FunnellVision - Every team's biggest injury (AL Central)
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Injuries are starting to pile up as we get closer to the start of the regular season. As such, decisions will need to be made regarding who makes the Opening Day roster and who will begin the season on the Injured List. And it’s those choices that we, the fantasy baseball community, wait for because they affect how we will edit our own rosters for when games begin. With that in mind, here are the biggest injuries that each team in the American League Central is facing.
Cleveland Guardians - George Valera (calf)
The Guardians (*knock on wood) have been historically great at keeping players off the Injured List. Let’s hope that I didn’t jinx them there. Regardless, they aren’t without their qualms, as they have a lingering injury to George Valera, who is aiming to return before Opening Day.
He last played almost two weeks ago, and while his progression has been steady, it’s also been slow. What this essentially means is that he hasn’t had any setbacks, but he’s also been careful not to take too many chances to push the envelope aggressively. At age 25, it feels like 2026 will be a do-or-die season for him. He’s struggled to maintain his health over the years, and it’s those injuries that have prevented him from taking off like the fantasy community believed he could. There’s still time, and every day playing time available, if he can get on the field and stay there.
Chicago White Sox - Brooks Baldwin (elbow)
This is an unfortunate injury, as he continues to work through a nagging elbow injury. The scary part about it is that he can’t throw a baseball, and he hasn’t done that for almost two weeks now. Could there be an underlying issue that’s not yet known? Time will tell, but as the glue that keeps everything together in that White Sox lineup, they need him back. Last season, he had at least ten appearances at every offensive position other than catcher and first base.
Detroit Tigers - Trey Sweeney (shoulder)
This is an important injury for many reasons. First, there’s a chance that he is ready for Opening Day. He continues to work back from a nagging shoulder strain that could extend into the season, but he is working diligently to be back sooner rather than later. If you asked two weeks ago, he would have likely been the team’s everyday shortstop to start the season. Now, because of the ailing shoulder, that opportunity might very well go to highly-ranked prospect Kevin McGonigle, who continues to impress this spring. Working with a .237 batting average, he’s shown great patience at the plate, walking 22.0% of the time as of games played before yesterday. Still, he’s struggling against non-fastball pitches, and he’s never played in Triple-A, making his promotion a bit on the aggressive side. The Tigers, in line to compete, may have no other options, making this a very important injury.
Kansas City Royals - Carlos Estevez (???)
Because the Royals don’t necessarily have a particular injury that is overly concerning, I’m going on a limb here and stating the obvious: I am worried about Carlos Estevez.
Velocity is down. His extension is low. He’s not getting much chase, and he’s not generating many whiffs, if any at all. We’ve been told that he is a very slow starter and that every spring, this is the norm. To put it in simple terms, his velocity is down almost seven miles per hour from where it was in-season. He has yet to record a strikeout in three innings pitched, and has allowed almost as many base runners (8) as he has outs recorded (12). Now, he did finally throw over 90 miles per hour last night, but it feels like he’s playing with fire here.
Minnesota Twins - Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez
Both players are seen as the cornerstones of the Twins organization. They have immense upside and talent, and both should be rostered in all dynasty leagues. However, it’s no secret that they’ve been hurt a lot over the years, too. For Jenkins, four lower-body injuries over two years have resulted in extensive time missed. Rodriguez has had injuries all over his body, resulting in eight different instances in which he has missed time to develop his craft. Both need to stay healthy and show that they are ready to make their debut next season when the Twins are hopefully ready to compete.