When Will Ezequiel Tovar, Jackson Merrill, Royce Lewis Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Tovar, Merrill, Lewis return and play? Will Tovar, Merrill, and Lewis be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 5 of the 2025 MLB season.

With Week 5 of the fantasy baseball season underway, injuries have begun to pile up. Several fantasy managers have begun to place several of their top picks on their injured reserve and looked to the waiver wire to find replacements.

In this piece, we will analyze the latest injury updates for Colorado shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, San Diego outfielder Jackson Merrill, and Minnesota third baseman Royce Lewis.

When will these three must-start players return to action? Let's dive in and find out!

• Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
• BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
• PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
• Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
• Daily MLB starting lineups
• Fantasy baseball closer depth charts
• Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard
• Fantasy baseball injury reports

Ezequiel Tovar Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Ezequiel Tovar is working his way back from a left hip contusion. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 19 with this injury after being scratched from the starting nine a few days before.

Later in the month, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reported that the team was relatively optimistic about their everyday shortstop as he was expected to return early in about a week on April 26.

Bud Black says that injured shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (hip contusion) is still a week to 10 days away from returning.

— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) April 26, 2025

However, on Monday, Patrick Lyons of JustBBMedia reported that the 23-year-old has not been progressing as quickly as the team may have hoped. Manager Bub Black noted that Tovar is "not progressing as we’d hoped." The infielder is still having issues when fielding groundballs.

#Rockies Ezequiel Tovar is “not progressing as we’d hoped,” according to manager Bud Black.

Tovar (10-day IL, left hip contusion) has some issues with hinging his hips when fielding ground balls. Still may be a week to 10 days away from returning.

— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) April 28, 2025

Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression. However, it appears Tovar will not be in line to return next week, as he was previously expected to.

Before his injury, Tovar was having a slow start to the campaign as he held a .212/.257/.303 slash line with just four doubles, one triple, and no home runs. During this stint, Tovar has tallied four RBI, scored four runs, and swiped two bags.

Under the hood, the 23-year-old has generated a solid .266 xBA with a .322 xwOBA, which suggests he should see positive regression when he returns to the starting nine. In addition, Tovar has generated a stellar 50.9 percent sweet-spot rate with a 91.2 mph average exit velocity, which are both well above the average marks.

While Tovar remains sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Kyle Farmer and Alan Trejo to see most of the starting opportunities at shortstop. Tovar is worth stashing in all category leagues given his ability to hit for power and carry speed upside.

Jackson Merrill Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The sophomore standout was enjoying an impressive start to his second MLB season as he held a .378/.415/.676 slash line with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, and one stolen base through the first 10 games of the season. However, his campaign his an early roadblock when he suffered a right hamstring strain.

This injury was first reported on April 7, but Merrill was not officially added to the 10-day injured list until April 8.

We have recalled OF Oscar Gonzalez from Triple-A El Paso and placed OF Jackson Merrill on the 10-day IL (retro: April 7) with a right hamstring strain.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 8, 2025

Throughout most of April, the team did not provide any updates regarding his status as his minimum 10-day window passed.

However, on April 18, manager Mike Shildt said it would be "a little aggressive" for Merrill to return during their next homestand, which began on April 25. While this did offer some small hope that the former top prospect would be nearing a return, this homestand passed, and Merrill was not activated off the injured list.

Before Sunday's contest against the Tampa Bay Rays, Merrill took a significant step forward in his recovery as he took live batting practice.

Good sights at Petco Park.

Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill, and Jason Heyward taking batting practice and doing some running this morning. pic.twitter.com/GpSnLo5dLi

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) April 27, 2025

If Merrill continues to progress well, he could be cleared to embark on a rehab assignment in the coming weeks. When he is cleared to return, he should be viewed as a must-start high-end OF2. Before his injury, Merrill generated an elite .497 xwOBA while striking out at a strong 17.9 percent rate.

While he remains sidelined, Tyler Wade should continue to see most of the starts in center field.

Royce Lewis Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The final player we will look at in this piece is Royce Lewis of the Minnesota Twins. Lewis is no stranger to the injured list as he appeared in just 82 games in the 2024 season and 58 during the 2023 campaign.

His injury concerns have already limited his action early in the 2025 season. During a spring training game, Lewis suffered a hamstring strain.

He was officially placed on the 10-day injured list on March 26 shortly before Opening Day. Throughout April, the former No. 1 overall pick began to slowly progress. On April 14, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the third baseman began participating in defensive drills.

Then, on April 22, Nightengale reported that Lewis began participating in sprints and was able to run the bases at full strength.

Royce Lewis continues to make progress from his hamstring strain. He did sprints on Monday and ran the bases again this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/Ub3vDngNKW

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) April 22, 2025

Then on April 26, Lewis was given the green light to appear in his first rehab game with Triple-A St. Paul. Through his first two rehab games, Lewis has gone 3-for-6 at the plate with a double and an RBI.

On April 29, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported that the 25-year-old is likely to return from the injured list on May 6 when the Twins begin their next home stand.

Big news for the Twins! Royce Lewis is expected to be activated from the injured list just in time for the homestand starting May 6. Exciting times ahead for Minnesota fans! ⚾️💪

Read more here: https://t.co/86fvuBALg5 pic.twitter.com/Kk0UH0NiK1

— MiloX Sports MLB (@MiloXSportsMLB) April 29, 2025

Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression during his rehab assignment in case he faces a setback.

When he is cleared to return, fantasy managers should view Lewis as a solid low-end No. 1 third baseman in all formats. Despite his injury history, when on the field, Lewis has flashed high power upside.

Royce Lewis rips another hit towards middle field just short of a home run.

He is looking really really good today. pic.twitter.com/cxmt1BbAub

— Marissa Voss™ (@marissavoss) April 27, 2025

Over the past two seasons (140 games), Lewis has held a cumulative .265/.328/.493 slash line with a strong .821 OPS. During this stretch, he has gone deep 31 times and brought in 99 RBI.

For the time being, Brooks Lee should remain the top third baseman in Minnesota.

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis