MLB Injury Odds Report for Monday, June 20

We are a month away from the All-Star Break, and some teams are already looking forward to the time off. Teams like Tampa Bay and Milwaukee have over a dozen players on the injured list, severely impacting their World Series odds from where they stood at the start of the season. The defending champions have dealt with a lot of injuries too, but their odds to win the World Series have dropped as a result of a 14-game win streak.

ATLANTA BRAVES

Current NL East Odds

• New York Mets -250
• Atlanta Braves +240
• Philadelphia Phillies +1200
• Miami Marlins +10000
• Washington Nationals +100000

The Atlanta Braves have made the most of a relatively easy June slate. They won 14 straight games in the first half of the month before dropping two of three to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this weekend. Dansby Swanson has been surprisingly good, and Ronald Acuna Jr. has played well in his first action in almost a year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2021.

Unfortunately, the Braves lost one of the other key cogs in their lineup last week. Ozzie Albies suffered a fractured foot, and he is expected to miss at least two months. Eddie Rosario will return to the lineup soon and bolster the lineup after missing the last two months with an eye issue, but the Braves are in need of an upgrade at second base. 

CHICAGO CUBS

Current NL Central Odds

• Milwaukee Brewers -145
• St. Louis Cardinals +110
• Chicago Cubs +10000
• Pittsburgh Pirates +20000
• Cincinnati Reds +50000

We saw Chicago snap a 10-game losing streak with the Cubs’ win over Atlanta on Friday. However, this team looks set to enter another slump as Frank Schwindel joined several of his teammates on the IL over the weekend. Seiya Suzuki and Nick Madrigal are dealing with injuries, depriving the offense of three of its top hitters.

The Cubs are also missing multiple rotation arms. Marcus Stroman, Wade Miley, and Drew Smyly have all been injured over the last few weeks and all three starters are supposed to miss at least one more week. That is putting a lot of pressure on rookies Caleb Kilian and Matt Swarmer, and second-year starters Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson are now the second- and third-best arms. The Cubbies may not feel the pain in a four-game series in Pittsburgh early this week, but Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals are likely to tee off later in the week.

MINNESOTA TWINS

Current AL Central Odds

• Minnesota Twins +125
• Chicago White Sox +130
• Cleveland Guardians +375
• Detroit Tigers +12500
• Kansas City Royals +50000

One of the most surprising teams this season has been the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota is now the favorite to win the AL Central, as the Twins have a five-game lead on the Chicago White Sox in the division.

The pitching staff has been slightly above average, but the bullpen has suffered some major blows and that will test this team. Minnesota currently has seven relievers on the IL, and that particularly hurts since two of their starters that were supposed to throw a lot of innings this season are out until at least September. The good news is that the oft-injured Byron Buxton has largely been able to stay healthy in 2022.