Here we are one week into spring training and we’ve already got a broken wrist and a visit to Dr. Andrews in two players that looked draft worthy in most leagues. In this week’s injury report we’ll take a look at these situations and other developments from the last week.

It’s easy at this time of the year to overload on every muscle tweak or Panda belly, but much of this is just noise and shouldn’t affect draft position. With all the attention focused on every little detail, we’ll need to figure out which stories are empty and which could hint at something bigger.

Take A.J. Pollock’s sore arm for example. The internet was full of reporting on Pollock and speculation on how mundane or serious this could be once it hit the media. Upon closer inspection though it looks like Pollock was just a little sore and took a few days off. While some may get spooked, let them and then take advantage. I still want last year’s breakout player as a second round option this year.

On the other hand, the clues we are getting on Carter Capps are much more concerning. See below for details on his current troubles.

With this in mind let’s take a look at this week’s injury report!

Spring Training Injury Report: March 8

Fantasy Baseball Injuries
Player	Position	Team	Notes
Evan Gattis	DH	Houston Astros	February hernia surgery; Questionable for opening day
Stephen Vogt	C	Oakland Athletics	January elbow surgery;  Probable for opening day
Yadier Molina	C	St. Louis Cardinals	December thumb surgery; Possible for opening day
Greg Bird	1B	New York Yankees	Surgery for torn labrum, Out for 2016 season
Albert Pujols	1B	LA Angels	November foot surgery; Probable for opening day
Devon Travis	2B	Toronto Blue Jays	November shoulder surgery; Expected to return in May/June
Jhonny Peralta	SS	St. Louis Cardinals	Ligament tear in thumb; out 2-3 months
Jung Ho Kang	3B	Pittsburgh Pirates	September knee surgery; Return in April/May
Michael Brantley	OF	Cleveland Indians	November shoulder surgery; Return likely in late April/ early May
Ryan Braun	OF	Milwaukee Brewers	October back surgery; Probable for opening day
Jarrod Dyson	OF	Kansas City Royals	Grade 2 oblique strain; return possible in late April
Cameron Maybin	OF	Detroit Tigers	Broken wrist; return possible in mid-April
Josh Hamilton	OF	Texas Rangers	October knee surgery; Will begin season on DL, possible return in May
Hyun-Jin Ryu	SP	LA Dodgers	Shoulder surgery in May 2015; Possible return in May
Brett Anderson	SP	LA Dodgers	Bulging disk in back requiring surgery; return in June/July
C.J. Wilson	SP	LA Angels	Shoulder tendinitis; Questionable for opening day
Zack Wheeler	SP	NY Mets	Tommy John surgery in March 2015; Return likely in July
Henderson Alvarez	SP	Oakland Athletics	Shoulder surgery in July 2015; expected return in May/June
Yu Darvish	SP	Texas Rangers	March 2015 Tommy John surgery; Return likely in May
Alex Cobb	SP	Tampa Bay Rays	Tommy John surgery in May 2015; return likely in August
Homer Bailey	SP	Cincinnati Reds	Tommy John surgery in May 2015; return possible in June
John Lamb	SP	Cincinnati Reds	Underwent back surgery in December; return possible in mid-April
Masahiro Tanaka	SP	New York Yankees	Elbow surgery in October 2015; Possible for opening day
Carter Capps	RP	Miami Marlins	Elbow discomfort; MRI completed and meeting with Dr. Andrews

Injury Report: Offensive Players

Jhonny Peralta, SS, St. Louis Cardinals

In a surprising loss for the Cardinals, Peralta left Florida Monday to return to St. Louis so that team doctors could examine what is thought to be a ligament tear in his thumb. This is a blow to the Cardinals and Fantasy owners alike.

It’s possible that the Cardinals could try out Jedd Gyorko at short, but they ideally want him sharing time at second base. Remember the name Aledmys Diaz here. The Cardinal’s prospect has been coming on recently and could get a shot at the everyday job if he can flash during the rest of Spring Training.

Jarrod Dyson, OF, Kansas City Royals

Dyson was a little bit of a sleeper headed into the season this year. Signs were pointing to him getting the heavy side of the platoon work in right field for the Royals and maybe more. Hype was beginning to build about how many steals he could rack up with a full season’s at-bats.

Well, we will have to wait a little while longer to see. Dyson injured himself on his very first at-bat of the spring and will be headed to the DL. He’s been diagnosed with a grade two oblique strain and is expected to miss about six weeks, putting him back in action sometime in mid-to-late April.

Because of the upside for steals, Dyson is still someone to target in drafts, just make sure you keep in mind he’ll be on the shelf for the first few weeks. He’s a late round source of steals in most formats, so don’t pay more than that.