Welcome back to the Pain Train, Razzball Enjoyers and Haters.

Since we last met, things have escalated quickly, and at the top of that escalator, there is a revolving door.

No time to waste. Let’s hop in!

Updates From Last Time

We’ll go a little backwards this week and start with a few follow-ups on players we’ve been discussing the last few weeks:

Zach Eflin (SP, BAL): Last time, we talked about the bright red flag that was Zach Eflin seeking out a second opinion. Here we are two weeks later with Eflin out for the 2026 season.

Cody Ponce (SP, TOR): We did not have a timeline for a bit, but the update is six months. So, the happily ever after story we all wanted isn’t happening this year.

Alejandro Kirk (C, TOR): Two weeks ago, I mentioned we were awaiting Alejandro Kirk’s X-rays. We now know that was a fracture. Kirk is expected to miss six weeks. The march of the Blue Jays’ ongoing spring of misery continues on.

Garrett Cleavinger (RP, TBR): Still on the IL, now eligible as of April 15, and was going to hit live BP.

The Triage Report: Pitchers

Hunter Brown (SP, HOU) – Strained Shoulder

Timeline: 15-Day IL | Eligible: 04/17 | Shut down from throwing for “a few weeks.”

Current outlook: It’s pretty early in the season for this sort of shutdown. A return in May seems more likely. It would be strange for a team to share that restriction and then reverse course. Stranger things have happened, though.

Fantasy impact: Critical. Brown is quite rostered. If we are guesstiming, 4-6 weeks seems likely.

Replacement: Taj Bradley and Jeffrey Springs are potential options, but stay tuned for regression this early in the season.

Not the prettiest outing because of shaky control, but Taj Bradley now has a 1.25 ERA through four starts, with 29 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.And if this score holds, the Twins will have won all four of Bradley's starts.

— Aaron Gleeman (@aarongleeman.bsky.social) 2026-04-12T19:32:25.905Z

Nick Pivetta (SP, SDP) – Strained Flexor Tendon

Timeline: 15-Day IL | Eligible: 04/28 | “Weeks to months” timetable (if you can call it that).

Current outlook: Flex tendon strains sound bad, but like many other injuries, they are on a spectrum. The team shared the timeline is “weeks, maybe months”, and in this case, we should believe them.

Fantasy impact: High. Widely rostered and a very wide return window. Find a replacement.

Replacement: What’s ol’ Landen Roupp up to?

🤖 SF Giants on NBCSRespect Landen Roupp 😤

— SF Giants Bot (@giantbot.bsky.social) 2026-04-16T19:41:33.790974+00:00

Matthew Boyd (SP, CHC) – Strained Biceps

Timeline: 15-Day IL | Eligible: 04/18 | Rehab assignment started the week of 4/13.

Current outlook: Hey, look! Some good news. Boyd started a rehab assignment this week. It may be 2 or so weeks before he returns, but keep him rostered.

Fantasy impact: Moderate with an improving outlook.

Replacement: Colin Rea has been the internal option. Ben Brown is the better option if you need a fill-in while Boyd ramps up.

Tatsuya Imai (SP, HOU) – Arm Fatigue

Timeline: 15-Day IL | Eligible: 04/27 | No timetable.

Current outlook: Imai, through his interpreter, shared he was having trouble adjusting to the American lifestyle, including the baseball workload, eating habits, and the weather (source). These are all things they may have contributed to his injury.

Fantasy impact: Moderate. Hold, but maybe not at the expense of better options.

Through an interpreter, Tatsuya Imai said he is "just not able to adjust to the American lifestyle, other than baseball. Baseball and outside of baseball. That’s probably the reason" for his arm fatigue.

— Chandler Rome (@chandlerrome.bsky.social) 2026-04-14T22:11:01.159Z

The Triage Report: Hitters

Juan Soto (OF, NYM) – Strained Calf

Timeline: 10-Day IL | Eligible: 04/14 | Expected back next week..

Current outlook: Soto’s recovery timeline may be right on time. In the last week, he began his running progression. Then, in the last few days, we have learned that Soto may return next week.

Fantasy impact: Critical. Hopefully, we shan’t speak of it anymore after today, but be on the lookout for the injury to flare up or more cautious running.

Replacement: Nothing to report here for now. And hopefully not for a while.

David Stearns says that his expectation is that Juan Soto will return on the Mets' next homestand (next week).

— Roger Cormier (@yayroger.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T17:13:57.183Z

Mookie Betts (SS, LAD) – Strained Oblique

Timeline: 10-Day IL | Eligible: 04/15 | No timetable.

Current outlook: Mookie’s eligibility day has passed, and there is still no timetable not to mention swinging. With no timetable present, it is safe to assume a 3-5 week total outage.

Fantasy impact: High with a caveat. While Mookie is one of the most widely rostered players in the game, he has had a slow start to the season. Regardless, don’t expect him this week.

Replacement: The internal replacement, Hyeseong Kim, and I’ve seen one homer. I’m very naive and easily convinced this could be it. Externally, look at Mauricio Dubon. I promise Ambulance Chasers isn’t a shell article to promote Son, but once again, Son did a well thought out profile on if Dubon is Mr. Right or Mr. Right-Now. Check out One Man’s Trash: Dubon It.

Christian Yelich (OF, MIL) – Strained Adductor (Groin)

Timeline: 10-Day IL | Eligible: 04/23 | Out until at least mid-May.

Current outlook: The good news is that we have a timeline. The bad news is that it is mid-May. For those counting, that’s a month. The worse news is Yelich has a second degree strain, which could take longer than a month and closer to 6 weeks.

Fantasy impact: High.

Replacement: Sal Frelick gets the everyday play in Milwaukee, but he literally has clouds over him. Wilyer Abreu would be a great option, but in the likely event he is not available Ian Happ, Taylor Ward, or Colton Cowser might be good replacements depending on which of Yelich’s stats you needed most.

Rain from these storms getting through the roof right over Sal Frelick.

— Jim Kogutkiewicz (@jimmyfk.bsky.social) 2026-04-15T02:10:38.221Z

George Springer (OF, TOR) – Fractured Toe

Timeline: 10-Day IL | Eligible: 04/22 | No timetable.

Current outlook: It could be worse, but with Springer’s injury history and the fact that there’s no timetable set, it is a little concerning. Considering a toe fracture in an outfielder might put a team in a position to be more cautious. Continue monitoring closely for now.

Fantasy impact: High. Springer is widely rostered. Some fractures have a pretty clear timeline. So, hearing “no timetable” makes me think this one will take a little longer.

Replacement: Daulton Varsho is there. Externally, Cam Smith is rostered at 94% in RCL, which means someone out there doesn’t have him. Mickey Moniak is another external option.

#BlueJays injury updates:

— Mitch Bannon (@mitchbannon.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T23:39:12.524Z

Secondary Impact / Role Changes

Royce Lewis (3B, MIN) – Left Sprained Knee

10-Day IL | Eligible 04/20 | No timetable. Unfortunately, Lewis and “knee” is not a surprise to see here. An MRI revealed the sprain. So, it doesn’t sound like there is structural damage, but watch closely for new information.

Derek Shelton indicated that Tristan Gray and Ryan Kreidler will form a loose platoon at third base in Royce Lewis' absence.Gray, a left-handed hitter, figures to start vs. most righties. Kreidler, a right-handed hitter, figures to start vs. most lefties.

— Aaron Gleeman (@aarongleeman.bsky.social) 2026-04-13T21:51:12.367Z

Adley Rutschman (C, BAL) – Ankle Inflammation

10-Day IL | Eligible 04/21 | No timetable. ”Inflammation” is a vague label, and there hasn’t been a timetable for return offered. However, Rutschman is running again.

Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (left ankle inflammation) isn’t sure how soon he could be back, but he said he’s feeling a lot better. He’s running, going through drills. Pleased with how everything is progressing.Eligible to come off IL Tuesday in Kansas City.

— Jake Rill (@jakerill.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T19:47:24.568Z

Brent Rooker (OF, ATH) – Strained Oblique

10-Day IL | Eligible 04/20 | No timetable.*sigh* Adds Rooker to the oblique pile. 2-4 weeks is the realistic scenario here rather than the short eligibility window.

Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) – Fractured Foot

60-Day IL | Eligible 06/10 | No timetable. Oof. The best case scenario is that he’s back in June. Maybe it’s time to cut unless you are in a deep league. Sounds like he’s got a sweet pair of wheels, though.

Ryan Mountcastle is scootering around the clubhouse currently with a broken bone in his foot. He said there are no ligaments impacted, just — as if this is better — a broken fourth metatarsal bone.He said he felt a pop in his foot a step or two after touching first. He’s on 60-day. Could be months

— Andy Kostka (@afkostka.bsky.social) 2026-04-15T13:45:02.605Z

Quick Hits

Cade Horton (SP, CHC): Worst case scenario here. Out for the 2026 season (15-16 months) with a forearm strain. Covered the Cubs situation above with Matthew Boyd.

Jordan Lawlar (OF, ARI): 60-Day IL with a fractured wrist. Expected to miss 6–8 weeks.

Tyler O’Neill (OF, BAL): Concussion, 7-Day IL for the concussion protocol, eligible 04/16 but Craig Albernaz shared that O’Neill would not be ready for Saturday (and you can infer possibly beyond that). You can hold him if you have the space.

Gabriel Moreno (C, ARI): Strained oblique, 10-Day IL. Catcher. Oblique. No timetable yet. The stank of uncertainty is strong.

The Takeaways

Open season on obliques. Mookie Betts, Brent Rooker, and Gabriel Moreno are some of the players with oblique issues in the last two weeks. When you see “no timetable,” next to obliques, plan for 3-5 weeks.

“Shut down from throwing” is as bad, if not worse, than it sounds. Take Hunter Brown’s shoulder. “Shut down” indicates concern rather than caution. Act as if he won’t be available until May.

It’s canon: the Blue Jays are cursed. Blame Drake. Berríos, Ponce, Kirk, Bieber, Springer, and MORE. There’s Patrick Corbin, and Yesavage may be back soon, but had a rough rehab start.

A case study in eligibility dates. Soto and Mookie are both “eligible” within the last day or two, and neither is back, though Soto may return the next homestand. This is just a good reminder that the 10-Day IL and so forth are administrative tools, not a return date.

That’s it for this week’s damage assessment. Let’s have a moment of silence for the fallen. Let me know what bugs and bits hit your roster in the comments.

I’m Keelin, your bi-weekly reminder that injuries don’t follow timelines. Find me on Bluesky at keelin12ft.bsky.social.

This column focuses on injury situations that meaningfully affect fantasy baseball decisions. It is not a complete injury ledger or a prediction of exact timelines. Teams are often vague, information changes quickly, and this is best viewed as a snapshot of where things stand.