Hello Razzball family!
Long time no see. I hope you had a great holiday and are enjoying the quiet before the preseason baseball rush.
Unfortunately, I’ve been called upon to talk about something less relaxing. Preseason baseball time also means it’s preseason stoppage time, which as we all know means preseason stoppage time isn’t far behind.
The coming months are the time of year when the risk of injury is most easily misinterpreted. With all that optimism and much less urgency, it’s tempting to read early updates as reassurance. Instead of reacting to every injury news or update, now is the time to reset expectations before the draft.
We can’t predict the future, but we can look at some of the key injuries suffered by perpetrators that become problems even if they don’t seem serious at first glance.
Why “day to day” could be toxic positivity
Most preseason injuries are packaged with a lot of optimism. Players are ‘day to day’ and ‘expected again soon’. Timelines seem smoother and teams talk more about caution without panic. While it’s not necessarily wrong, it tends to distract from the part that managers actually care about. Missed replays and delayed replays are important, even if Opening Day is still on the menu.
The gap between a smooth preseason and a bumpy preseason isn’t usually about missed games. What matters is how much time a player loses in getting ready. That’s where the risk starts to pile up, even if it doesn’t look scary yet.
Soft tissue injuries: hamstrings, obliques and other lies we tell ourselves
Major structural injuries can be devastating to both real teams and fantasy rosters, but are often easier to handle from a decision-making standpoint. When a player requires Tommy John surgery, the path forward is usually clear. Soft tissue injuries, such as obliques, are trickier because they can last a few weeks or quietly develop into months of headaches. In fantasy, certainty, while rare, is often easier to handle than optimism.
Like obliques, hamstring, calf and groin problems are like death and taxes every spring and beyond. They are almost always tagged as daily or short-term. The problem is not that these injuries are catastrophic. It’s that they’re hard to pin down.
As we’ve seen in the past, soft tissue issues have a habit of lingering, and setbacks are not uncommon once players get back to full speed. Even if someone avoids the injured list, limited early work can mess with timing, conditioning, or workload in the early weeks. That doesn’t mean you should avoid these players completely, but it does mean that their early-season production could be bumpier than their ranking or cost suggests.
Back and core injuries: It hurts all of us when we play through them
When it comes to obliques, core and back issues don’t always lead to an IL stint, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a problem.
Players often try to play with back and core injuries, especially pitchers who rely on mechanics and hitters who generate power through rotation. Even if someone remains active in the lineup, production may lag to compensate. That gap between being available and being effective is easy to miss on draft day.
Pitcher Injuries: Read the usage, ignore the vibrations
For pitchers, preseason optimism becomes difficult. “Pain” is a vague catch-all term, and teams use it that way.
Missed bullpen sessions, delayed live BP, or adjusted pitching schedules usually tell you more than any cheerful quote. Teams are cautious in March, and that caution often shows up later in shorter appearances, delayed starts or reduced workloads, even when a pitcher is technically healthy.
That’s why pitcher injuries feel so fleeting. Usage simply changes faster than labels or descriptions.
Drafting injured players without losing your mind
This isn’t some master plan to scare off talented players, or some massive Razzball Ponzi scheme to take all your players. The risk of injury is part of the deal and there is no way to eliminate it. The goal is simply to know where the uncertainty is and to be accountable for it.
Preseason injury news should determine how flexible you are on draft day, not force big decisions right away. Sometimes that just means getting a small discount, having a backup plan, or being ready to change later instead of making a bold decision in March.
This is the part of the season where it is better to acknowledge uncertainty.
Read this before drafting an injured player
Before drafting an injured player, consider whether you are buying a discount or betting on an easy return. Missed reps, soft tissue injuries and delayed pitcher usage all create early-season risks that are worth factoring into the cost rather than ignoring.
If you’ve made it this far, you may feel like I’m preaching to the choir. This isn’t your first rodeo and you’re likely taking advantage of the incredible resources included in the Razzball 2026 Fantasy Baseball subscriptions.
Even experienced managers suffer injuries. That is the nature of injury risk, not a failure of processes or skills. And if you’re like me and are more prone to doubts or panic, especially after seeing Ronald Acuña Jr. set up in 2021 and doubled down in 2022, it helps to have a simple framework to fall back on.
Here’s a quick checklist for those moments:
Drawing up a checklist for seasonal injuries
| Am I committed to recovery? | If health is the only reason a player slides, you need to understand that risk rather than assuming it will go away. |
| Did this player miss meaningful preseason reps? | Missed time is important. |
| Is the injury soft tissue or structural? | Soft tissue injuries are often unpredictable, even if they do not appear serious. |
| For hot water bottles: has usage shifted? | The stocks with recovery prospects may sound good, but look for skipped bullpens, shorter outings or slower rises. |
| How do I feel about early season variability? | Drafting injured players often means accepting uneven production early in the season. |
| Do I have a contingency plan? | Let your backup or flex be your insurance policy. |
I’m Keelin, your weekly reminder that injuries don’t follow timelines. You can find me on Bluesky at keelin12ft.bsky.social.
Note: This column focuses on injury situations that have a meaningful impact on fantasy baseball decisions. It is not a complete injury ledger or a prediction of exact timelines. Teams are often vague, information changes quickly, and this is best viewed as a snapshot of the state of play, with the goal of helping fantasy managers establish context rather than panic.
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