We have reached July and are near the halfway point of the 2022 fantasy baseball season. If you are still competitive, congratulations! If you are lagging behind, there’s still time to make up ground and improve your fantasy baseball lineup. Of course, you will need some luck in not having your players featured in the MLB injury report to keep your fantasy baseball lineups stacked with healthy players. However, if you do suffer injuries noted here, it is important to check out the latest fantasy baseball waiver wire targets by Ray Kuhn. If you want some more injury replacements, keep an eye on the MLB top prospects and the MLB trending players in the fantasy baseball stock watch. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend, but don’t forget to check out the latest fantasy baseball news and MLB lineups to get an edge on your competition when many take this weekend off. Be sure to also check out the names rising up the updated July fantasy baseball rankings and the rest-of-season MLB projections. Let’s take a look at the latest MLB injury report on which guys are out, which are returning, and how it might impact your team. 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball MLB Injury Report July 1

 

 

The Atlanta Braves' stud hasn’t played since last Saturday with a badly bruised foot. Still, manager Brian Snitker reported that Ronald Acuña Jr. is very likely to return on Friday against the Reds. I am still not 100% sold on this report, but the fact the Braves never put him on the Injured List and he has missed nearly an entire week would lead you to believe that his return must be imminent. If he is in the team’s lineup, he should be in your fantasy lineup as well. Watch the Fantasy Alarm MLB lineup page for that official word that he is leading off against Cincinnati tonight before getting him into your starting squad. 

 

 
 

 

Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Peña were both involved in a nasty collision on Wednesday and haven’t played since. They are both going through concussion protocols but have not been cleared yet as of this article's posting. I would have thought that a trip to the Injured List would have already happened if it was going to, so expect Alvarez and Pena to return at some point this weekend for the Astros.

 

 

 

Jacob deGrom has been in this article a lot this season, but it's looking like he is inching closer to a return. There is a chance that the Mets' ace throws a rehab start on Sunday with Single-A Port St. Lucie as he tries to make his way back. deGrom will likely need three to four rehab starts before being activated, so we could still be looking at a post-All-Star Break return. He is one of the best pitchers in baseball when he is on the mound and would be a huge shot in the arm to fantasy rosters for the second half of the season. 

 

 

 

The news is much better for deGrom’s teammate as Max Scherzer threw 80 pitches in his final rehab start on Wednesday. At least it should be his final rehab start. He did allow two earned runs over 4.2 innings but struck out eight. Mets fans and fantasy players will have reason to blow off fireworks as it looks like it will be a very happy Fourth of July with Scherzer in line to pitch on Monday in the bigs. Get your roster in line now to have him in your lineup so you don’t forget after you stuff yourself with beer and barbecue all weekend. 

 

 

 

The Dodgers' stud took some batting practice before Thursday’s game, making it seem like he could return soon. Manager Dave Roberts dropped some more fantasy gold when he said that Mookie Betts could play second base when he comes back to limit the distance of his throws as he returns from a rib injury. That would be a huge boost to those rostering Betts in fantasy once he gains eligibility at second base because it's a tough position and he is having a phenomenal season. Betts could return in the next week to ten days from the injury and hopefully get back to mashing on a daily basis. 

 

 

 

After missing a week with an ankle injury, Manny Machado returned to the Padres' lineup and had a double on Thursday. It is full steam ahead getting him back into your lineup as Machado has been a five-category stud in fantasy baseball and there shouldn’t be a second thought about putting him back into a starting spot. 

 

 

 

 

We are getting really close to a return here. Chris Sale struck out seven over four innings on Thursday, where he allowed just one run and didn’t walk anyone. He still only threw 52 pitches, so he has to build that up more, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was only one more rehab start before Sale returned to Boston. There’s a real chance now that we see him before the All-Star break and fantasy managers should start making plans on who to drop on their rosters to activate him. Sale looks to be in great form as he approaches his return to the big leagues. 

 

 

 

Aroldis Chapman was pretty awful before his Achilles injury, but the Yankees' reliever is set to rejoin the team on Friday after missing more than a month. The complicated part of the equation is that Clay Holmes has been absolutely lights-out for the Yankees as their closer since Chapman went down. Given that fact, you have to expect Holmes keeps the job at least initially until he shows some sort of inability to do the job. Chapman could end up being more of an eighth-inning guy or used in high-leverage situations unless Holmes proves incapable of doing the job. 

 

 

 

Tyler Naquin might just be an ancillary piece to a fantasy roster, but he is set to begin a rehab assignment after missing a month with a calf injury. The Reds outfielder is far from a star, but he is hitting .255 with seven home runs and five stolen bases this season. In leagues that require four or five outfielders, he is a guy who can fill a hole on your roster and help out in several categories. Look for Naquin to return very shortly after the Fourth of July holiday. 

 

 

 

It has been a rough season to be a Brewers starter and that continued this week. Adrian Houser is headed to the Injured List after leaving Thursday’s start with right elbow tightness. He obviously isn’t on the same level as Brandon Woodruff or Freddy Peralta, but Houser is still a solid end of the fantasy-rotation guy. He is now set to miss at least two weeks and perhaps more. 

 

 

 

If this guy is on your team, you have bigger problems than this injury. Nevertheless, Jason Heyward is headed to the 10-day Injured List with knee inflammation. He is barely hitting over the Mendoza line and has one home run and one steal. If for some reason you were rostering this guy, take this time to get rid of him now. 

 

 

 

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