As we near the halfway point of the MLB season, you may be looking to assess your preseason bets.
Perhaps, with some data points to look at, you are looking to make some new bets related to the World Series or individual awards. And, of course, you can always bet on games day by day, week by week.
Injuries, like it or not, play a role in those decisions, so let's look at the latest MLB injury report and see what it means for baseball bettors.
MLB injury report: The Los Angeles Dodgers
We start with two Los Angeles Dodgers who are now out of the end-of-season awards races, more than likely.
First up, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. After a rough first outing in the Seoul Series, the newly minted MLB pitcher was everything anybody could have hoped for.
Through 14 starts, the Japanese hurler has a 2.65 FIP and 4.94 K/BB rate. He has also picked up six wins, of note for the archaic-minded awards voters out there, but it may be a while before he picks up his next victory.
Yamamoto has been diagnosed with a strained right rotator cuff. That's not ideal for a right-handed pitcher.
The best manager Dave Roberts could offer up is that the injury isn't season-ending. Yamamoto was an intriguing play for the NL Cy Young, but where this really matters is the NL Rookie of the Year award, where a favourite is now likely out of the mix.
If you want a replacement long-odds play, Gavin Stone probably is locked into a rotation spot for the Dodgers now. He has a 3.01 ERA and 7-2 record through 13 starts.
He's won an MVP before. Many argued he should have won another in 2023. Betts was at the forefront of the picture in 2024, and then Kansas City Royals reliever Dan Altavilla hit him in the hand with a 98 mph fastball.
Betts' left hand is broken. Roberts has said he will be out "for some time." When he returns, how will his hand injury affect his swing? You can count Betts out of the MVP race.
Of course, the Dodgers still have two MVP candidates in Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, which gets me to my final point.
The Dodgers have an eight-game lead in their division and, as noted, neither of these injuries is expected to be season ending.
Los Angeles' World Series odds should not be impacted, so if you see them dip, jump on that opportunity.
Go to full MLB betting markets.
Cole is coming
On a positive note, since those are rare in injury articles, Gerrit Cole is returning from his elbow injury on Wednesday night.
The 2023 Cy Young winner will make his first start of the season versus the division-rival Baltimore Orioles.
With their ace back, and until someone else gets hurt, the New York Yankees will trot out Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman and Luis Gil.
That's the best rotation in MLB.
I would not want to bet against the Yankees ever. They are going to be a good team to bet on most days.
MLB injury report: Short Hops
Atlanta Braves: Atlanta centerfielder Michael Harris has suffered a hamstring injury, adding him to the IL alongside Ronald Acuna, who is out for the season with an ACL tear.
Too much Ramon Laureano is not a good thing for an MLB team. Atlanta hosts the Detroit Tigers to start this week, but catch Tarik Skubal on Wednesday. That might be a good day to bet on the typically tame Tigers.
Atlanta then heads to New York for a series with the aforementioned Yankees.
Milwaukee Brewers: After picking up two hits Sunday, Brewers catcher William Contreras owns a .305/.367/.467 slash line. He's now got some of the shorter odds for NL MVP.
He's a big reason why the Brewers sit atop the NL Central (though it does help the rest of the division has struggled).
However, catching is not for the faint of heart.
When making the final out of a 5-4 win Sunday, Contreras was involved in a collision and had to be tested for a concussion.
Maybe he won't miss any time. Or maybe he misses a week. Perhaps it proves serious. Gary Sanchez is Contreras' backup, and while he never lived up to the hype, he's one of the better backup backstops, at least.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Lastly, Corbin Carroll needs an MRI on his left side.
He's struggled this season and was already out of the various award races. But if you want to make some very specific Randal Grichuk-related bets, this may be your time. Good luck.
