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When will Greene, Ragans, and Eovaldi return and play? Will Greene, Ragans, and Eovaldi be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 12 of the 2025 MLB season.
Strong starting pitching is one of the keys to success in fantasy baseball, but starting pitchers also rarely stay healthy for an entire season. Like the major league teams, fantasy managers have to navigate injuries expertly throughout the course of the long season, especially during the grind of the summer months. Keeping up with the latest injury news is critical, especially for starting pitchers. In this post, we're going to examine the latest updates on three excellent starting pitching options who have missed time with injuries. We'll take a look at the latest on Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds, Cole Ragans of the Kansas City Royals, and Nathan Eovaldi of the Texas Rangers.
The impact of these three strong arms being absent is huge for their teams in fantasy baseball and for their major league teams as well. In some cases, their replacements have been solid and useful for fantasy as well, so we'll examine how their return will impact the rest of the rotation when they are ready to get back in action. Surviving the absence of key contributors is critical to fantasy baseball success, and knowing when they will return can help you maximize their impact. Keeping on top of all the injury news can also help you correctly value players for redraft or dynasty leagues.
All three of these starting pitchers were drafted early and productive when available, but when can we expect them to return to the mound? Let's dive in and take a look.
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Hunter Greene Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball
Greene was having an outstanding start to the season before ending up on the injured list due to a strained groin. The 25-year-old made 11 starts for the Reds and went 4-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.39 FIP, and 73 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings. His stuff looked excellent, and he was able to dial up the velocity when he needed a strikeout
Hunter Greene, 101mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/svd66kENOq
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 23, 2025
Unfortunately, he landed on the injured list after leaving a start on May 7 with a Grade 1 groin strain. He said at the time that he thought he could avoid a trip to the injury list since he would miss just one start, but he ultimately went on the IL on May 8 since the team was being extra cautious with its emerging young ace.
He returned at the end of May and made three starts, but he was forced to leave his third outing when he felt the same issue once again. He went back on the injured list June 4, so he is officially eligible to return, but the team has not provided much of an update on his timetable. He met with several specialists and got additional testing and opinions in order to help him avoid another setback when he returns.
He's expected to ramp back up more slowly this time around and is going to work at the team’s facility in Arizona to rehab with medical staff and work through his throwing program there. In addition to the groin injury, he is also dealing with back and hip discomfort caused by compensating for the injury. He received treatment for those issues as well to take care of them while he was already sidelined.
Greene hasn't started that throwing program that we know of and is going to take a little big longer to work his way back this time around.
Terry Francona on Hunter Greene’s timeline to return: “It’s going to take a little longer this time.”
It’s his second stint on the IL with a groin injury. Greene will rehab in Arizona at the complex.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) June 14, 2025
He isn't expected to be out for months, but he will likely need a few rehab starts, pushing his potential return into July. As he increases his workload, the team should provide a more concrete timetable.
Greene's production was so strong when healthy that all fantasy managers can really do is wait out the injury. Stash or hold the young fireballer since it isn't a long-term injury, and look for him to start ramping up soon.
While he is out, the Reds have used a variety of pitchers to fill in. Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer have been the core four in the rotation, with Wade Miley making a few starts before being diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left elbow. On Tuesday, the team will give the ball to exciting prospect Chase Burns, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and has dominated in the minors. If Burns has success, one of the other options will move aside when Greene returns, and the team hopes that Greene and Burns develop into a dominant top of their rotation for years to come.
Greene should be back soon enough to remain a hold at this point, although you'll definitely want to keep an eye on his progress once he starts to work his way back in the coming days.
Cole Ragans Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball
Like the Reds, the Royals have been making it work without their ace, but are hoping a return is coming soon. Ragans seems to be a little farther away from a return than Greene, although he does have a clearer timeline, even if it is a little more extended. The lefty is dealing with a rotator cuff strain that has kept him on the shelf since June 8.
Before landing on the injured list, Ragans went 2-3 in 10 starts with a 5.18 ERA, 2.39 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, and 14.05 K/9. His strikeout numbers were dominant, but he was giving up more hard contact than usual. He dealt with a groin strain that sidelined him for a few weeks in May, and he made just one start before heading back to the injured list with this new shoulder injury.
Initially, the team hoped that rest would solve the issue, but it continued to bother him when he played catch in preparation for his next outing. Imaging revealed the rotator cuff strain, and a second opinion confirmed that diagnosis.
A second opinion that Cole Ragans received yesterday confirmed the rotator cuff strain. He’s shut down from throwing for four weeks (from when he got hurt, so almost two weeks in at this point). He’ll be re-evaluated after four weeks to determine if he can start a progression.
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) June 18, 2025
After two more weeks, in early July, Ragans will be re-evaluated to establish a clear path to his return. He'll need rehab starts and bullpens to ramp back up, so a return at the end of July is probably a best-case scenario, with some time in August a little more realistic.
While the news on Ragans isn't great, the Royals have gotten good work from his replacement. Noah Cameron allowed one or no runs six times in his first seven starts this season for the Royals, although he did give up six runs in the other. He gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings on Saturday and fell to 2-3 on the year, but he still has an impressive 2.08 ERA, 3.67 FIP, and 0.97 WHIP in his 47 2/3 innings.
Cameron has made a strong case to stick in the rotation with Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, and Michael Lorenzen. Ragans' return is far enough away that the problem has a chance to sort itself out, but eventually, one of those players will likely lose their spot when Ragans makes his way back to the major league roster.
Nathan Eovaldi Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball
Of the three sidelined starting pitchers in this post, Eovaldi has the best outlook by far. He has already progressed through his throwing program, and on Saturday, he faced hitters for roughly 50 pitches in a simulated game. He may use that as his final step before returning instead of a full rehab stint and could be activated to make a start this coming week.
Rangers pitcher updates:
- Nathan Eovaldi threw about 50+ pitches and three simulated innings of live bp. He could be activated in the coming week- Jon Gray threw a “glorified bullpen” of about 35 pitches against ghost hitters. He’s progressing really well
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) June 21, 2025
The Rangers are in Baltimore to start the week, but it seems more likely that he would return to face the Mariners at home in one of the team's three-game series this coming weekend. If you're holding Eovaldi, the wait is almost over!
He has been sidelined since May 27 with triceps fatigue, which also caused his previous start to be pushed back. He was not expected to be sidelined long-term and should be ready to step back in without too many limitations. He may throw fewer pitches in his first start back, but should be full speed ahead after that.
Eovaldi went 4-3 in his 12 starts before landing on the injured list with a sterling 1.56 ERA, 2.31 FIP, 0.81 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings. The Rangers will hope he can pick up right where he left off as a key part at the top of their rotation. Eovaldi will slot into the spot in the rotation left open by Tyler Mahle, who landed on the 15-day injured list due to shoulder soreness. Kumar Rocker started in Mahle's place on Saturday but could be headed back to Triple-A if Eovaldi is ready to take the ball this Friday, when that spot comes up again.
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