When Will Blake Snell, Pablo Lopez, George Kirby Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

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

Even though we are just a month into the fantasy baseball season, several high-end starting pitchers have hit the injured list. As a result, several fantasy managers have begun to pivot to several of the emerging early-season breakouts, including Andrew Heaney and Matthew Liberatore.

In this piece, we will analyze the latest injury update on Los Angeles's Blake Snell, Minnesota's Pablo Lopez, and Seattle's George Kirby.

When should fantasy managers expect these pitchers to return to the mound? Should they remain a must-stash candidate in all formats? Let's dive in!

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Blake Snell Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Blake Snell entered the 2025 campaign with high expectations as he inked a five-year, $182 million contract with the reigning World Series Champions in November. Given this annual salary, the left-handed pitcher was expected to operate as the ace of the Dodgers' staff.

Snell made his Dodger debut in their domestic home opener against the Detroit Tigers. In this game, Snell had a modest showing as he allowed two runs with five hits and four walks across five innings of work. Then, in his next start, he took a step back as he allowed five runs (zero earned) with an identical 2:4 K:BB across four innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Following this start, the southpaw was shut down due to shoulder swelling. He was shortly placed on the 15-day injured list.

After the transaction, Snell noted that he was dealing with soreness for a few weeks and was hoping to only miss a "couple of weeks."

Blake Snell said he’s been dealing with some shoulder soreness the last three weeks

He said he got an MRI yesterday, and is hopeful he’ll only miss a couple weeks

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) April 7, 2025

On April 14, Snell was cleared to slowly begin his throwing program. On April 19, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that the two-time Cy Young winner threw his first bullpen session since hitting the injured list.

Blake Snell just completed his first bullpen session since landing on the IL. Feels “way better” throwing than before. Said he will need at least another bullpen and a simulated game before there’s a conversation about being activated. All in all, he’s encouraged by his progress.

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) April 19, 2025

However, on April 23, manager Dave Roberts told the media that Snell was shut down from throwing after facing a setback. A few days later, he underwent an MRI, which did not reveal anything more severe. Then on Monday, Snell received his scheduled injection to help treat the inflammation in his left shoulder.

Blake Snell ended up getting an injection to address to the shoulder inflammation. #Dodgers

— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) April 28, 2025

While Snell did not receive much positive news here, it was a good sign to see that this recent MRI did not suggest the injury is more severe than previously expected. However, given that he was recently shut down, fantasy managers should not expect him back on the mound anytime soon.

While Snell has battled injuries throughout his career, he has shown flashes of brilliance. Last season, Snell posted a strong 3.12 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP across 104 innings. He struck out 145 batters. He remains a must-stash option in all standard formats.

Pablo Lopez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

On April 11, the Minnesota Twins placed their ace, Pablo Lopez, on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Lopez suffered this injury during his outing against the Kansas City Royals on April 8. When Lopez was on the injured list, the Twins turned to their young right-handed pitcher, David Festa, to replace him in the rotation.

Before his injury, Lopez was off to a strong start to the campaign as he posted a 1.62 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP across 16 2/3 innings of work (three starts). During this stretch, Lopez struck out 14 batters and served up just two free passes.

However, Lopez did not miss much time as he was activated off the injured list on April 25, before his next scheduled start.

In this outing, the right-hander continued to impress as he logged five innings of two-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels. In this outing, Lopez struck out six batters for the second time in a single start and allowed just five hits and two free passes.

Final line for Twins Pablo Lopez in his return tonight:

5.0 5 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 6 K

101 pitches 60 strikes

— Ted (@tlschwerz) April 26, 2025

Under the hood, Lopez boasts solid metrics, which suggest he should continue to enjoy similar success. Currently, the 29-year-old is placed in the 71st percentile and generates groundballs at an above-average rate of 47.7 percent and hard hits at a strong 36.9 percent rate.

He remains a high-end SP2 in all formats going forward.

George Kirby Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The final pitcher we will take a look at is George Kirby of the Seattle Mariners. Kirby has been sidelined since March 7 due to right shoulder inflammation. On April 1, he was officially placed on the 15-day injured list with this injury.

Throughout April, the 27-year-old saw steady progression as he slowly increased his workload. On April 7, Kirby threw off the mound for the first time. On April 27, Kirby was given the clearance to throw his first live batting practice session.

This session went very well, according to the right-handed pitcher. Kirby said after the session that he felt "great" and that the session was "nasty."

Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reported that Kirby will likely throw again on Sunday, potentially in a rehab assignment.

George Kirby called the live batting practice he threw yesterday “nasty” and that he “felt great” when facing two hitters from High-A Everett.

Sounds like he’ll throw again on Sunday, potentially in a rehab assignment, but they’ll determine that today.

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 29, 2025

This is a significant step for Kirby and suggests that he could be nearing a return to the majors early in May. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his status later this week, as he may be approaching the final steps in his injury recovery.

When he does return to action, he will carry solid SP2 value in formats. Over the past two seasons, Kirby logged 191 innings per season and held a cumulative 3.44 ERA with a stellar 1.05 WHIP. During these two seasons, Kirby struck out 351 batters across 381 2/3 innings, but showed incredible command, posting a near-perfect 2.75 percent walk rate.

Given his incredible control, Kirby will be a must-start option in all formats as he should provide a significant boost to your WHIP ratio. When he does return from the injured list, the Mariners will likely option Emerson Hancock to Triple-A Tacoma.

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