When Will Mike Trout, Yordan Alvarez, Blake Snell Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Trout, Alvarez, and Snell return and play? Will Trout, Alvarez, and Snell be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 8 of the 2025 MLB season.

As we enter the eighth week of the fantasy baseball season, fantasy managers have seen several of their high-end players hit the injured list. As a result, they have needed to look to the waiver wire to find worthy replacements.

In this piece, we will analyze the latest injury update of three highly coveted players: Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, and Blake Snell of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

All three of these players carry elite upside when on the field. When should fantasy managers expect them to return to action? Let's dive in!

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Mike Trout Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Trout has spent most of the past three seasons on the injured list. During the opening month of the campaign, he was an everyday player in the Angels' lineup and flashed his high-power upside, posting a .462 SLG with nine long balls through his first 29 games.

However, on April 30, Trout exited the contest due to left knee soreness. He was held out of action for a few days before hitting the 10-day injured list with a left knee contusion.

#Angels transactions:

•Recalled INF Niko Kavadas from Triple-A Salt Lake
•Placed OF Mike Trout (left knee contusion) on 10-day injured list (retro to May 1)

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) May 2, 2025

While seeing Trout on the IL is never a good sign, the three-time AL MVP has already begun to progress quite nicely. On May 10, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reported that Trout is "feeling good" and is expected to start running in the next few days. Later, on May 12, Trout was cleared to begin running on the Alter G (zero-gravity) treadmill.

On May 16, the starting outfielder began hitting off a machine and was also seen throwing and performing other agility exercises on the field. This is a great sign, as Trout has yet to face significant setbacks in his recovery.

Mike Trout has begun hitting off a machine. He’s also throwing and doing agility on the field. He’s running on the Alter G at 75% of his weight.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) May 17, 2025

Given his progress, Trout could be in the mix to return to the action early in June. Given his missed time, he will likely need to participate in a rehab assignment.

Through his first 29 games of the season, Trout has flashed power upside, but has held a modest .179 AVG with a .264 OBP. However, under the hood, the 33-year-old has generated an elite .373 xwOBA and a .577 xSLG, which place him in the 83rd and 94th percentile, respectively, which suggests he should see significant positive regression.

He has also drawn walks at an above-average 9.9% rate and generated a 45.8% hard-hit rate.

He should remain stashed in all formats. While he is sidelined, Jo Adell should remain the primary right fielder in Los Angeles.

Yordan Alvarez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Alvarez was placed on the injured list on May 5 due to right-hand inflammation. Earlier that week, the slugger was scratched from the starting nine but unfortunately could not avoid a stint on the injured list.

The Astros placed Yordan Alvarez on the IL with right hand inflammation, they announced. Catcher César Salazar called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 5, 2025

Later in the week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com noted that Alvarez has a muscle strain on the top of his right hand. However, manager Joe Espada noted they do not expect Alvarez to be sidelined much longer than the 10-day minimum period.

The 6-foot-4 hitter continued progressing and was cleared to hit in the batting cages before their contest on May 12. While it appeared Alvarez was on the verge of returning from the injured list, he hit a brief roadblock in his progression.

On May 18, Espada said that the 27-year-old is still dealing with some lingering pain in his hand. Espada noted, "I just want to make sure it's completely going away. We don't want to go back to where, if he feels something again, we have to restart the whole process again," in relation to Alvarez's injury.

Is this going slower than anticipated?

Joe Espada: "I just want to make sure it's completely goes away. We don't want to go back to where, if he feels something again, we have to re-start the whole process again."

Still feeling it?

"It's there, but every day feels better." https://t.co/K3EncbZPj9

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 18, 2025

With Alvarez only a few days from returning, fantasy managers should continue to stash him in all leagues. Through his first 29 games, Alvarez has been one of the most disappointing early-round picks this season, holding a .210/.306/.340 line with just three home runs.

However, Alvarez's metrics suggest he is one of the top buy-low options in fantasy baseball. He has generated an elite .364 xwOBA, .495 xSLG, 11.9% barrel rate, 46.4% hard-hit rate, and a 76.7 mph bat speed, which suggests he should be in store for significant positive regression when he returns to action.

Last summer, Alvarez held a .308/.392/.567 line with 34 doubles and 35 home runs.

Blake Snell Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Snell was expected to be the ace of the Los Angeles rotation after inking a massive five-year, $182 million contract in the fall. However, the left-hander suffered an early-season shoulder injury, which kept him sidelined for most of the young season.

After his second start, Snell was shut down and placed on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder inflammation.

The Dodgers recalled RHP Matt Sauer and placed LHP Blake Snell on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation, retroactive to April 3.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 6, 2025

Throughout April, Snell slowly progressed but eventually hit a setback on April 23 and was again shut down from throwing. Later that week, the left-hander received an injection in his shoulder to treat his inflammation.

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

— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) April 28, 2025

On May 14, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that the former two-time Cy Young winner had begun his throwing program and was cleared to throw from 60 feet.

Blake Snell threw out to 60 feet today, per Dave Roberts. So the doctor’s visit went well.

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 14, 2025

On May 17, the Dodgers opted to shift Snell to the 60-day injured list, which will keep him sidelined through at least June 5. However, given his current progress, fantasy managers should expect him to remain sidelined for a longer period. When he moved to the 60-day IL, it opened a spot on the roster for Clayton Kershaw (toe/knee), who made his season debut on Saturday evening.

Given his unknown timetable, fantasy managers should only stash Snell in 12+ team formats if they have additional IR spots. His absence could continue to linger throughout the summer, especially if he continues to face setbacks.

However, despite his troubling injury history, Snell has flashed elite upside when on the bump. Last summer, Snell logged 104 innings to the tune of a 3.12 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He struck out 145 batters. In 2023, Snell struck out 234 batters and posted a 2.25 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP across 180 innings.

While he remains sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Landon Knack to stay in the starting rotation.

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