It turns out Eloy Jimenez's injury is much worse than "shoulder discomfort," as the White Sox described it Wednesday. He's headed for surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle that could possibly sideline him for the rest of the season.

There was some speculation, particularly from Dr. Jesse Morse of TheFantasyDoctors.com, that the injury could be a torn labrum, but this isn't any more promising. It's possible Jimenez is able to make it back for September, but depending where the White Sox are in the standings, they might opt to shelve him until next year.

Obviously, this crushes Jimenez's Draft Day value. He was going in the fourth round on average, offering a useful combination of batting average and power. The White Sox's internal options aren't so great either. Leury Garcia? Maybe Adam Engel when he makes it back from a hamstring injury. GM Rick Hahn actually brought up the possibility of prospect Andrew Vaughn debuting as a left fielder instead of a DH. He's normally a first baseman, so it would be putting a lot on the rookie.

Of course, this injury all but assures Vaughn will make the major-league roster. Things were trending that way anyway, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Wednesday.

"Boy, he takes great at-bats, makes great adjustments. He's got all of the qualities," manager Tony La Russa said about the former third overall pick, who's batting .286 (14 for 49) with two homers and seven walks to compared to seven strikeouts this spring.

It be difficult to say stock up for Vaughn since he was already projected for full-time at-bats, but I can certainly say stock down for Jimenez, who's not even worth drafting now in most leagues. "He does things that really good hitters do. He can handle pitches, he really competes, never throws an at-bat away, uses the whole field. And he's got thump."

We talk about the Eloy Jimenez injury and Chris Towers' most drafted players on the Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 Podcast. And you can follow us to make sure you get the latest episodes right when they drop on Apple and Spotify.

Zac Gallen has a hairline fracture in his right forearm, which is better than the sort of forearm injury that might be a precursor to Tommy John surgery but nonetheless raises its own set of questions. Typically, a broken bone requires 6-8 weeks to heal, but a stress fracture might be less than that. An extended absence for a pitcher would normally require him to ramp up all over again, but Gallen will continue playing catch even in the earliest stages of his recovery.

Suffice it to say there is no timetable. I suspect his will be shorter than that of Carlos Carrasco's, who himself has no timetable for a torn hamstring, but with so little precedent for this sort of injury, I hesitate to say with great confidence. Maybe by the start of May if Gallen ramps up quickly, but maybe a bit later.

My initial inclination is to slot him just behind Dinelson Lamet as my 36th starting pitcher.

Speaking of Dinelson Lamet, he made his Cactus League debut Wednesday, firing one inning. The Padres have been ramping him up slowly after he ended last year with an elbow injury that might have required Tommy John surgery if he didn't shut things down.

His velocity was fine in the outing, but he threw only two sliders. His make-or-break pitch, which he featured more than 50 percent of the time last year, figures to be the most taxing on the elbow, which means he still has some significant hurdles to clear.

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Turns out George Springer, who was playing through mild tightness in his side, has a Grade 2 oblique injury, which sounds like the sort of injury that could sideline him for six weeks or more. But GM Ross Atkins says he might not even need an IL stint.

"His symptoms and all of his baseball movements and patterns are incredibly encouraging," Atkins said. "We're extremely optimistic about his strength, about his range of motion, especially his rotational movements, that he could be playing baseball very soon."

Maybe the Blue Jays aren't being entirely forthright here, but it sounds like the absence will be a relatively short one even if it does land Springer on the IL to begin the year. I've downgraded him a couple spots, but he still ranks ahead of Nick Castellanos and Austin Meadows for me.

Stephen Strasburg was back on the mound Wednesday, making his first Grapefruit League start since suffering a calf injury that was so minor it didn't even disrupt his buildup, permitting him to throw 74 pitches in a simulated game over the weekend.

So what was the injury? A ruptured plantaris tendon. But, um ... he's not going to miss that?

"I guess you don't really need it," Strasburg said. "It was just one of those lucky things where it went away and wasn't a big issue. The doctor was pretty adamant about it, saying you don't really need it."

Here's more:

How interesting! Are we sure that's the case, though, given that he walked five and struck out only one over his four innings Wednesday?

Yeah, pretty sure. It sounds like there was a mechanical issue that he's dealt with in the past and expects to clear up in his next bullpen session. These sorts of recalibrations are common in spring training. The fact he threw 83 pitches and has more or less a clean bill of health is of greater concern to me. Stock holding.

The Fantasy Baseball-playing world held its collective breath when Fernando Tatis trotted off the field after making an awkward throw Wednesday, but it turns out the discomfort he was feeling in his left shoulder wasn't anything new.

"It comes and goes over the years," manager Jayce Tingler said. "He does a pretty good job of managing it. He's got a good feel for when it gets bad and when it's not too bad. ... We as a group just have to stay very on top of it."

Apparently, Tatis was lobbying to get back in the lineup Thursday, so you can draft him with confidence in the top five picks still.

Rays bullpen ace (read: not closer) Nick Anderson was throwing just 89-92 mph Wednesday, down from his usual 95, and has been dealing with elbow discomfort for the past week. If he's destined for the IL to begin the year, it'll potentially put more save chances in the hands of Diego Castillo and/or Peter Fairbanks, but the Rays are the most committed of any team to the closer committee. Given that they had 12 different relievers record a save last year, the impact on any one pitcher will likely be minimal.

Jose Leclerc is expected to miss significant time with an elbow injury, which opens the door for Matt Bush and/or Ian Kennedy to close for the Rangers. Manager Chris Woodward wasn't tipping his hand Monday, but general manager Chris Young did have some praise for Matt Bush, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2018.

"Matt has pitched this spring, has been phenomenal," Young said. "The work he has put in to rehab from surgery and put himself in position to make this club, the perseverance, and resilience, it's everything that I think we would want in terms of characteristics of players."

Bush has struck out six in four innings this spring, allowing two hits and one walk. I'd give him the slight edge over Kennedy, but neither figures to have a firm grip on the closer role or is a high priority on Draft Day.

So which Fantasy baseball sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which undervalued first baseman can help you win a championship? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy baseball rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Will Smith's huge breakout last season, and find out.