Which suggests a possible return in May.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 27, 2024
Instead, Young suggested that Scherzer could be back as early as May. The Rangers are likely going to be cautious with the 39-year-old. His injury might push him back into the later rounds of fantasy drafts.
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