When Will Josh Lowe, Reynaldo Lopez, George Kirby Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

April 17, 2025

When will Josh Lowe, Reynaldo Lopez, George Kirby return and play? Will Lowe, Lopez, and Kirby be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 3 of the 2025 MLB season.

It is not easy to navigate your injured list spots this early in the season. With players like Zach Neto, Grayson Rodriguez, Ronald Acuna Jr., Sean Manaea, and Zach Eflin currently on the IL, some fantasy managers might face some decisions on which injured players to stash. There's a good chance you won't be able to keep them all.

Three more players fantasy managers might be holding on to are Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, and Seattle Mariners starter George Kirby. All three players have the potential to be solid fantasy options once they are activated from the IL.

But when will Lowe, Lopez, and Kirby return? Will they be back within the next few weeks? Should they be stashed in most fantasy leagues? Let's dive in and find out the answer to those questions. 

Josh Lowe Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

It has been a couple of injury-riddled seasons for Lowe. He missed most of spring training last year due to a left hip injury and a strained oblique, which caused him to miss the beginning of the 2024 campaign. As a result, the lefty didn't make his season debut until May 6 of that season. He then reinjured his oblique a few weeks later and landed back on the IL. 

Unfortunately, Lowe's injury woes have continued into the 2025 season. Although the 27-year-old stayed relatively healthy in spring training this year, he wound up getting hurt on Opening Day. The lefty injured his oblique on a swing in his second at-bat of the season, and the injury turned out to be a Grade 2 oblique strain following an MRI. 

Here’s video of Josh Lowe’s injury, who felt something right as he swung and headed to first base. https://t.co/QbPJAL55rH pic.twitter.com/Sbck14i9Gd

— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) March 28, 2025

This oblique strain was a tough break for the Rays outfielder, considering he had a spectacular spring at the plate. The good news, though, is that Lowe is finally moving around pain-free for the first time since suffering the injury. That's certainly a great sign for his potential return. 

However, we are still likely many weeks away from seeing Lowe make his season debut. The Rays have to make sure that he is fully healthy before allowing him to increase his baseball activity, and once that happens, it will take him a few weeks to get up to speed. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that the Tampa Bay outfielder won't be activated from the IL until the end of May. 

That timeline could make it difficult for some fantasy managers to hold him in leagues. He will likely miss at least the next month due to that oblique injury, and there might not be any IL slots available on your roster. If you do have an IL spot currently open, though, he could be a solid stash in most 12-plus team leagues.

In his last full healthy season in 2023, Lowe totaled 20 home runs, 83 RBI, and 32 stolen bases across 135 games. While we don't know if he could reach those numbers again this year, the lefty does have some potential in that Rays lineup. His barrel rate (10.3 percent), hard-hit rate (46.1 percent), and bat speed (73.3 mph) all ranked in the 70th percentile or better last season, making him a worthy stash in some leagues. 

Reynaldo Lopez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Lopez was coming off an All-Star campaign in 2024, and the Braves were excited about his potential in his second year with the team. However, the right-hander won't be able to contribute much this season after he was diagnosed with a shoulder injury just days into the next campaign. 

Lopez appeared to be fine following his first start of the year against the San Diego Padres on March 28. Although he gave up three runs on nine hits with one strikeout across five innings, the 31-year-old didn't report any discomfort in that outing. But that changed once he threw a side session a few days later. 

The right-hander felt some discomfort in that side session and suggested getting his shoulder checked out. After dealing with some shoulder injuries toward the end of the 2024 season, Lopez wanted to make sure his shoulder problems wouldn't persist for the rest of his career. So, he decided to undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery immediately. 

While doctors didn't find any structural damage in that arthroscopic surgery, Lopez is still expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks. The plan is for him to rest for 12 weeks and be re-evaluated around the All-Star break in July. As a result, there's a strong chance that the 31-year-old will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 campaign. 

Reynaldo Lopez’s arthroscopic surgery today turned out to be a cleanup. No structural damage. He’ll be shut down until he’s re-evaluated in July. Braves haven’t closed the door on the chance he could pitch again late this season. But timeline keeps his return questionable at best

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 8, 2025

The Braves are leaving the door open for a possible return later in the season, but it's nowhere near a guarantee that Lopez will pitch again in 2025. Therefore, the right-hander should not be stashed in any of your IL spots right now. He is out through at least July and possibly even for the season. That means he can be safely dropped in most formats. 

George Kirby Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Since making his MLB debut in 2022, Kirby has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball. He has finished with a sub-3.55 ERA in each of his three major league seasons while starting 30-plus games in back-to-back years. However, the right-hander will not reach the 30-start mark in 2025 following a shoulder injury he sustained in spring training. 

Kirby was diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation at the beginning of March, and the Mariners decided to shut him down from throwing. Although the former 2022 All-Star wanted to pitch through the shoulder issue, the team decided to err on the side of caution with this injury. As a result, Seattle placed the right-hander on the 15-day IL to start the season. 

Kirby is now making significant progress toward a return. He threw for the first time on March 21 and has thrown multiple bullpen sessions since suffering the shoulder injury back in spring training. So, we could see the right-hander make his season debut soon. While the Mariners have yet to update his timeline on a potential return, he should be activated off the IL in the next few weeks. 

George Kirby's New Cutter. pic.twitter.com/9NugusXWu5

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 26, 2025

Seattle general manager Justin Hollander said back on April 7 that Kirby "felt great" following his bullpen session. Assuming he suffers no setbacks in the coming weeks, a May return seems likeliest at this point. He continues to build back up and should begin a rehab assignment very shortly. 

If you have been stashing Kirby in one of your IL slots to start the season, you should continue to leave him there. He was one of the best fantasy pitchers last season, with a 3.53 ERA, a 1.068 WHIP, and 179 strikeouts across 33 starts. When the right-hander is eventually activated from the IL, he should go back to being one of the top command pitchers in the game.

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