Pitchers and Catchers are not the only things reporting this week. MLB teams are dumping injury news on our timelines and ruining the hopes and dreams of early fantasy baseball drafters. The reports have (thankfully) slowed down in recent days, but there is always more bad news creeping around the corner. Teams around the league are ramping up for MLB Spring Training, and this will result in more injuries. There is no avoiding them. We can only hope the nicks and strains are closer to mild rather than severe. Let’s dive into fantasy baseball injuries and updates for: Francisco Lindor, Corbin Carroll, and Jackson Holliday.
Fantasy Baseball Injuries & Updates
The players discussed in this piece will hopefully find themselves on the shorter side of their recovery timeline with a return to full health.
Francisco Lindor (SS – NYM) – Hamate Fracture (6-8 weeks)
Francisco Lindor recently underwent surgery on a broken left hamate bone and will miss at least six weeks of action. With the MLB season five weeks away, we can assume that Lindor will begin the season on the 15-Day Injured List to give him ample time to recover and ramp up.
Hamate bone fractures are typically an ominous injury for MLB players. However, with this injury occurring just over a month before games begin, Lindor could return to 100% and have a normal season if he does not rush his timeline. The typical issue with hand and/or wrist injuries is the power drain players experience when sustained midseason.
Players want to get back on the field and help their team win as soon as possible. Nevertheless, 162 games make for long seasons, and the most important thing for the Mets is Lindor’s performance down the stretch, not in April. If he takes the time necessary to return, buying in on this elite athlete’s discount could be savvy.
Corbin Carroll (OF – ARI) – Hamate Fracture (6-8 weeks)
Corbin Carroll also fractured his hamate bone and underwent surgery this week. The star outfielder suffered the injury while swinging and will miss the World Baseball Classic he was slated to participate in. Similar to Lindor, the likelihood of missing Opening Day is high, along with potentially being placed on the 15-Day IL to start the 2026 season.
Carroll is a tough athlete who has played through multiple shoulder issues, including dislocation. However, with that “tough it out” mindset, there should be fear in drafters that he may return too soon and either reaggravate the injury, or prevent a full recovery.
He could also be a fantastic buy-low player in drafts, as time will tell how this injury impacts him. With Carroll’s history of shoulder issues and this hand fracture, I am not willing to pay the top-two round price it will take to get him.
Jackson Holliday (2B – BAL) – Hamate Fracture (6-8 weeks)
In the sage words of D.J. Khaled…another one. Jackson Holliday’s hamate bone is somehow also broken and will be surgically repaired this week. The injury is not uncommon, but three significant players suffering the same injury in the same week seems unprecedented.
Orioles President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, Mike Elias, commented on Holliday’s injury, saying he “won’t be ready for Opening Day, and hopefully his return is measured in weeks after that, but you’re not going to see much of him here in Sarasota.” This virtually guarantees an IL stint for Holliday and starts a season following last year’s mini-breakout on the wrong foot.
Fortunately, the former first-overall pick is only 22 years old. He has plenty of time to show what earned his pedigree, beyond that last name. If he falls in drafts to the point where he can be a cheap IL stash, that is a worthwhile pick. Ideally, you will have a quality starting 2B to pair him with as a fallback if he falters upon return. A duo like Matt McLain and Jackson Holliday would be perfect in drafts. McLain can start the season at 2B while Holliday sits on the IL. Both give you plenty of upside in case something happens to one or the other.
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