Hello, Razzball Friends!
It’s basically All-Star Break time.
Half the injury news this week reads like a list of guys who just got voted as an All-Star and then immediately un-invited themselves by sustaining an injury. A week ago, Byron Buxton and Ranger Suarez were both All-Stars. Now, they may watch from afar.
As a White Sox fan, I’m well versed in observing playoff races and All-Star festivities from a painful but safe, uninvolved distance. It’s not every day you get this level of expertise like that.
The break also functions as a natural amnesty period. As we talked about last time, teams that have been sitting on “no timetable” injuries for weeks suddenly have a very convenient built-in excuse to shut a guy down for ten days without losing many actual games. You’ll notice that reflected below.
Let’s hop in.
Updates
Michael Soroka (SP, ARI) – Left Glute: There is some positive momentum here. He threw a bullpen session on July 7 and is scheduled to throw again on July 12 and 16. The current expectation is that he will return just after the All-Star break. Soroka has a track record with lower-body stuff (two Achilles tears), it’s good to be cautious. However, this should be considered a positive update.
Ben Brown (SP, CHC) – Neck: The diagnosis is more specific than the initial “neck strain”. Brown is dealing with a stress reaction in his neck. He has been told to limit activity for about a month, meaning a mid-August return is likely the best-case scenario.
Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL) – Hamstring: There is some optimism, as he is expected to begin a rehab assignment during the All-Star break and return shortly after the break.
Munetaka Murakami (1B, CWS) – Hamstring: After being sidelined since May 29 with a strained right hamstring, Murakami rejoined the White Sox yesterday against the Oakland Athletics. He completed a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte, where he appeared in two games and went 2-for-7 with a double.
Dillon Dingler (C, DET) – Hand: There was a scare on July 8 when he left a game after being hit on the throwing hand by a foul tip. Luckily, Dingler’s X-rays were negative. Serious injury avoided. He is day-to-day, but he may be out until after the All-Star game (for our purposes).
Brent Rooker (OF, OAK): Knee surgery. Done for the season.
Casey Mize (SP, DET) and Francisco Lindor (SS, NYM): I think I missed covering this last time, but there were brief victory laps for these two. Both worked through their respective groin and calf issues and were back in their lineups over the last few weeks. After the injury-riddled year both of them have had is an accomplishment. Salute to you, fellas.
The Triage Report: Pitchers
Carlos Rodón (SP, NYY) – Elbow Inflammation
IL: 15-Day | Status: Out at least until after the break (with a Heyman report of mid-August)
What happened: Rodón goes to the IL for the second time this season with inflammation in his left elbow. This is the same elbow he had loose body surgery on in October. The UCL is intact, and he received a PRP injection.
Current outlook: The fact that this is the same elbow that was already operated on (not just last October but also previous years) is pretty concerning. Rodón had posted a strong 3.80 ERA across 21.3 IP (25 K, 10 BB) before this. The Yankees have had trouble keeping Rodón, Gerrit Cole, and Max Fried healthy at the same time. Luckily, Rodón has resumed a throwing program.
Fantasy impact: High. Widely rostered arm on a team that has no margin left in its rotation depth.
Replacement: Rookie Brendan Beck has already been tossed into the rotation. If you need a stopgap and don’t want to bet on the rookie, Keider Montero (DET) continues to be very streamable. Though in his last 28.3, he has a 5.1 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9. So, if you are struggling with strikes, maybe look a little further down the list.
Tigers probably will go to a six-man rotation coming out of All-Star break, moving Keider Montero back into a starting role, A.J. Hinch said. Tigers play 13 games over 13 days in 3 time zones after the break before their next off-day July 30.
— Jason Beck (@jasonbeck.bsky.social) 2026-07-10T20:38:21.171Z
Ranger Suarez (SP, BOS) – Strained Groin
IL: 15-Day | Status: Out through the break at a minimum
What happened: Suarez left his July 5 start because he felt tightness in his left adductor while fielding a comebacker.
Current outlook: The timing of All-Star Break somewhat softens the blow. His IL stint runs through July 21 at the earliest, and he’s realistically only missing a few turns. Then again, Suarez was chosen as an All-Star and will miss that too.
Fantasy impact: Moderate to high. Luckily, the compressed absence around the break limits the actual games missed.
Replacement: Brayan Bello was optioned to Triple-A last month, but he could be starting for Suarez today.
Ranger Suarez is headed to the IL with a left groin strain, meaning he'll miss the All-Star game. Brayan Bello could start Saturday. Sox recalled infielder Brett Harris, who's starting at first base today in place of Willson Contreras, who fouled a ball off his foot yesterday
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey.bsky.social) 2026-07-09T15:27:22.785Z
Connelly Early (SP, BOS) – Elbow Inflammation
IL: TBD | Status: Monitor
What happened: The Rookie Early was part of our June 26 replacement chatter (he’d taken over rotation duties when Boston lost other arms) who is now dealing with his own elbow inflammation. During his rookie campaign, Early has a respectable 3.44 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
Current outlook: As we covered above, Boston is already down to Suarez and has been dealing with Crochet’s absence all year. Early’s injury just adds on top of that
Fantasy impact: Moderate. While Early has been useful, he’s just one example in the Red Sox empty cabinets.
Replacement: Besides Bello, rookie lefties Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle (both BOS) are mostly rostered. The Ambulance Chasers philosophy is that you can’t really roster players that are already rostered. It’s powerful math. So sometimes, I have to surface the prettiest turd available and try to polish it a little for you.
Andre Pallante (STL), a dwarf star, occasionally floats to the surface. You could also try a newer guy like Spencer Miles.
Not often you see a Rule 5 guy (Spencer Miles, from the SF org) throw 99 with movement like this on the corner, while striking out the side. He's a real one.
— Mike Petriello (@mikepetriello.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T20:00:41.775Z
Martín Pérez (SP, ATL) – Forearm Contusion
IL: 15-Day | Status: No firm timetable
What happened: Pérez bumped and bruised his way onto the IL with a forearm contusion, adding to *gestures widely at Atlanta’s pitching options*.
Current outlook: A contusion, which is a more fancy version of the term “bruise”, has a better outlook than other injuries we talk about here.
Fantasy impact: Moderate. He was serving as an innings-eater. So even if the eatin’ wasn’t good, some plates were clear depending on what format you’re in.
Replacement: Young Owen Murphy (ATL) was called up and quickly optioned. Reynaldo Lopez (ATL) may be available in your league. Lopez threw 17 K and 6 BB in his last 19 IP. Though he is listed as an SP, he is used as a swingman. So, that could cause misses in some stats. I’ve seen some posts ask if Reylo is back, and I am not trying to argue that. However, he’s running off some luck and, importantly, available and playing because of everything happening in Atlanta.
I appreciated Grey’s take in Rays Can’t Do Schlit Against Yanks’ Cam:
Reynaldo Lopez – 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.18. vs. Freddy Peralta – 4 2/3 IP, 1 ER, ERA at 4.68. This is actually an instructive matchup because FreddyKBB was drafted around 60 overall and Reynaldo wasn’t drafted at all, and that’s the guy who I want. Not FreddyKBB.
Brandon Woodruff (SP, MIL) – Shoulder Inflammation
IL: 15-Day | Status: No timetable, tied to a recurring shoulder cyst
What happened: Woodruff is down and out with shoulder inflammation connected to a cyst that has been an ongoing issue.
Current outlook: Woodruff has recurring shoulder issues. He has a cyst that causes ongoing inflammation in his shoulder, and this time causing injury to his anterior shoulder capsule. In his last 15.3 IP, he had 22 K and 3 BB before falling off in his last 3.7 IP.
Fantasy impact: High relative to the sample size of performances we’ve seen because most of us have hope at some point.
Replacement: At the time of publication, I was writing about Kyle Leahy (STL). He started against the Braves, but the game was delayed due to weather. So, I’ll have to return to that idea in the morning. Leahy’s SO and BB rates aren’t spectacular. However, Leahy has a consistent ERA and FIP (2.63 and 2.70, respectively) in the last 30 days. Sometimes that’s good enough. Also consider Erik Fedde (CWS).
I always feel very depressed after writing about pitching. Let’s get out of here.
The Triage Report: Hitters
Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) – Strained Hip
IL: 10-Day | Status: Maybe back after the ASB
What happened: You’ve all heard before: Buxton has recurring right hip issues. He’s been wonderfully injury free this year, but recently, he re-aggravated that hip sliding into second base. Sadly, this was the same day he’d been named an All-Star starter. The Twins shutting him down will limit the actual games he misses.
Current outlook: We haven’t gotten a lot of “Buxton being Buxton” this season. He’s having a career year at .271/.328/.575 with 25 homers in 75 games.
Fantasy impact: Stinker. No one feels good about losing an outfielder in the middle of a career-best season.
Replacement: The good news is that there are a lot of really interesting outfielders at the moment, including Jake Mangum (PIT), Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), and Tristan Peters (CWS) who hit for the cycle last night.
Yesterday's Top Batters Ben Rice (2-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R) Jake Mangum (4-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB) Seiya Suzuki (3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB)See all of yesterday's batters at: https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/daily.fcgi?request=1&type=b&dates=yesterday&level=mlb&franch=ANY
— Baseball Reference (@baseball-reference.com) 2026-07-10T13:20:23.567Z
Julio Rodríguez (OF, SEA) – Concussion
IL: 7-Day | Status: Eligible to return as the break begins
What happened: Rodríguez took a throw directly to the back of the helmet running the bases and was placed in concussion protocol.
Current outlook: Head injuries deserve cautious treatment in regardless of severity. The timing here works in Julio’s favor. He is already eligible to come off the concussion IL as the Mariners wrapped their pre-break schedule, and there’s been no indication the concussion will continue to be an issue.
Fantasy impact: Moderate to high. Big loss, but the short absence limits actual damage.
Replacement: Maybe this is where you want to be whimsical for two seconds with Tyler Tolbert (KCR).
Tyler Tolbert is the third player with consecutive five-hit games since at least 1900, joining:1970 Roberto Clemente 1917 Hi Myers
— Sarah Langs (@slangsonsports.bsky.social) 2026-07-08T02:07:49.240Z
Zack Gelof (INF/OF, ATH) – Knee Laceration
IL: 10-Day | Status: No timetable
What happened: Gelof had a knee laceration that landed him on the IL for the second time this season.
Current outlook: Cuts and lacerations, like contusions, aren’t a structural issue. So, no worries.
Fantasy impact: Moderate. His multi-position flexibility makes him more valuable than his raw stats.
Replacement: Utility player Javier Sanoja (MIA) is a contact-oriented hitter with a great strikeout rate (9.1% in the last 83 PA).
ABS overturned in #Mariners at #Marlins (Bot 5).Javier Sanoja challenged the called strike.Called Strike -> Ball.HP: Laz Diaz | Upheld 40.6% (41/101).Later: Javier Sanoja pops out to shortstop Colt Emerson.
— ABS Auditor (@abs-auditor.bsky.social) 2026-07-09T16:05:59.706978Z
Konnor Griffin (SS, PIT) – Torn Tendon (Left Ring Finger)
IL: 10-Day | Status: Expected out 8-10 weeks
What happened: Griffin, a rookie, tore the sagittal band in his left ring finger diving for a ball. He stayed in the game and delivered a go-ahead hit. And only AFTER all of that, an exam revealed the extent of the damage. Griffin will spend about six weeks in a splint.
Current outlook: This is a weird injury in the scheme of all of the things we cover here. When was the last time you considered your sagittal band? This is Griffin’s second significant IL stint of the season after a forearm strain in June. Unfortunately, he’d been hitting pretty well since his return from that stint.
Fantasy impact: Critical in terms of how many categories he helped pad.
Replacement: Blaze Alexander (BAL).
The Blaze is not contained.Blaze Alexander clubs a solo homer to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Alexander has a .309 average and .798 OPS
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka.bsky.social) 2026-07-11T00:12:10.755Z
Matt Chapman (3B, SF) – Strained Abdominal
IL: 10-Day | Status: No timetable
What happened: Chapman landed on the IL with an abdominal strain.
Current outlook: As we have previously discussed, core and back issues affect power. So don’t be surprised if his return has a few quiet weeks at the plate even once he’s back in the lineup.
Fantasy impact: Moderate. It’s the scarcity at third rather than a hot recent stretch that’s troublesome.
Replacement: Kyle Karros (COL) and Colt Keith (DET) are solid and available options here.
How about a Colt Keith homer for your birthday, Tommy?! #DNMW #RepDetroit
— Detroit Tigers (Unoffical) (@nottigers.bsky.social) 2026-07-11T00:50:09.822Z
Secondary Impact / Quick Hits
Owen Caissie (OF, MIA) – Strained Calf: Expected to miss 2-4 weeks.
Ryan Helsley (RP, BAL) – Elbow Discomfort: No timetable, and this matters for your saves. If you’re rostering him for saves, time to look elsewhere.
Cole Ragans (SP, KC) – Elbow Surgery (UCL Repair): Out for the season.
Marcus Semien (2B, NYM) – Strained Hip Flexor: Missing at least a month with a Grade 3 hip flexor strain.
Mark Vientos (1B, NYM) – Fractured Hand (Right): 6-8 weeks. Hand fractures in hitters are always worth extra patience since return-to-form often lags return-to-lineup.
Jason Adam / Evan Sisk / Jakob Junis (RP) – Various Shoulder and Hip Issues: Relievers dealing with lesser arm and hip ailments. Worth monitoring if you’re deep in saves or holds leagues, otherwise, low urgency.
Anthony Bender (RP, MIA) – Stress Reaction in Shin: An unusual location for a pitcher injury. No timetable, deep-league relevance only.
Matt McLain (INF/OF, CIN) – Strained Calf: No timetable. He’s already had a rough offensive season.
The Takeaways
As we have discussed over the past month, the timing this week is doing a lot of the storytelling for us. Buxton and Suarez have to sit out of their All-Star appearances with injuries that conveniently line up with a built-in recovery window. Teams and players have all the incentive to be conservative right now because the cost is so low right now.
There are a lot of players going down with arm and elbow inflammation within about a week of each other: Rodón, Woodruff, Suarez, Early, Pérez. Some of that is first-half fatigue catching up. It will be interesting to note which players come back in the second half refreshed or whether the inflammation turns into something that lingers.
And never forget Konnor Griffin’s weird finger injury. I’ll treasure this moment we’ve had.
That’s it for this edition. Enjoy the All-Star break, and may none of your players be injured in the Home Run Derby or All-Star Game.
I’m Keelin, your bi-weekly reminder that injuries don’t follow timelines, especially not around the break. 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.
