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Dr. Reuven Guy's fantasy baseball injury report for Week 6 (2025). Read the latest injury updates for Week 6.
When writing this article every week, I get to see the ebb and flow of injuries around Major League Baseball. The last two weeks were heavy with injuries, and this past week and next hope to offer many players returning from injury. There is one major correlation I see with this trend, and that is the weather.
It is not just an old wives' tale that your grandparents could feel the weather changing "in their bones." Colder weather does affect the human body, especially when it comes to orthopedic issues, more so than warm weather. As the weather warms up, so should the offense around baseball, and the players injured toward the end of spring training and early in the season should start to come back as well. Players on the 60-day IL still may remain on your waiver wire, and this may be the week to get them on cheap before we hear promising news on the injury front. I will continue to update injured fantasy-relevant players to help you maintain your standings in your leagues.
Here's a little about myself for both new and returning readers. My name is Reuven Guy, and I am a practicing orthopedic/pain management physician assistant. I have been dealing with sports injuries for the past 19+ years. Therefore, I have knowledge of orthopedic injuries and their recovery times based on my medical experience. I also played fantasy baseball during that time. This has helped me get an advantage in this aspect of fantasy baseball, which I hope to share with you. I am also the co-host of the 2025 FSWA award-winning podcast "Beat the Shift." Stay updated on the latest MLB breaking news with our award-winning news desk and our free fantasy baseball mobile app with 24/7 push notification alerts!
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Injured Hitters for Fantasy Baseball
Royce Lewis (3B, MIN)- Hamstring
Lewis was placed on the IL with a moderate left hamstring strain. Lewis is on a rehab assignment and is expected to be activated from the IL on May 6.
I would say Royce Lewis is looking pretty good 👀
— Twins Daily (@twinsdaily) April 27, 2025
Tyler O'Neill (OF, BAL)- Neck
O’Niell was placed on the IL this week with neck soreness. Severity is not known but he has been dealing with this issue for a while. Dylan Carlson was called up.
Ketel Marte (2B, ARI)- Hamstring
Marte has been on the IL with a left hamstring strain since April 5. He is traveling with the Diamondbacks on their road trip and could be activated as early as May 2.
Jackson Merrill (OF, SD)- Hamstring
Merrill is on the IL with a right hamstring strain. Padres manager Mike Shildt said Friday that it would be "a little aggressive" for Merrill to be ready to return from the IL. He is rehabbing and should be activated from the IL soon.
Jackson Merrill drops one to the pull side in right field. Easy swing and moving on the bases. Good progression on the rehab #ProspectOne pic.twitter.com/dQLWsw7cFs
— The Welsh (@IsItTheWelsh) April 30, 2025
Jordan Westburg (3B, BAL)- Hamstring
Westburg was placed on the IL with a left hamstring strain. Severity is not known and he could return by May 7. Ramon Urias will get more playing time with Westburg out.
Colton Cowser (OF, BAL)- Thumb
Cowser has been on the IL with a left thumb fracture since March 30. He was transferred to the 60-day IL, keeping him out at least until early June.
Tyler Stephenson (C, CIN)- Oblique
Stephenson is on the IL with an oblique strain. He has been on a rehab assignment and will now be evaluated for a possible weekend return to the Reds lineup.
Matt Wallner (OF, MIN)- Hamstring
Wallner was diagnosed with a moderate left hamstring strain and is on the IL. He could miss most of May with this injury.
Dylan Moore (OF, SEA)- Hip
Moore was placed on the IL with right hip inflammation. Severity is not yet known. Leo Rivas and Miles Mastrobuoni are candidates to see more playing time for the Mariners with Moore out.
Dylan Moore said he tweaked his adductor last week in Boston then got an MRI over the weekend out of precaution, given the core area surgery he dealt with in 2023.
But he added that “it’s not even a Grade 1 strain” and expects to be back when eligible.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 29, 2025
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B, CIN)- Back
Encarnacion-Strand is on the IL with low back inflammation. He hit off a tee this week, which is one of the first steps for recovery from his injury.
Luke Keaschall (2B, MIN)- Thumb
Keaschall was placed on the IL this week with a fractured right ulna bone after getting hit by a pitch. He may not need surgery, but is still expected to miss two months or more. "It's probably going to be a couple months before he's back into playing games," said Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta.
Jake Mangum (OF, TB)- Groin
Mangum was placed on the IL with a left groin strain. Severity is not yet known but it is possible he may need only a minimum length stay on the IL. Coco Montes was called up.
Matt Vierling (OF, DET)- Shoulder
Vierling continues to rehab from a strained right rotator cuff. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said this week that Vieling should begin a rehab assignment "pretty soon." Because he has not played since February, the rehab assignment may be longer than most.
Connor Wong (C, BOS)- Finger
Wong was placed on the IL with a fractured finger when his hand was hit by a bat on a catcher's interference. Wong has begun a rehab assignment and should be activated from the IL this weekend.
Ivan Herrera (C, STL)- Knee
Herrera was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee. He will begin a rehab assignment this week and could be activated from the IL by May 5.
Ezequiel Tovar (SS, COL)- Hip
Tovar was placed on the IL with a left hip contusion. There is no timeline for his return. Manager Bud Black said this week that Tovar is "not progressing as we'd hoped" and still might be seven to 10 days away from being activated from the IL.
Josh Lowe (OF, TB)- Oblique
Lowe has been on the IL with an oblique strain. He took dry swings this week. Lowe has been progressing and could start a rehab assignment this weekend. If he does, he could be a little more than a week away from returning from the IL.
Jeimer Candelario (1B, CIN)- Back
Candelario was placed on the IL with a lumbar strain. Severity is not known. Tyler Callihan was called up and will be the backup infielder for the Reds.
Luke Raley (OF, SEA)- Oblique
Raley was placed on the IL with a right oblique strain, injured during batting practice. General manager Justin Hollander said that Raley has a "Grade 1 to 1-plus" strain and will be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks. Samad Taylor was called up.
Brandon Marsh (OF, PHI)- Hamstring
Marsh was placed on the IL this week with a right hamstring strain. Marsh was on a rehab assignment, had a setback, and looks to return to his rehab assignment this weekend. Barring any setbacks, Marsh could be back from the IL next week.
Brandon Marsh flew out in his first at-bat. It was a loud out at 112.3 mph. pic.twitter.com/bSMGbkrgws
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) April 24, 2025
Giancarlo Stanton (DH, NYY)- Elbows
Stanton is on the IL with torn tendons in both elbows. He has received three rounds of PRP injections. He has been taking batting practice, and according to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Yankees are hoping he could return from the IL in mid-May.
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Logan Gilbert (SP, SEA)- Elbow
Gilbert was placed on the IL with a right elbow flexor strain. An MRI showed a Grade 1 flexor strain. He will not throw for two weeks and then be re-evaluated. There is no timeline for his return.
More news on Logan Gilbert: He underwent an MRI today that revealed a mild flexor strain, classified as Grade 1. He will not throw for the next two weeks and be re-examined at that time to determine next steps.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 26, 2025
Tyler Glasnow (SP, LAD)- Shoulder
Glasnow left his last start and was placed on the IL due to right shoulder inflammation. Severity is not yet known. Noah Davis was called up, and Ben Casparius appears to be another option to fill the rotation spot left by Glasnow.
The Dodgers believe Tyler Glasnow’s shoulder is structurally sound, Dave Roberts said. But he’s dealing with what Roberts described as overall body soreness, in addition to the shoulder discomfort, and he may have to go on the injured list.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) April 28, 2025
Marcus Stroman (SP, NYY)- Knee
Stroman is on the IL with left knee inflammation. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said this week that Stroman still has discomfort in his injured left knee. Stroman is still multiple weeks away from returning.
Shane Bieber (SP, CLE)- Elbow
Bieber continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery and is on the IL. He was moved to the 60-day IL, which means he will be out until at least June.
Sean Manaea (SP, NYM)- Oblique
Manaea continues to rehab an oblique injury suffered during spring training. He was moved to the 60-day IL and is expected to be out at least until early June.
Mets pitching updates:
-Paul Blackburn (knee) threw yesterday after an illness made him lose weight. He'll throw a bullpen at Citi Field on Tuesday.
-Frankie Montas (lat) is throwing at 120 feet.
-Sean Manaea (oblique) is at 75 feet and will begin throwing on back-to-back days.— Andrew Tredinnick (@andrew_tred) April 28, 2025
Ryan Weathers (SP, MIA)- Forearm
Weathers continues to rehab from a left flexor strain suffered in spring training. He began a rehab assignment this week, pitching in three innings. Weathers may need one or two more starts before being activated from the IL.
Ryan Weathers went 3 perfect innings with 6 strikeouts in his Low-A rehab start (35 pitches/25 strikes).
Velocity on his pitches was right in line with spring training. https://t.co/i6PL3zTjHV
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) April 27, 2025
Eury Perez (SP, MIA)- Elbow
Perez is on the IL and continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. Perez hit 98 in his first rehab outing in one inning of work. The Marlins hope to have him back by the end of May or early June, barring any setbacks.
Blake Snell (SP, LAD)- Shoulder
Snell is on the IL with left shoulder inflammation. He had an injection this week and remains without a timeline to return.
Grayson Rodriguez (SP, BAL)- Elbow/Lat
Rodriguez has been on the IL with right elbow inflammation. Rodriguez was moved to the 60-day IL, which means the earliest he could return is June 1.
Michael Soroka (SP, WAS)- Biceps
Soroka is on the IL due to a right biceps strain. He may make one more rehab start before activation from the IL.
Zach Eflin (SP, BAL)- Lat
Eflin was placed on the IL with a low-grade lat strain. He has thrown a few bullpen sessions and is looking to progress to live batting practice. Eflin remains a few weeks from returning to the Orioles rotation.
Brandon Woodruff (SP, MIL)- Shoulder
Woodruff continues to rehab from shoulder surgery last year and is on the IL. He is likely to make one more rehab start and then be activated from the IL by next week.
Ranger Suarez (SP, PHI)- Back
Suarez was placed on the IL to start the season due to a low back strain. Suarez has made rehab starts and could return to the Phillies rotation this weekend.
Lance McCullers Jr. (SP, HOU)- Forearm
McCullers continues to make progress in his rehab, which has now stretched for more than two years. He continues his rehab assignment and could be activated as early as May 6.
Lance McCullers Jr. on his return: “It’s a day I’ve been waiting for a long time.”
He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since the 2022 World Series. pic.twitter.com/CL0as9EWye
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 30, 2025
Clayton Kershaw (SP, LAD)- Toe/Knee
Kershaw continues to recover from offseason surgeries and is on the IL. Kershaw pitched three innings in his most recent rehab start. He will need to get close to the 90-pitch mark before being activated from the IL. He is not eligible to return to the Dodgers until May 17.
Max Scherzer (SP, TOR)- Thumb/Lat
Scherzer left his last start with a lat issue and was placed on the IL after his thumb issue flared up as well. He has begun a throwing program, which Blue Jays manager John Schneider called “a step in the right direction.”
John Schneider says starter tomorrow not finalized yet but “it will be some kind of bullpen game.”
Other Blue Jays notes:
▪️ Erik Swanson begins rehab assignment at single-A Dunedin tonight
▪️Max Scherzer threw off the mound again, a few more pitches, positive baby steps
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) April 29, 2025
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
A.J. Puk (RP, ARI)- Elbow
Puk was placed on the IL with left elbow inflammation. Severity is not yet known. According to team officials, Puk will be out for at least a couple of months. He is still awaiting word from two orthopedic specialists.
Paul Sewald (RP, CLE)- Shoulder
Sewald was placed on the IL this week with a right shoulder strain. Severity is not known, and there is no timeline for his return.
A.J. Minter (RP, NYM)- Lat
Minter suffered a “significant” lat injury and is on the IL. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said this week that season-ending surgery is on the table.
Carlos Mendoza says A.J. Minter is dealing with a "pretty significant" lat injury and season-ending surgery is on the table pic.twitter.com/ziE5D8LyBA
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 29, 2025
Blake Treinen (RP, LAD)- Forearm
Treinen was placed on the IL with a low-grade forearm strain, based on an MRI. He has not yet been cleared to start throwing and remains without a return timeline.
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