When Will Yordan Alvarez, Ronald Acuna Jr., Teoscar Hernandez Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Yordan Alvarez, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Teoscar Hernandez return and play? Will Alvarez, Acuna, and Hernandez be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 7 of the 2025 MLB season.

We are getting to the point of the season where injuries continue to pile up for fantasy managers. More importantly, plenty of star players find themselves on the injured list. Players like Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, George Kirby, Corey Seager, Mike Trout, and Hunter Greene are just a few fantasy stars currently dealing with injuries.

Three more players to add to that list are Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. All three players are on the 10-day IL, and fantasy managers are hoping those three stars can return soon.

So, when will Alvarez, Acuna, and Hernandez return? Will they be back sometime in the next few weeks? Let's dive in and find out the answer to those questions. 

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Yordan Alvarez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

After playing in a career-high 147 games in 2024, Alvarez likely won't reach that mark again this season. The three-time All-Star has already missed 12 contests in the early going. Most of the games he has missed have been due to a hand injury. The slugging outfielder was first scratched from Houston's lineup on Saturday, May 3, against the Chicago White Sox with what the team called an inflammation in his right hand.

Alvarez then missed Sunday's game against the White Sox before being placed on the 10-day IL on Monday. He was officially placed on the IL on May 5 (retroactive to May 3) due to a right hand muscle strain. The good news, though, is that the Astros outfielder is not expected to miss a ton of time. The team wants the swelling in his hand to go down, and the slugger has made some significant progress in recent days.

He took swings in the cage on Tuesday. Although Alvarez wasn't activated from the IL when his 10 days were up on May 13, there's a strong chance that he will return sometime in the next few days. It's becoming more likely that the 27-year-old will return during the team's weekend series against the Texas Rangers, which begins on Thursday.

Dana Brown said that Yordan Alvarez is starting to swing the bat and is feeling good. He said they will see how he feels today after working out yesterday.

Brown said it's more dealing with comfort than pain for Yordan with his hand

From the @SeanUnfiltered show

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) May 14, 2025

As a result, Alvarez should be kept in one of your IL slots for the time being. He should be activated in the next few days and will remain a strong fantasy option moving forward. Despite hitting just .210 with three home runs and 18 RBI in his first 29 games this season, his bat should heat up in the coming weeks.

Alvarez's expected slugging (.495), average exit velocity (94 mph), launch angle sweet-spot rate (40.5%), and barrel rate (11.9%) all rank in the 70th percentile or better to start the season. Therefore, things will eventually even out for the slugging outfielder. He has hit at least 30 home runs and driven in over 85 runs in four straight seasons.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

There's no doubt the Braves are taking a careful approach with Acuna as he works his way back from his second ACL tear. The Braves outfielder tore his first ACL in July of 2021 before returning at the end of April the next season. This time around, it has been a longer recovery process for the former National League MVP. 

Acuna tore his ACL again on May 26, 2024, and it has been almost 365 days since he went down with that season-ending knee injury. However, the four-time All-Star is nearing a return to the majors. He appeared in his first rehab assignment game with the Braves' rookie ball team on May 13. In his first time back in game action, he launched a solo home run. 

After appearing in one game for the Braves' Florida Complex League team, Acuna will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday. While we don't know how many rehab assignment games he will appear in, it is a positive sign that the 27-year-old is finally playing in games.

Therefore, fantasy managers could potentially expect Acuna to be activated from the IL sometime in the next few weeks. There's a possibility he is back before the end of May, which means he might only need to play in two weeks' worth of games before making his season debut with the Braves. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. told me that he will fly to Atlanta tomorrow morning. He is likely to join the AAA-Gwinnett affiliate on Thursday to continue with his rehab. Doesn’t have a debut date yet, but he’s getting closer.

— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) May 14, 2025

So, if you roster Acuna, you won't have to wait much longer. He should currently be placed in one of your IL slots and should be started in every format upon his return. In his last full season in 2023, the Venezuelan native hit .337 with 41 home runs, 106 RBI, and 73 stolen bases in 159 games. While he won't replicate those historic numbers this season, he should be a strong fantasy option throughout the year.

It will be interesting, though, to see what type of numbers he puts up in 2025. In his first season back from his first ACL tear in 2022, the Braves outfielder only hit 15 home runs, drove in 50 runs, and stole 29 bases across 119 games. Still, he should provide enough for fantasy managers this year. 

Teoscar Hernandez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Hernandez hasn't missed many games in recent years. He played 160 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2023 and 154 games for the Dodgers last season. However, the two-time All-Star landed on the injured list for the first time since the 2022 season. He exited early against the Marlins on May 5 due to left hamstring tightness. 

Following an MRI, the Dodgers decided to place him on the 10-day IL on May 6 due to a Grade 1 left adductor strain. Although this type of injury is always tricky to recover from, the team is hoping to have Hernandez back within the next few weeks. It is encouraging that the outfielder is already participating in baseball activities. 

Teoscar Hernandez was pulled with a hamstring injury pic.twitter.com/grbO8DGjE8

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 5, 2025

Hernandez has begun doing drills on the field and has been hitting in the cage. The next step for him is to partake in live batting practice on Tuesday, May 14, ahead of the Dodgers' game against the Athletics. From there, the slugging outfielder will continue to build up toward a return. 

As a result, there's a good chance that Hernandez will be back before the end of May. It remains to be seen if he will go on a short rehab assignment before his activation, but that shouldn't affect his expected return to the Dodgers. There's also a chance that he is back with the team next week, given that he is already ramping up his baseball activities. 

That means fantasy managers should keep him in one of their IL slots right now. Hernandez has been one of the best fantasy options to start the season, and that should continue when he returns from his injury. The 32-year-old was hitting .315 with nine home runs, 10 doubles, 34 RBI, and four stolen bases before landing on the IL last week. 

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