When Will Gunnar Henderson, Ronald Acuna Jr., George Kirby Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

When will Henderson, Acuna Jr., and Kirby return and play? Will Henderson, Acuna Jr., and Kirby be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 2 of the 2025 MLB season.

The MLB regular season got off to a great start this past weekend, but a few stars were notably absent from the start of their teams' seasons. The Orioles, Braves, and Mariners all have postseason aspirations but began the season at less than full strength due to injuries to Gunnar Henderson, Ronald Acuna Jr., and George Kirby, respectively. All three of the stars are working their way back to full speed, though, so let's take a look at the latest updates on their recovery.

Injuries are an unfortunate reality for fantasy baseball players, but navigating them well can help your team get ahead. Injuries create opportunities for other players to step in, but it's also important to anticipate when players will return to action and when you can count on them in your lineup.

If you used an early draft pick or a big chunk of your budget on Henderson, Kirby, or Acuna, you'll want to keep up with all the latest updates as they work their way back to full strength and return to their typically productive numbers. All three started the season on the IL, so let's check on the latest updates and how you should approach each situation.

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Gunnar Henderson Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The Orioles placed Henderson on the 10-day IL with an intercostal strain before the end of spring training. He was originally diagnosed with a "mild" intercostal strain in late February. He rested and recovered fairly quickly but ran out of time to get back to Grapefruit League action.

He did get in work on back fields and simulated environments but did not face competitive pitching until he went on his rehab assignment to Norfolk.

Henderson collected a hit in each of his three games in Triple-A with the Tides, going 4-for-12 in his first three rehab games and adding this home run on Sunday.

Gunnar Henderson hit a opposite field homer yesterday in Triple-A and should be back on Thursday.#Birdland pic.twitter.com/ZPTSikoald

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) March 31, 2025

Henderson is expected to be back in the lineup on Thursday, the first day he is eligible to be activated. The Orioles play a home game on Thursday afternoon against the Red Sox before heading on the road to Kansas City and Arizona. Given how well he has played in his rehab assignment and how minor the injury ended up being, you can play Henderson confidently as you normally would as soon as he is activated.

Henderson will likely hit leadoff when he returns, especially since Colton Cowser (thumb) is out for at least two months. He will take back over as the team's everyday shortstop, pushing Jackson Holliday to second base and reducing the playing time of Jorge Mateo and Luis Urias.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. is not quite as close to returning, much to the chagrin of Atlanta fans. Acuna is still on the long road back from the second ACL tear of his career. He suffered the injury to his left knee last May in a game against the Pirates while running the bases.

The last time he returned from the IL after an ACL injury, he had a little bit of a down year, hitting .266 with 15 homers, 29 stolen bases, and a .332 wOBA before winning the MVP Award the following year in 2023. His 2024 was off to a slow start in 49 games before the injury.

The Braves actually thought that Acuna could be ready for Opening Day coming into spring training, but they adjusted their timetable and now seem to be aiming for a May return.

GM Alex Anthopoulos has said that May is a realistic target, but that April seemed too aggressive. As a positive sign, though, the team only put him on the 10-day injured list to start the season rather than the 60-day IL, which would push his return into at least late May.

The latest update from manager Brian Snitker came on Monday.

Snitker said they’ll probably go day-to-day with leadoff decisions until Acuña returns. Acuña isn’t doing any cutting or outfield drills yet, Snitker said. https://t.co/JcpQpzD6pN

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 1, 2025

Since he's still not doing cutting or fielding drills, he still has a long way to go before he's ready to play the outfield every day. He will likely need an extended minor league rehab stint since he did not see any spring training action.

Acuna's recovery is especially important for the Braves after their rough start to the season. Not only is the team's offense scuffling on its season-opening trip to the West Coast, but it also lost Jurickson Profar to an 80-game suspension for PED use. Profar was filling in as the team's primary leadoff hitter while Acuna works his way back.

Without Profar, the Braves turned to Michael Harris II on Monday, but Snitker was clear that there will be multiple players in the mix for leadoff at-bats. In the outfield, both Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz now have corner outfield spots available full-time instead of platooning in right field, but Kelenic's struggles against lefties could create more chances for Stuart Fairchild off the bench.

Acuna's return can't get here fast enough for the Braves or his fantasy owners, but the team also needs to remain committed to getting him back at 100 percent so that he can effectively deliver on both his power and his speed potential. If you drafted Acuna early, you're still holding him and hoping he gets back soon to make an impact across multiple categories.

George Kirby Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The Mariners haven't had many updates on Kirby since shutting him down after his first spring training start with shoulder inflammation. While an MRI showed no structural damage, there was enough inflammation that the team shut him down for a few weeks. He was able to get back to throwing, though, and is working his way through the team's rest and throwing progression to build his arm strength back up.

George Kirby going through a light workout as he continues his throwing progression. pic.twitter.com/BfNcjE13We

— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) March 24, 2025

While the Mariners haven't laid out Kirby's full timeline, he was originally expected back in early May, and that was adjusted to late April. He has not started his minor league rehab yet and could need some time to build up since he threw so little before the injury. However, there has been no word of a setback, so overall, signs are still good that he'll be back sooner rather than later.

The team will proceed very cautiously since a shoulder injury for any pitcher is cause for concern. Kirby has been remarkably durable during his career and started a league-leading 33 games last season, going 14-11 with a 3.53 ERA, 3.26 FIP, and 8.4 K/9. Once he gets back to full strength, hopefully, this late start to the year will just be a blip on the radar in another strong season.

While Kirby is unavailable, the Mariners are going with a rotation of Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, and Emerson Hancock. Hancock was lit up in his first start of the season against the Tigers and is likely to end up in the bullpen or Triple-A when Kirby returns.

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