Baseball season is BACK! We have a lovely mix of Spring Training games underway and soul-crushing injuries reported every morning. The good news is that we are still a month away from games that count.
Most injury updates thus far are luckily mild-to-moderate rather than season-ending. Nevertheless, we must be wary as fantasy drafts are universally upcoming. Without further ado, here is this week’s edition of Ambulance Chasers!
Preseason Injuries to Monitor
Giancarlo Stanton (DH, NYY)
Big Mike a.k.a. Giancarlo Stanton is missing time this Spring due to elbow tendinitis in not one, but both elbows! The veteran DH is no stranger to injuries but this one is the weirdest we have seen. His timeline to return is indefinite and given the uncertainty on his Opening Day status already due to “high levels of pain”, we have reason for alarm.
Stanton has not played more than 114 games since 2021 and missed time in 2023 and 2024 due to hamstring issues. His 2024 performance was solid on the surface but his strikeout rate was the second-worst of his career while his walk rate was the lowest. Stanton will miss time regularly due to his rest schedule and may not start the season healthy. Ignore him in drafts.
Rafael Devers (3B, BOS)
Do you know what might help with chronic shoulder issues? Moving off third base! Devers is still Boston’s third baseman despite the acquisition of actually good fielder Alex Bregman but we will see how long that lasts. The Red Sox plan to play Bregman at second base and Casas at first while Devers stays put in the hot corner.
Devers is statistically the worst fielding 3B in baseball over the past several seasons. Will that stop him from laying claim to his territory? Nope! Regardless, he may be forced off if his shoulder inflammation issues creep back and impact his throwing this season. More importantly, Devers could require eventual surgery to repair his shoulder(s?) if he further exasperates the issue.
Reportedly, there is no structural issue but it would not be shocking to hear about a nerve issue down the road. I am soft-fading Devers this season as there are many talented, healthy corner infielders available in drafts (see: Caminero, Junior).
Wyatt Langford (OF, TEX)
Langford is dealing with a “mild” oblique strain early in Spring. He will be shut down for a week and re-evaluated. While this is better to occur early than late, it would be best to not occur at all! Oblique issues are notoriously tricky as they could linger or become worse if not fully healed. Players tend to force themselves back sooner than necessary which leads to compounding missed time.
This issue may not become more significant but given how high Langford’s ADP has risen (top-35 in high-stakes drafts), he can be left to fall. The best ability for your top picks is availability. Risk is for the middle and end of drafts. If Langford returns soon and appears fully healthy, we can resume drafting him at his present cost.
Evan Carter (OF, TEX)
The Rangers are going to “monitor” Evan Carter throughout the season due to his back issues. This is far from reassuring after hearing that he was a full go in Spring. Carter underwent ablation surgery after his back injury last season and may not be 100% in 2025.
He was recently discussed in this series as a fade which may seem redundant but this update just reinforces that call.
Matt Shaw (3B, CHC)
Matt Shaw, like the aforementioned Wyatt Langford, suffered a mild oblique injury recently. However, Shaw just began hitting and throwing again. The incoming rookie infielder has high expectations for fantasy production this season. He stole 15 bases in 38 minor league games in 2023 and 31 in 121 games last season.
Shaw is a former first-round prospect who hit well above average in Triple-A at 22 years old (142 wRC+). He has all the makings of an eventual great MLB player and is worth picking up around his present ADP, if not sooner.
Frankie Montas (SP, NYM)
Frankie Montas suffered a lat injury recently which will sideline him for 6-8 weeks. Although he should return during the start of this coming season, he is not worth drafting. The peak of his career came before his PED suspension. Montas has struggled to put together a fantasy-relevant season since 2022 and even then, he was a glorified streamer.
The pitcher-friendly confines of Citi Field could have been a nice boost but it is not worth blowing up your ratios early if his lat issue lingers.
Wondering how one gets tennis elbow in both elbows at the same timeā¦lol
Guy should stick to golf imo
Haha he should at this point
Shoulder surgery is the death of a pitcher.
It is very not good. I’m good off someone like Woodruff until we see him back in action.
Pfffff let me know when Stanton has it in all 4 elbows if you want me to be impressed. *glances up at my medical degree from University of Foenix on wall*
It should be noted he said he had this issue last season (even during playoff run) and with offseason time off, it is somehow far worse than any time during season. Is he a lumberjack in offseason? How does it get worse while doing non-baseball and presumably non-aggravating actitives?
Speaking of elbows, apparently Stott had a season long I just read about, but now he is healthy so…yeah.
Dang that Carter and Shaw news. I seemed to have missed it. Gotcha change my draft board around.
Yeah, Stott’s nerve issue is weird. Not sure if it carries any risk over to this season? He wasn’t good but also wasn’t bad (in fantasy).