When Will Clayton Kershaw, Grayson Rodriguez, Brandon Woodruff Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Kershaw, Rodriguez, and Woodruff return and play? Will Kershaw, Rodriguez, and Woodruff be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 5 of the 2025 MLB season.

We're over a month into the MLB season, but many fantasy baseball teams are looking for some help in their starting rotation. One way to get some reinforcements for your roster is by keeping up on the latest injury info. In this post, we'll look at three injured pitchers working their way towards their season debut. We'll focus on Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Grayson Rodriguez of the Baltimore Orioles, and Brandon Woodruff of the Milwaukee Brewers.

If you own any of these pitchers, how much longer will you have to wait? If you don't have any of them, could they be good pickups via trade or waiver claim? Keeping up with the latest injury news is critical to managing your fantasy teams so that you can correctly value players for both redraft and dynasty leagues.

All three pitchers are joining strong teams that hope to be in playoff races, and they may be able to give your fantasy team a boost as well once they're ready to return from injury. Let's break down each one's fantasy value and timeline.

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Clayton Kershaw Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Kershaw has pitched 17 seasons in the MLB, all with the Dodgers. The long-time fixture in the rotation was limited to just seven starts last year, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 24 strikeouts in 30 innings. His season was cut short due to left big toe inflammation at the end of August.

He initially attempted to return last season but ultimately was unable to get back into the rotation. This past offseason, he needed surgery on both his toe and a torn meniscus in his left knee, but he still signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract with the Dodgers to return when he is ready this year.

Kershaw's recovery has been going well overall, but he did start the season on the 60-day IL, meaning he won't be eligible to be activated until the very end of May. He did not appear in spring training but worked his way back with bullpens before heading out on a minor league rehab assignment.

He has made three minor league starts, two for the Oklahoma City Comets in Triple-A and one in Double-A for the Tulsa Drillers. In the three starts, he has worked 11 innings and totaled a 3.27 ERA, 4.84 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts while only issuing two walks.

Making his third rehab start, @Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw notches 4 K's in 5 IP for the @OKC_comets. pic.twitter.com/EzykGBurS5

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 1, 2025

Kershaw is still just under a month away, but his rehab is continuing to progress without any physical setbacks. He should make a few more starts in the minors and rejoin the Dodgers' rotation later this month.

Right now, the Dodgers only have a four-man rotation with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin. Ben Casparius is scheduled to start in their fifth spot for now, but is more of an opener than a true starter. Blake Snell (shoulder) and Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) are both hurt with unclear timelines for their return, so Kershaw went from a nice depth piece to a critical part of the Dodgers' plans.

He likely won't be as dominant as during his Cy Young-level peak, but Kershaw still will be a worthwhile addition when he is ready to return. He'll be pitching with one of the best lineups in the MLB backing him up and will have a good shot at picking up wins if he has quality starts.

His strikeout numbers were strong until last year, and now that he'll be healthy again, he should bring decent strikeout potential and solid but not spectacular production across the board.

If you need help from the waiver wire, Kershaw can be a nice pickup. He's available in over 75 percent of standard leagues on Yahoo!

Grayson Rodriguez Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Rodriguez is also on the 60-day IL but is farther away from his season debut than Kershaw. Rodriguez has been shut down from throwing and is not ready to resume throwing, even though he is making progress.

Like Kershaw, Rodriguez was shut down last year due to injury and has yet to make it back to the mound. He was diagnosed with a lat strain last August and couldn't quite make it back in time to help the O's down the stretch. He supposedly came into spring training healthy but was shut down after experiencing triceps soreness in just his second game of the spring.

He ended up on the 15-day IL to start the season after getting a cortisone shot in his elbow to help with inflammation. He resumed throwing and was working in the bullpen, getting ready for a rehab stint before being shut down again due to a mild lat strain. While an MRI showed no major structural issue, he was still shut down for a while.

Earlier this week, manager Brandon Hyde gave this update:

Orioles injury updates, per Brandon Hyde:

• Jordan Westburg (hamstring) is day to day. “We’re staying optimistic and hopeful.”
• Grayson Rodriguez (elbow/triceps/lat) hasn’t started throwing yet
• Colton Cowser (thumb) hasn’t started baseball activities but is “feeling…

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 28, 2025

Rodriguez hasn't suffered another setback but is still several weeks away from returning since he'll have to ramp up from square one. At this point, sometime after the All-Star break is the best-case scenario for Rodriguez's return. He will need an extended rehab, and the team will be very cautious after so many setbacks.

The Orioles have sunk to last place in the division after a slow start and have struggled in the starting rotation, partly due to Rodriguez's absence. Kyle Bradish (elbow), Zach Eflin (lat), Trevor Rogers (knee), Tyler Wells (elbow), and Chayce McDermott (late) are all on the injured list along with Rodriguez.

After early-season struggles, veteran Charlie Morton was moved to the bullpen, leaving Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano, Cade Povich, and Kyle Gibson as the team's current starting rotation.

If you have Rodriguez, he's still a long-term stash if you have the space, but his recovery timeline is still so uncertain and so far away that he is droppable in most redraft formats. If he does start to work his way back, his ceiling could make him stashable again, but for now, he's hard to hold except in deep leagues.

Brandon Woodruff Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Woodruff is recovering from a more prolonged absence than either of the other two pitchers highlighted in this post, but he's also getting close to a return and could make a big fantasy impact once he arrives.

Woodruff missed all of 2024 after shoulder surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder. He put up good numbers in 2023, going 5-1 in 11 starts with a 2.28 ERA, 3.60 FIP, and 9.9 K/9. In previous seasons, Woodruff flashed an even higher strikeout ceiling with a 2.84 ERA and 10.9 K/9 over his previous three seasons combined.

Woodruff made a cameo in the Cactus League against the Guardians, showcasing good velocity and an improved changeup. He then began to work his way back with minor-league rehab starts.

He has made four rehab starts, going 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and 16 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.

Good reports on Brandon Woodruff's rehab outing today, Pat Murphy said. He's slated for at least one more.

Murphy added that velocity is among the factors the team is weighing as it decides when to activate him. It seems they're hoping to see another jump from the 92-mph range…

— Jack Stern (@ByJackStern) April 30, 2025

Woodruff's velocity has been down a little bit, and he dealt with some fatigue after his third start. However, he looked strong in his last outing, throwing five 2/3 scoreless innings in High-A for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Manager Pat Murphy indicated that Woodruff is getting close but needs at least one more rehab start. Barring a setback, it sounds like Woodruff will rejoin the Brewers this month, and even though he has been out the longest of the three pitchers in this post, he seems likely to be the first one to return.

Woodruff's velocity isn't where it was pre-injury, so his strikeouts may be down a touch, but he's still a great pickup if he's on your league's waiver wire. Right now, he has around 60 percent ownership in Yahoo! leagues, but that should jump as soon as he has a set return date.

The Brewers could definitely use the help in the rotation with injuries to Nestor Cortes (elbow), Aaron Civale (hamstring),  DL Hall (lat), and Robert Gasser (elbow) depleting the rotation. Freddy Peralta, Tobias Meyers, Chad Patrick, Quinn Priester, and Jose Quintana are currently in the starting rotation.

The Brewers will continue to be cautious with Woodruff despite their shortage, but so far, all the signs have been encouraging for the 32-year-old right-hander. He's almost all the way back, and he's such a favorite of both fans and teammates that his return will be a big boost for the whole team.

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