When Will Giancarlo Stanton, Nick Kurtz, Jordan Westburg Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Stanton, Kurtz, and Westburg return and play? Will Stanton, Kurtz, and Westburg be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 11 of the 2025 MLB season.

Heading into Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season, managers have lost a slew of notable contributors to the injury list. Those issues have forced managers to scour the waiver wire for replacements.

In this piece, we'll take a look at the latest injury updates centering on New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (elbow), Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (hip), and Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (hamstring).

Should fantasy managers continue to keep these players on their roster as they await their returns? Or should they cut ties and replace them with active players? Let's dive in!

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Giancarlo Stanton Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

While Stanton has enjoyed a productive career since he debuted with the Marlins in 2010, injuries have been a lingering problem for the five-time All-Star. Stanton sat out just seven games in a two-year stretch from 2017-18, but various health woes have shelved him for a whopping 429 contests since then. All the missed time could cost Stanton a chance at Hall of Fame enshrinement in Cooperstown.

After a 114-game regular season in which he racked up 27 home runs last year, Stanton helped lead the Yankees to an American League pennant with an incredible showing in the playoffs. The Yankees ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, but Stanton finished the playoffs slashing a tremendous .273/.339/.709 with seven HRs and 16 RBI in 62 plate appearances.

There was optimism that Stanton would carry his playoff brilliance into this season. Unfortunately, the 35-year-old hasn't even debuted yet because of torn elbow tendons that cropped up during the spring.

The New York Yankees announce that Giancarlo Stanton (right and left elbows) will begin the season on the Injured List. pic.twitter.com/A1jHrl4Rtx

— MLB (@MLB) March 1, 2025

Surgery was an initial possibility for Stanton, who would have missed the entire season had he gone under the knife. Luckily for Stanton, he has been able to avoid going down that road. Now, he has made enough progress in his recovery that there is optimism he will be able to rejoin the Yankees' lineup soon.

Giancarlo Stanton will travel to New York on Sunday or Monday, Aaron Boone said, then could begin a Minor League rehab assignment.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 7, 2025

It's unclear which minor league level Stanton would report to for his rehab assignment. Likewise, it's unknown how long it would take. However, as a DH-only option, it's advantageous that Stanton won't have to ramp back up in the field. Only having to focus on hitting could hasten his return.

That's assuming Stanton doesn't suffer any setbacks, which could be a lot to ask in his case.

If Stanton does get through rehab unscathed, fantasy managers should temper their expectations. The Yankees will want to play it safe with Stanton, which could mean the right-handed slugger will share the DH spot with the lefty-hitting Ben Rice. While Rice has been a popular pickup this year for fantasy managers, his production has fallen off over the past month.

Rice boasts an impressive season line of .241/.327/.497 with 12 HRs in 218 plate appearances. But it's been a different story since the beginning of May, as he has gone an unappealing 21-for-97 (.216) with four HRs in a 28-game span. Furthermore, lefties have limited him to a .174/.235/.478 line this year.

Stanton, on the other hand, has crushed southpaws (.278/.372/.579) throughout his career. That could set up the two to platoon.

Nick Kurtz Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Kurtz, a former Wake Forest standout, joined the A's organization as the fourth overall pick in last summer's draft. The 22-year-old experienced a meteoric rise through the minors and earned his first major league promotion on April 21.

Last summer, the A's drafted Nick Kurtz with the 4th overall pick in the draft.

In just months, Kurtz played his way onto the main roster, batting .321 with 7 home runs & 24 RBIs in the minor leagues this season.

Nick talks his journey ahead of his MLB debut tomorrow night. pic.twitter.com/P4oKrky56z

— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) April 22, 2025

Kurtz hit a low-impact .240/.250/.240 with 12 strikeouts, no walks, and no home runs in seven games in April. However, he began to flash his significant upside in May, putting together a .243/.337/.514 line with five homers, 12 RBI, and 24:11 K:BB. In his most recent game on May 24, Kurtz went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and an RBI in a loss to the Phillies.

Three days later, the Athletics placed Kurtz on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 25) with a strained left hip flexor. It didn't slow down Kurtz for long. He began a rehab assignment with Low-A Stockton this past weekend and immediately showed off his tantalizing power.

Nick Kurtz = back! 🎆

MLB's No. 14 prospect (@Athletics) hammers a two-run homer in his first Single-A @stocktonports rehab outing. pic.twitter.com/k4Q3uGndah

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 8, 2025

While it's not official yet, Athletics general manager David Forst said last week that the club was targeting a Monday return for Kurtz. He'll jump right back into the A's starting nine as their regular first baseman.

Kurtz's fantasy managers will want to get him back into their lineups immediately as the Athletics start a series against the Los Angeles Angels. He's still rostered in just 12% of Yahoo leagues, so managers in need of first base help should give serious consideration to adding Kurtz.

Jordan Westburg Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The 30th overall pick in the 2020 draft earned his first promotion to the bigs in 2023. Westburg logged respectable numbers over 68 games and 228 trips to the plate in 2023. His .260/.311/.404 line was approximately league-average production. Not bad for a newcomer to The Show.

Westburg really took off a year ago, slashing .264/.312/.481 with 18 homers and 63 RBI in 107 contests. He earned an All-Star nod as a result of his strong first few months, but a fractured right hand cost him all of August and most of September. He returned for a handful of games late in the campaign.

Healthy to begin this year, the hope was that Westburg would pick up where he left off last summer. That didn't happen, however, as he slumped to a disappointing .217/.265/.391 line with four HRs and six RBI over 98 plate appearances before suffering another injury. This time, a strained right hamstring sent the 26-year-old to the IL on April 27.

Two weeks into his recovery, Westburg suffered a setback on May 14. Things have gone much better since then for Westburg, who has raked during a Triple-A rehab assignment.

Jordan Westburg in his eight rehab games with Triple-A Norfolk:

.393 BA
.452 OBP
.750 SLG
1.202 OPS

Yeah, he's ready.

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) June 8, 2025

Having proven he's healthy in the minors, Westburg is on the verge of a return to the Orioles' lineup. He should draw back into the O's starting nine Tuesday to open a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers.

Jordan Westburg (left hamstring strain) is “trending” toward a Tuesday return, per #Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino.

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) June 8, 2025

Although Westburg did not perform well before going on the IL, the Orioles regard him as a foundational piece. As such, he'll receive ample opportunity to bounce back. Westburg will be the O's regular third baseman when the team activates him. They've gotten subpar production from the position all season, but Westburg could change that if he returns to his 2024 form.

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