The final stretch of the 2026 regular season has become a daily test of depth charts across the majors. From Aaron Judge leaving with lower-leg tightness to several clubs weighing last-minute activations, the injury board is crowded with players trying to beat the calendar and others already looking toward 2027.
Key takeaways
- Aaron Judge exited the Yankees’ Sept. 16 game because of tightness in his lower right leg.
- Blake Snell lasted one inning against Cincinnati before left groin tightness ended his outing, though he still hopes to pitch again before the regular season closes.
- Several notable players, including Carlos Correa, Jameson Taillon, Pete Fairbanks and Willi Castro, have been ruled out for the remainder of 2026.
- The Dodgers could welcome Andy Pages, Roki Sasaki and Edwin Díaz back during their closing homestand.
- Shane Bieber’s delayed mound work has put his chance of a regular-season return in jeopardy for Toronto.
Late-season return paths around the league
Los Angeles has a number of moving parts as it prepares for its final home dates. Snell departed his Sept. 16 start against the Reds after the opening inning with left groin tightness and is trying to line up one more regular-season appearance. Shohei Ohtani, managing soreness in his left knee and right biceps, began a swinging program Sept. 15.
Manager Dave Roberts said Pages is “very likely” to be activated during the Dodgers’ Sept. 18-24 homestand despite not taking a formal rehab assignment. Pages has been out with a fractured left hand. Sasaki threw four simulated innings Sept. 16 while recovering from a blister on his right middle finger and is expected to start in the Sept. 22-24 home series against San Diego. Díaz worked a scoreless inning for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 16 in what may have been his final rehab appearance as he recovers from neck inflammation.
Boston left-hander Garrett Crochet threw a 30-pitch side session Sept. 15 that went well as he works back from left shoulder inflammation. The Red Sox will continue his throwing plan and evaluate him again over the season’s final weekend. Tanner Houck is set for his fourth rehabilitation appearance with Triple-A Worcester on Sept. 18, with a target of 45 to 50 pitches as he continues back from a torn right UCL and right flexor-pronator strain.
Red Sox catcher Anthony Seigler has wrist inflammation tied to a bony abscess and will be reviewed during the last week of the season. Curtis Mead, out with a broken left wrist, was scheduled to begin tee work with an underload bat Sept. 16. Tyron Guerrero’s right shoulder inflammation had improved by that date, although Boston had not set an activation timetable. Justin Slaten, meanwhile, is done for the year after doctors found degenerative changes in his right flexor mass.
Cleveland kept Chase DeLauter and Angel Martínez out of the lineup through Sept. 16. DeLauter is dealing with right wrist soreness, while Martínez has inflammation in his right flank. White Sox infielder Montgomery left the Sept. 16 game after a pitch struck his left wrist, but X-rays were negative.
Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff has built his throwing distance to 105 feet as he recovers from right shoulder inflammation. He is due for an evaluation late in September to determine whether he can resume mound work. Reliever Grant Anderson began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Sept. 16 after right biceps inflammation.
Jesús Luzardo was placed on the 15-day injured list Sept. 15 with inflammation in his left shoulder. He had been scratched from his Sept. 12 start because of shoulder soreness.
Toronto is nearing a decision point with Bieber, who threw on flat ground Sept. 15 while rehabbing right teres major inflammation. His first mound session was pushed back a few days, potentially to Sept. 18 or Sept. 20, making a regular-season comeback less certain. Trey Yesavage threw 34 pitches for Triple-A Buffalo on Sept. 15 following left meniscus surgery and is expected to return to the Blue Jays rotation for his next outing.
Anthony Santander has not appeared in a rehab game since Sept. 11 because lower-back tightness interrupted his recovery from left shoulder labral surgery. Taillon said Sept. 15 that his season was finished because of right elbow inflammation.
Houston manager Joe Espada said Correa will not return in 2026 following left ankle surgery. Steven Okert, recovering from a right hamstring strain, had progressed in his throwing program but had not yet returned to a mound as of Sept. 15.
Rafael Devers, who had played through a core-muscle problem for much of the season, went on the 60-day injured list Sept. 13. He underwent surgery Sept. 15, with an expected recovery of roughly three months.
The Cubs still hold some hope for Dansby Swanson, whose Triple-A Iowa rehab assignment was delayed by weather Sept. 15. The shortstop, working back from a left oblique strain, could return as soon as Sept. 18. Justin Steele threw a bullpen in Chicago on Sept. 13 and was slated to return to Iowa on Sept. 15 to continue his rehab from a left elbow flexor strain.
Chicago has shut down Shelby Miller following right elbow surgery, with the goal of having him ready for 2027. Hunter Harvey is also finished for the season because of a right triceps and shoulder stress reaction. Cardinals player Báez left the Sept. 16 game in the 10th inning with discomfort in his left side and was still undergoing evaluation after the game.
Baltimore placed Jackson Holliday on the 10-day injured list Sept. 16 due to inflammation in his left wrist. He is expected to remain out at least through the final weekend of the regular season. Kyle Bradish, placed on the 15-day injured list Sept. 13 with abdominal discomfort, has been diagnosed with a sports hernia and is considering treatment choices that include surgery.
Atlanta placed Reynaldo López on the 15-day injured list Sept. 15 with right shoulder inflammation. Joe Jiménez began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett the same day after left knee surgery, although a return before the end of 2026 remains highly unlikely.
San Diego reliever Jason Adam has made two rehab outings for Triple-A El Paso, including an appearance Sept. 16, as he returns from a right shoulder strain. Whether he needs a third outing remains undecided. Miguel Andujar, out with a fractured right wrist, started his El Paso assignment Sept. 8 and was nearing his return as of Sept. 16.
Season-ending calls and final evaluations
Minnesota placed Kaelen Culpepper on the 10-day injured list Sept. 16 with a mild left hamstring strain. A return during the last weekend remains possible. Trevor Larnach underwent an MRI on Sept. 14 for right wrist soreness, then took part in baseball activities the next day, but he remained out of the lineup through Sept. 16.
Reds infielder Steer has been taking dry swings while recovering from a right wrist sprain. He is expected to use a velocity machine during Cincinnati’s Sept. 22-27 road trip, then travel to Arizona for possible at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.
For the Athletics, Brent Rooker began a swing progression Sept. 17 after a bone bruise in his left knee and hopes to take batting practice before season’s end. Gage Jump’s season ended when he was placed on the injured list Sept. 15 with a left shoulder impingement. Nick Kurtz has resumed swinging activity after a right thumb strain, but he has been ruled out for the remainder of 2026.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer is scheduled to begin a Triple-A Las Vegas rehab assignment Sept. 18 after a ruptured testicle, though a return this season remains unlikely. Pederson is being treated for a left-hand fracture suffered when he was hit by a pitch Sept. 12 and was hopeful of getting back into the lineup before the regular season ends.
Rays reliever Manuel Rodríguez made his second rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Sept. 16, allowing two unearned runs over 1 1/3 innings while striking out two. Tyler Wells went on the 15-day injured list Sept. 15 with tightness in his right forearm. Imaging found no structural damage, and the expectation is that he will be available during the postseason. Ben Williamson opened a Durham rehab assignment Sept. 15 as he recovers from a right hamstring strain.
Miami’s Pete Fairbanks will miss the balance of 2026 after being placed on the 15-day injured list Sept. 15 because of nerve irritation in his right hand. Anthony Bender chose surgery to address a stress reaction in his right shin, ending his season, but he is projected to have a normal Spring Training in 2027.
Detroit’s Jack Flaherty was expected to make a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo around Sept. 17 as he comes back from right flexor inflammation. Justin Verlander threw a bullpen Sept. 15 while dealing with left hip inflammation and a left hamstring strain. He is scheduled for a simulated game during the Sept. 19-20 weekend before the Tigers decide whether he can return.
Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman has shown improvement after leaving the Sept. 14 game with soreness in his right thumb, but he remained out through Sept. 17. Willi Castro said Sept. 16 that his 2026 season was over as he handles left heel plantar fasciitis and right knee soreness.
Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel was scratched from a planned Triple-A Salt Lake rehab appearance Sept. 15 because irritation returned in his right intercostal muscle. Samy Natera Jr. went on the 15-day injured list Sept. 16 with left forearm inflammation after experiencing discomfort on the club’s recent road trip. He had an MRI and was scheduled for additional imaging Sept. 17, but he is not eligible to return before the season ends.
