When Will Cole Ragans, Alex Bregman, Aaron Nola Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Cole Ragans, Alex Bregman, and Aaron Nola return and play? Will Ragans, Bregman, and Nola be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 9 of the 2025 MLB season.

It has been tough watching several elite fantasy players go down in recent weeks. The good news is that several star players have returned from the injured list recently. Players like Ronald Acuna Jr., George Kirby, and Spencer Strider have all been activated from the IL over the past week. 

Three players who have not been activated from the IL yet are Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans, Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola. All three players currently find themselves on the IL, and fantasy managers are hoping these stars return soon. 

So, when will Ragans, Bregman, and Nola return? Will they be back in June? Let's dive in and find out. 

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Cole Ragans Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Ragans broke out in a big way in his first full season with the Royals in 2024. He finished with a 3.14 ERA and 223 strikeouts across 186 1/3 innings pitched. Most importantly, the left-hander stayed healthy for the entire year. He made all 32 starts for Kansas City and finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting last season. 

Unfortunately, Ragans will not make every start in 2025. That's because the 27-year-old landed on the 15-day IL on May 17 after leaving his start early the day prior due to left groin tightness. It's unclear when the southpaw's groin tightened up on him, but this is not the first time he has dealt with this injury this year. 

Ragans was removed from his start early on April 24 following a groin injury. Although he suffered a mild left groin strain, the Royals decided not to place him on the 15-day IL. The left-hander only missed one turn through the rotation and eventually made his next start 11 days later against the Chicago White Sox. 

However, it appears that Ragans re-aggravated that groin injury on May 16. So, Kansas City made the smart decision and placed its star pitcher on the IL to let his groin heal properly.

Now, the 2024 All-Star is working his way back from that injury. He has been playing catch and threw a "competitive" bullpen on May 25. With Ragans progressing well from that groin strain, it sounds like he could be activated when he is first eligible to come off the IL on Sunday. That would mean the Royals would get back their ace for a matchup against the first-place Tigers. 

Cole Ragans Throws "Competitive" Bullpen https://t.co/7BSRDhhG7u

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) May 27, 2025

Some fantasy managers might be frustrated with Ragan's pitching numbers this season, considering he has a 4.53 ERA in his first nine starts. Nevertheless, we should expect his numbers to even out over the next few weeks. He currently owns a 1.97 FIP, and his expected ERA (2.34) is 219 points lower than his actual ERA. That makes him a perfect buy-low candidate ahead of his activation.  

Alex Bregman Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

There's no doubt that Bregman has been one of the best fantasy options to start the year. He was slashing .299/.385/.553 with 11 home runs, 17 doubles, and 35 RBI in his first 51 games this season. However, fantasy managers should expect to be without him for the foreseeable future. 

Bregman injured his quad back on May 23 while rounding first base. He left that contest early and was not in the original lineup in the second game of the team's doubleheader that eventually got rained out against the Orioles. Even though the two-time All-Star was optimistic that he wouldn't miss much time, that changed when the slugging third baseman woke up the next morning. 

He explained that this quad injury is the same one he suffered during the 2021 season with the Houston Astros. That quad strain in 2021 landed Bregman on the 10-day IL, and he ended up missing over two months. He first suffered that injury on June 16 and didn't return until August 25, which resulted in him missing 58 games. 

Alex Cora told reporters that Alex Bregman is "going to be out for a while, very similar to ’21.”

Bregman missed a little over two months with a strained quad that season. pic.twitter.com/NcVO9aXurl

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 24, 2025

Since Bregman said this recent quad strain is very similar to the last one he suffered, we shouldn't expect the veteran to return until July or August. He should be out through the All-Star break, and an August return feels like the likeliest outcome for the Red Sox third baseman. 

This injury is obviously a tough break for both Bregman and fantasy managers who own him. He will almost certainly be out for the next two months, and it'll be interesting to see if he can pick up where he left off when he returns. For now, though, he should be placed in one of your IL spots. You shouldn't be dropping him just yet. 

Aaron Nola Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Despite only having one All-Star selection in his career, Nola has been one of the more consistent pitchers in the game. He has finished with a sub-3.90 ERA in six of his last eight seasons while starting at least 32 games in six straight years (excluding the shortened 2020 season). That made the Phillies pitcher a great target in fantasy drafts this past spring. 

However, those who drafted Nola have gotten the opposite of that consistent pitcher. He has a 6.16 ERA through his first nine starts this season and recently landed on the injured list for the first time since May 2017. The right-hander injured his ankle doing agility work on May 8 before allowing 13 runs over his next two starts.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising when the Phillies decided to place Nola on the 15-day injured list on May 16 (retroactive to May 15). He suffered a right ankle sprain and physically couldn't pitch through it anymore. 

Nola now continues to progress from that ankle injury. He played long toss last week and threw a touch and feel bullpen session on Tuesday. Although the 31-year-old still experienced some ankle soreness over the weekend, he shouldn't miss too much additional time. While he likely won't be activated when his 15 days are up on Thursday, he should return sometime in early June. 

Aaron Nola is throwing in the outfield right now, trying to come back from the sprained ankle pic.twitter.com/s49z6L88Iw

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 27, 2025

That means fantasy managers might only be without him for another week. Nola will likely need to go on a rehab assignment before his activation, but there's a chance he will be back with the major league club at some point next week. So, fantasy managers should keep him in one of their IL slots for now. 

There are some concerns with Nola, though, when he returns. His 7.3% walk rate is his highest since 2020, and his 23.6% strikeout rate is his lowest since his rookie season in 2015. On top of that, the veteran's hard-hit rate (43.6%), barrel rate (9.4%), and expected batting average against (.284) all rank in the bottom half of the league. 

As a result, it might be time to see what you can get for the former All-Star. His numbers are down across the board, and he's averaging just 91 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2025. That's over one mph slower than what his four-seam fastball averaged in 2024 (92.1 mph). The Phillies pitcher doesn't seem to have it this season. 

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