When Will Ezequiel Tovar, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr. Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Tovar, Ohtani, and Acuna Jr. return and play? Will Tovar, Ohtani, and Acuna Jr. be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 6 of the 2025 MLB season.

As we approach the second month of the MLB regular season, several high-end players are on the injured list. During the first six weeks of the fantasy baseball season, fantasy managers have had to place several top picks on their IR and pivot to alternative options.

In this piece, we will analyze the latest injury updates on Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (hip), Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (elbow), and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee).

When should fantasy managers expect these players back on the diamond? Should fantasy managers continue to stash them? Let's dive in!

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Ezequiel Tovar Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The 24-year-old shortstop suffered a left hip contusion in early April and was eventually shifted to the 10-day injured list on April 19.

Later in the month, Rockies manager Bud Black expressed optimism that Tovar's injury was minor and that he was nearly seven to 10 days from returning. While this update did suggest he would remain on the injured list longer than the minimum period, it did not appear his injury was overly serious.

Bud Black says that injured shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (hip contusion) is still a week to 10 days away from returning.

— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) April 26, 2025

However, this target date passed, and Tovar did not return to the starting nine. On April 28, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reported that Tovar has not progressed as well as the team had hoped. In this report, Lyons noted that the 27-year-old could still be at least 10 days from returning.

#Rockies Ezequiel Tovar is “not progressing as we’d hoped,” according to manager Bud Black.

Tovar (10-day IL, left hip contusion) has some issues with hinging his hips when fielding ground balls. Still may be a week to 10 days away from returning.

— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) April 28, 2025

Entering the second week of May, the Rockies have not provided any significant update on Tovar's status, which suggests he has continued to make no significant steps in his progression. Fantasy managers should monitor his status, but given the time he missed, he will likely need a rehab assignment before he returns to MLB action.

Before his injury, Tovar had a .216/.257/.303 slash line with four doubles, one triple, and two stolen bases across 16 contests. Under the hood, he generated a solid .266 xBA, which suggests he should see significant positive regression when he returns.

In 2024, Tovar posted a solid .269/.295/.469 slash line with 26 home runs and six stolen bases. While he remains sidelined, Kyle Farmer should remain the everyday shortstop.

Given Tovar's ability to hit for power and steal bases, he remains a solid stash option in standard category formats.

Shohei Ohtani Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

While Ohtani has been the everyday designated hitter in Los Angeles, he has yet to return to the mound. The hard-throwing right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and did not take the mound during his NL MVP campaign in 2024.

Ohtani was expected to return to the rotation early in 2025 but suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder during the World Series, further delaying his return to the mound.

Throughout April, Ohtani completed scheduled bullpen sessions and did not face many setbacks. On April 5, he completed a "light" session. Later in the month, he had to take a brief stint on the paternity list but quickly returned to his typical throwing routine.

#Dodgers Shohei Ohtani threw a "light" bullpen session on Thursday. In the outfield now getting ready to throw a fuller bullpen session before today's game

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 5, 2025

Before their contest on May 6 against the Miami Marlins, the 30-year-old was seen throwing in the outfield. However, the team did not provide any significant update on whether Ohtani has taken the next step in his progression.

Shohei Ohtani throwing here at loanDepot park. pic.twitter.com/DZBP0y64SN

— Isaac Azout (@IsaacAzout) May 6, 2025

While fantasy managers will need to continue to monitor his status from a pitching standpoint, he still provides elite production in the batter's box. Through the first 35 games of the 2025 campaign, Ohtani has picked up right where he left off in 2024, posting a .299/.411/.620 slash line with six doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, and 10 stolen bases.

He has tallied 15 RBI and scored 40 runs.

Under the hood, Ohtani has placed in the 100th percentile in xwOBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel, and hard-hit rates.

During his 2024 MVP campaign, Ohtani entered the 50/50 club as he went deep 54 times, swiped 59 bags, and held an incredible .310/.390/.646 slash line.

Shohei Ohtani's 117.9 MPH blast last night was the hardest-hit home run so far this year! 💥

(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/6y0UGrD7zZ

— MLB (@MLB) May 6, 2025

Ohtani remains a must-start player in all formats as a designated hitter. However, given that the Dodgers are aiming to win a second straight World Series, expect the team to continue to be cautious when increasing Ohtani's pitching workload.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The 2023 NL MVP saw his 2024 season cut short due to a torn ACL in May. Throughout the early part of the 2025 campaign, Acuna has slowly progressed and is nearing a rehab assignment.

Throughout the offseason, several reports suggested that Acuna would only miss the first month of the season and is relatively on track with that suggested timeline.

On April 15, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the superstar outfielder was officially cleared to ramp up his activity and remained on track for an early-season return.

Ronald Acuña Jr. was cleared to ramp up activity and begin progressing toward a rehab assignment. No timetable, but seems like he’s on schedule to return at some point in the next month, as we’d originally thought.

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 15, 2025

However, on May 2, Mark Bowman of MLB.com noted that Acuna was still at least a few weeks away from his rehab assignment as he was still building strength in his quads.

Acuña is still building strength in his quads. They still don’t know exactly when he’ll begin playing rehab games. Best guess is he’s still a couple weeks from beginning a rehab stint. https://t.co/BUOewqMQvN

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 2, 2025

Earlier this week, Toscano reported that Acuna did not need an additional follow-up with the medical staff and that he was clear to begin a rehab assignment later this month. This was a significant step in his progression, as he could be sent on a rehab assignment as early as next week, leaving the door open for an early-season MLB debut.

On Ronald Acuña Jr.: Braves discussed him seeing Dr. Neal ElAttrache in LA again. But the Braves talked to ElAttrache today and the doctor said he doesn’t need to see Acuña, and that a rehab assignment start date is up to the Braves. Rehab assignment will begin this month.

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) May 5, 2025

Fantasy managers should continue to pay close attention to his status as he will likely return to the majors by the end of the month.

Even though he had a slow start to the 2024 campaign before his season-ending injury, Acuna will remain a high-end outfielder in all formats when he returns. During his MVP season, the 27-year-old posted a .337/.416/.596 line with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases.

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