Ambulance Chasers: Judge, Jury, And Excruciating Pain

This is an odd time of year. Every baseball team is evaluating a balance of its immediate and extended future. With two months of the 2025 regular season left, plenty could change, but teams are forced to act decisively with the upcoming trade deadline. For the sake of fantasy baseball, new injuries could extend until the offseason as teams in the middle or bottom of the standings may opt to return a key piece to full health.

This is always a tricky time of year as you may hold onto various pieces who may not see the field again until 2026. Name value could be deceiving. Finding quality, healthy pieces on the waiver wire is more likely to save your season than a “star” veteran who is playing below 100% or taking up a crucial roster spot.

Anyway, if there were any injuries missed, feel free to yell at me in the comments or on Twitter/X @RotoSurgeon.

Injuries to Monitor

Aaron Judge (OF, NYY) Elbow

Good News: Aaron Judge’s UCL is intact!

Bad News: Aaron Judge suffered a flexor strain and will be placed on the Injured List.

This is Judge’s first IL stint of the season, and it comes at an unfortunate time (weeks before the fantasy playoffs). The Yankees are optimistic that Judge can return shortly after the minimum 10-day stint, but elbow injuries do not just go away. Judge will likely have to manage this issue while returning as a designated hitter.

Whether he can play the outfield at any point upon return this season is to be decided, which is far from ideal. The Yankees reserve their DH spot for Giancarlo Stanton and occasionally, Jasson Dominguez. Stanton playing the outfield is being considered as a new form of torture for Yankees fans, but at least the rest of us get to enjoy some must-see television.

Brandon Lowe (2B, TB) Foot

Brandon Lowe was reinstated from the IL last week after battling an oblique injury, and returned almost immediately due to a flare-up of plantar fasciitis in his foot. Lowe has hit well this season and was likely a staple of fantasy lineups with his cheap preseason ADP. Unfortunately, time off has become a staple of Lowe’s career lately, as he has not played over 109 games since 2021.

The Rays are in preliminary talks to make moves before the upcoming trade deadline. Tampa Bay is fourth in their division (despite having a winning record), and will likely look to move veterans like Lowe and Yandy Diaz, according to Ken Rosenthal. This could be a positive if Lowe lands in a better offense, but the Rays are not struggling to score. They are currently 13th in wOBA and ninth in total runs. Also, Steinbrenner Field is fourth in HR park factor via StatCast. A move elsewhere is likely a downgrade or neutral at best for Lowe. Nevertheless, he is worth holding within fantasy ILs given his start to the season.

Isaac Paredes (3B, HOU) Hamstring

Houston may be without Isaac Paredes for a large portion of the remaining regular season. The team announced that his hamstring injury is “pretty significant” and placed him on IL earlier this week. With only two months to go, an injury like this is bad enough to outright drop Paredes if room in your lineup or IL is tight.

Brandon Walter (SP, HOU) Elbow

The Astros placed 2025 breakout SP Brandon Walter on the IL due to elbow inflammation. This injury comes immediately after another incredible start for Walter, who lowered his ERA to 3.35 and WHIP to 0.93 on Wednesday against the Mariners. Quality peripherals like SIERA and xFIP back up Walter’s season-long stats, but they may change later in the season. Elbow inflammation is not a red flag, but it is a yellow one.

With only two months of games remaining, the Astros should be careful with their rising star. If he returns too soon, he may not display similar production. If he returns too late, it may not matter for fantasy baseball. This is a tricky situation, but he has been so good that you should hold for a week until we have more information.

Jac Caglianone (OF, KC) Hamstring

Star prospect Jac Caglianone left the Royals’ game on Saturday due to “hamstring tightness”. There has been no update since he left the game (team evaluating further), but we should prepare for a likely IL stint. Injuries like this that occur within games often lead to missed time, and the Royals just traded for OF Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Aaron Nola (SP, PHI) Ankle

The Phillies announced that veteran SP Aaron Nola is preparing for a rehab assignment in the coming week. Nola has not pitched since May 14th and is currently on the 60-Day IL. He threw earlier this week and “wants to get back to 100%” for the stretch run in Philadelphia. The Phillies are tied for the NL East lead and hold the NL’s third-best run differential. Whether Nola could help their cause this season remains to be seen due to his poor performance through nine starts. Nola holds a 6.16 ERA this year with questionable peripheral stats.

A 16.4% K-BB rate is the lowest since his rookie season, and he is giving up very hard contact regularly, indicated by a 5.07 xERA. His SIERA and xFIP are both below 4.00, but he may continue struggling if his rib and ankle injuries linger. Dropping Nola after his initial injury would have been ideal in redraft leagues, but if you held him this long, I would not consider him a “must-hold” unless your IL has multiple open spots.