When Will Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Michael King Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

June 26, 2025

When will Alvarez, Bregman, and King return and play? Will Alvarez, Bregman, and King be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 13 of the 2025 MLB season.

We're almost halfway through the Major League Baseball season, and some of the stars who went down with more significant injuries early in the year are starting to near their return. If you invested a high draft pick in these players and have been waiting for them to return to the lineup, keeping up with the latest news is critical to planning your roster for the coming weeks. It's also important to understand how the return of these stars will impact the rest of the roster.

In this post, we'll take a look at the latest updates on the injuries to Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, Alex Bregman of the Boston Red Sox, and Michael King of the San Diego Padres. As all fantasy baseball managers are well aware, injuries are an unfortunate but very normal part of fantasy baseball. Successfully navigating injuries and surviving the absence of key contributors is critical to success, and planning for them to make maximum impact on their return. These three players have been out for a while, but their returns will make a huge impact for both their fantasy teams and their major league teams.

Let's break down each situation and when we can expect each star to be back in action, along with a look at what other players will be impacted by their activation from the injured list.

Yordan Alvarez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Alvarez has been sidelined since the beginning of May when he was placed on the 10-day injured list with what the team thought was just inflammation in his right hand. The hope was that rest would cure the inflammation in his hand and that he would return after a minimum stay on the injured list. He was later diagnosed with a muscle strain that was causing the inflammation, but he still wasn't expected to be out nearly this long.

At the end of May, he was ramping up to return and was even taking live batting practice, but he still felt discomfort in his hand. Further testing, including an MRI, revealed a "small fracture" that required him to be shut down once again. General Manager Dana Brown told reporters that Alvarez was 60 percent healed at that point and explained that the fracture wasn't able to be seen earlier on imaging due to the inflammation.

After multiple updates that Alvarez was "feeling good" but not able to grip or swing a bat. Recently, Alvarez has resumed hitting off a tee and progressed to batting cages. He has also begun to throw as well.

Some updates from Espada:

- McCullers threw a bullpen today, will do some PFPs tomorrow
- Arrighetti threw a bullpen yesterday
- Javier threw a live BP today
- Garcia threw a live BP yesterday
- Alvarez threw to bases today, hit in cage

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 25, 2025

After missing so much time, Alvarez will almost certainly need a rehab assignment to get his timing back. He probably will get that started in the next week, barring any further setbacks, and could still return in early to mid-July. The fact that he's swinging a bat again is a great sign for his recovery and should allow the Astros to put a clearer timeline on his return soon.

Alvarez was struggling before landing on the injured list, hitting only .210 with three home runs and a .277 wOBA. It was a huge dropoff from 2024, when he hit .308 with a .402 wOBA and 35 home runs. That was also his fourth straight season with 30+ homers, a streak that he seems unlikely to keep alive this season unless he comes back and just mashes the rest of the season.

If you've been holding onto Alvarez this long, it sounds like your waiting is about to pay off! If he continues to progress and heads out on assignment soon, his return could be less than a month away. It's been an unusual path to get here since the injury wasn't thought to be serious at first, but it has definitely ruined his fantasy value so far this season.

When he's healthy, he can completely carry your fantasy team's offense when he goes on one of his trademark hot streaks. He's still worth owning in all formats and hopefully will be back in action very soon.

Alex Bregman Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Bregman's injury was a little more straightforward than Alvarez's, although it has kept him out for about the same time. Bregman initially left the first game of the Red Sox doubleheader against the Orioles on May 23 with tightness in his right quad and was later diagnosed with a right quad strain.

While the team has never put a specific timeline on Bregman's recovery, manager Alex Cora called the injury "significant" and compared it to the one that Bregman sustained in 2021 that cost him 58 games.

He said his recovery was going very well and told reporters that he was hopeful to be able to return before the All-Star break. While he has resumed baseball activities and is ramping up, manager Alex Cora gave an update on Wednesday that it doesn't look like Bregman will hit that goal.

It "looks like" Alex Bregman won't be back until after the All-Star break, Alex Cora said. So that would be July 18 at the earliest.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) June 25, 2025

Before his injury, Bregman was having a great first season in Boston. He hit .299 in his first 51 games with the team with 11 homers, 17 doubles, a .403 wOBA, and a 48.1% hard-hit rate, which would be the best mark of his career if he can sustain it when he returns. While his signing with the team was heralded as having a lot to do with how great a fit he was for Fenway Park, he actually has been more productive on the road, where he hit .330 with a .426 wOBA.

He has been a great fit in the clubhouse and seems to enjoy the club and city. His agent, Scott Boras, was recently seen with the team in Los Angeles to talk about a possible extension, and Bregman said he is “open to any conversation.” However, things could go the other way if the Red Sox decide to sell at the deadline, since his name has also appeared in trade rumors to be headed to a contender after he returns.

While it doesn't look like he'll be back before the All-Star break, it also doesn't look like he'll be out much beyond it. He could return on July 18 when Boston is back in action, and the team would still have a few weeks before the Trade Deadline.

Bregman's arrival started the logjam at 3B that ultimately played a role in the Rafael Devers trade, but now that Devers is gone, the team needs Bregman's bat to help fill the gap. The Red Sox have already slid rookie top prospect Marcelo Mayer to 2B after he initially filled in at 3B after Bregman's injury. Right now, Nate Eaton and David Hamilton have been rotating with Mayer at 2B and 3B, and their playing time would be reduced when Bregman returns.

Ideally, the Red Sox would stay in the race while letting their young players flourish under Bregman's production and leadership. If things don't go that way, Bregman could be dealt by the deadline. Either way, he should be a great fantasy baseball asset as soon as he's ready to be back in the lineup, and fantasy managers will hope he can pick right up where he left off with his impressive season.

Michael King Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

There's no doubt that King's stuff is filthy when he's healthy and that he can be a top starting pitcher for the Padres. His strikeout upside is off the charts, which makes sense when you can make a ball do this:

Michael King, Unfair 94mph Two Seamer. 😳

2 FEET of Run! pic.twitter.com/wLrrZqJaNE

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 30, 2025

King went 4-2 in his first 10 starts this season, striking out 64 across 55 2/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA, 3.20 FIP, and 1.02 WHIP. He didn't allow more than three runs in any start and posted at least six strikeouts in six of his last seven appearances.

His last start was on May 18 against the Mariners, and he was scratched from his next outing due to shoulder stiffness. Reportedly, the injury developed after King slept awkwardly on his right shoulder. He was later diagnosed with a pinched nerve, and he got two opinions that confirmed that there was no structural damage.

The fact that there was nothing else wrong with his shoulder should hasten his return. He was able to play light catch early in June and has progressed to throwing off flat ground at this point. Manager Mike Schildt already ruled him out through the All-Star break, though, since he has yet to start really ramping up with an aggressive throwing program. He still needs to work up to throwing bullpens and then facing live hitters before he's ready for a rehab stint, which will also likely take a couple of weeks.

Late July seems like the most optimistic timeframe for King, but his upside still makes him worth holding if at all possible. He should be pitching meaningful games for the Padres throughout August and September and can be a true fantasy ace when he's at his best.

While he is out, the Padres have pieced together their rotation with Ryan Bergert, Randy Vasquez, and Stephen Kolek following Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease. Bergert just landed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm bruise, with Sean Reynolds taking his roster spot. The Padres haven't announced who will start in Bergert's spot, but they'll definitely be ready to welcome back King to take the ball every fifth day as soon as he's ready.

King is still worth holding at this point, and we should get a clearer timeline of his return as he gets closer to a rehab assignment.

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