When Will Yordan Alvarez, Cole Ragans, Bryce Miller Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

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

All real-life and fantasy teams have to deal with injuries throughout the year, but some players are more impactful than others. Teams could struggle to make the playoffs without some of these missing pieces.

Right now, the Astros, Royals, and Mariners are without Yordan Alvarez, Cole Ragans, and Bryce Miller, respectively. But if the Astros and Royals want to gain ground in their divisional races or if the Mariners want to remain on top, they'll want to get these players back soon.

But when will that be? The timeline in these three particular cases is a bit cloudy, but we'll do our best to break it down and figure out when that time might come.

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Yordan Alvarez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Alvarez limped out of the gate this season, hitting .210 with a .646 OPS, a .278 wOBA, and a 79 wRC+. As it turns out, the limited production may have been partly attributed to a strained muscle in his right hand, which landed him on the IL on May 5.

The powerful left-handed slugger was eligible to return May 13, however, with lingering pain in his hand, the 27-year-old has yet to make a return to the diamond. But when will that be?

It's hard to say, because the 3x All-Star wants to be pain-free before returning. Ask most baseball players who endure a 162-game season, and they'll tell you that they were probably not 100 percent for most of the year, always dealing with some type of injury throughout the campaign.

So what happens if he continues to take practice swings -- which obviously involve his hands -- and the swings continue to inflame the hand? It would seem an offseason of rest is what the hand needs, so perhaps this is something he'll have to play through the rest of the season.

Opinions about whether he should or shouldn't deal with the pain aside, manager Joe Espada recently stated that the 6-foot-4 slugger's return "could be tomorrow. It could be the next day. But we're going to keep working for the hand to be 100 percent."

So it could be days, but it could be weeks, too. Regardless, fantasy managers should hold onto the former Silver Slugger award winner in a bench or IL spot, because if he is truly 100 percent when he returns, he could be the best hitter in baseball for the rest of the season.

Yordan Alvarez crushes a 436-foot blast 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZqyvrzpGEr

— MLB (@MLB) April 27, 2025

The Cuban has averaged 34 home runs, 96 RBI, 88 runs scored, and hit .296 over the last four seasons, without registering a wRC+ any less than 137 in any of those seasons.

Cole Ragans Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Ragans enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024, posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 20.5 percent K-BB% over 32 starts. The lefty struck out 223 batters in 186 1/3, fifth-most in all of baseball.

The 27-year-old was striking out hitters at an even higher rate this year than last year (37.7 percent vs. 29.3 percent), currently with the seventh-most in the majors (72) through nine starts.

The southpaw could be the league leader in that category if not for injury issues popping up earlier this season, which caused him to leave one start early due to cramps, and another case of groin tightness causing the team to skip one of his starts.

Still, fantasy managers have to be happy with an elite 30.9 percent K-BB%. The problem is that he hasn't been as effective as last season with a 4.53 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, which, on the flip side, has surely disappointed fantasy managers who drafted him.

On the bright side, though, the injury is not arm-related, so that's good. The other silver lining is that even though the ERA looks bad, his FIP sits at 1.99, xFIP at 2.21, and both SIERA and xERA stand at 2.26. So there are reasons to believe brighter days are ahead whenever he returns.

He's eligible to return June 1, and a return to the mound appears possible, especially if a rehab assignment is not needed. If the Royals' offense comes around, Ragans could be in line for more wins once he returns than the two he's registered thus far.

Bryce Miller Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

As with the aforementioned Ragans, Miller enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, winning 12 games while posting a 2.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 17.9 percent K-BB%.

Bryce Miller, K'ing the Side in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/VLzAjkKqA4

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 16, 2025

Looking more closely, however, perhaps the righty's numbers were a bit misleading, and he was due for some regression with a 3.80 SIERA and an 8.53 K/9. That regression came to fruition to begin 2025, recording a 5.22 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and an 8.0 percent K-BB% over his first eight starts.

Then, before the 6-foot-2 hurler could get back on track, he would go on the injured list May 12 with right elbow inflammation. Miller stated that his elbow didn't feel right since the first start of the season, and it was apparent in subsequent starts with noticeably diminished velocity.

The 26-year-old intimated that in reality, the elbow hadn't felt quite right for even the last two months of the 2024 season. So, he recently underwent an MRI, which showed no structural damage, simply resulting in a cortisone shot to combat the inflammation.

He began a throwing progression on Tuesday, completing a bullpen session before the team's game in Chicago. On Wednesday, he played catch on the field before the start of the game.

The former fourth-round draft pick is eligible to return May 27, but that seems optimistic at this point. The fact that he's throwing is a step in the right direction, but he'll still need to face live hitters and maybe even complete a rehab assignment before the Mariners put him back in the rotation.

As the timetable for return is a bit murky, which is the case for all three of these players, it is all the more reason to stay on top of all the latest news updates.

Miller should continue to be held in fantasy leagues because his numbers so far this year aren't good, but the underlying numbers suggest he hasn't been that bad. The third-year pro owns a 4.56 xERA and an even lower 3.97 FIP, while pitching for a first-place team should help in the wins category.

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