When Will Logan Gilbert, Shota Imanaga, Blake Snell Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Gilbert, Imanaga, and Snell return and play? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 9 of the 2025 MLB season.

Fantasy managers have seen several high-end starting pitchers hit the injured list during the first two months of the season. Over the past two weeks, the Royals placed their top arms, Cole Ragans (groin) and Seth Lugo (finger) on the 15-day injured list.

In this piece, we will analyze the latest injury updates on three of the top starting pitchers in fantasy baseball: Logan Gilbert of the Seattle Mariners, Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs, and Blake Snell of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Should fantasy managers stash these pitchers? Do they remain on track to return to the mound sooner rather than later? Let's dive in!

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Logan Gilbert Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The ace of the Seattle rotation is currently sidelined with a right elbow flexor strain. The Mariners placed the right-hander on the 15-day IL on April 26. Shortly after, the team noted that Gilbert could return before the end of May.

Dipoto on the MLB Network with a bit of an injury update. Says Mariners are "hopeful" they will see both Kirby and Gilbert back by the end of the month. Says outlook is better than what it was initially. Said plan for Kirby is to make "at least 2, maybe 3" rehab starts.

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) May 2, 2025

Throughout May, Gilbert continued to progress well, logging several successful bullpen sessions without facing a setback. On May 22, the 28-year-old was cleared to participate in his first simulated game since landing on the injured list.

Bruce Miller is expected to throw a sim game tomorrow here in Houston and it sounds like Logan Gilbert will as well.

Miller is slated to go two innings.

— Tim Booth (@ByTimBooth) May 22, 2025

While the session went well, Daniel Kremer of MLB.com noted that the right-hander will likely need to participate in several rehab outings before being activated from the injured list. During this simulated game, Gilbert logged just 35 pitches in addition to 20 warmup pitches.

Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status closely. Given that he completed the simulated game without a setback, the team will likely announce the next steps in the coming days.

Before his injury, Gilbert was on track to be an early-season favorite for the AL Cy Young. Across his first 30 1/3 innings of work, the right-hander posted a 2.37 ERA with a stellar 0.79 WHIP. During this stint, he struck out batters at a 37.6% rate, which was much higher than the 27.4% he held during the 2024 season.

Gilbert also showed strong command of his pitches, allowing walks at a 4.5% rate and placing in the 96th percentile in xERA.

While he remains sidelined, Logan Evans and Emerson Hancock should continue to see turns in the rotation. Gilbert remains a must-stash option. When he returns, he will carry high-end SP1 upside.

Shota Imanaga Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Shota Imanaga exited his contest on May 4 with a left hamstring strain. Following the contest, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reported that the southpaw was slated to undergo imaging to determine the extent of the injury.

#Cubs aren’t sure yet about the severity of Shota Imanaga’s left hamstring injury. He will get imaging tomorrow. They’ll wait for results to determine next steps.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 4, 2025

Shortly after, the team officially placed him on the 15-day IL with a mild hamstring strain. While this injury has kept him sidelined for nearly a month, he did avoid a significant injury.

Later in May, manager Craig Counsell noted that Imanaga was not in contention to return "early in June."

Per Craig Counsell, #Cubs Shota Imanaga will begin throwing off a mound towards the end of next week. He said his return will be “well into June.”

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 19, 2025

On Monday, May 26, Imanaga was able to take the next significant step in his recovery. Prior to their game against the Colorado Rockies, the left-hander was seen throwing in the outfield. Counsell said that their ace is expected to throw his first bullpen session on Wednesday.

Shota Imanaga threw today at Wrigley Field. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Wednesday, per Craig Counsell. pic.twitter.com/ctB3nDuJ6H

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 26, 2025

Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as a successful bullpen session on Wednesday could keep him on track to return later in June.

Before his injury, the 31-year-old was on pace to enjoy a strong sophomore campaign. Across his first 44 2/3 innings of work, Imanaga posted a strong 2.82 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP. He tallied just 34 punchouts but showed above-average command, allowing walks at a 7.7% rate.

However, under the hood, Imanaga has some underwhelming metrics, which suggest he could face some regression when he returns to action. He currently sits in the 27th percentile in xERA and the 23rd percentile in barrel rate.

While Imanaga will still be a strong high-end SP3/low-end SP2, fantasy managers should slightly adjust their expectations when he returns to the bump.

Blake Snell Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The final pitcher we will examine is Blake Snell. He has been on the shelf since his second outing of the season. After this start, He was reportedly dealing with shoulder swelling and was eventually placed on the 15-day injured list on April 6.

On April 19, Snell was able to complete his first bullpen session since the injury. However, a few days later, on April 23, the team decided to shut the left-hander down from throwing after a setback.

#Dodgers scrapped Blake Snell bullpen session after he felt discomfort after playing catch yesterday.

Snell will be reexamined when team returns to Los Angeles.

Dave Roberts said Dodgers have stressed big picture so Snell doesn’t pitch thru anything.

— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) April 23, 2025

On May 2, manager Dave Roberts noted that Snell would resume his throwing program after receiving an injection in his left shoulder. On May 14, Snell officially restarted his throwing program and was seen playing catch 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 team officially shifted the two-time Cy Young winner to the 60-day injured list, which moved his earliest return date to June 5. However, given his current progress, fantasy managers should not expect Snell to hit that benchmark.

For the time being, Snell should only be stashed in standard leagues if fantasy managers have room on their injured reserve. Currently, Snell does not have a definitive timeline and has already faced numerous setbacks during his recovery.

Before his injury, Snell made just two starts for the Dodgers and held a 2.00 ERA with a 2.00 ERA across nine innings. However, last season, the 32-year-old struck out 145 batters across 104 innings. During this stint, he held a strong 3.12 ERA with a stellar 1.05 WHIP.

BLAKE SNELL NO HITTER 🚨

He just had one of the nastiest weeks in baseball history

July 27th: 5-IP/15-SO
August 2nd: 9-IP/0-H/11-SO pic.twitter.com/Y7kO7rGY8Z

— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) August 3, 2024

While Snell remains out of the starting rotation, fantasy managers should expect Landon Knack to continue to see starting opportunities.

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