When Will Jared Jones, Royce Lewis, Shohei Ohtani Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

April 1, 2025

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

Even though we are just days into the new season, the injuries continue to pile up for fantasy baseball managers. Gunnar Henderson, George Kirby, Shane McClanahan, Grayson Rodriguez, and Sean Manaea are just a few players currently on the injured list. As a result, the IL spots on your fantasy team might already be full. 

Three players who might also be occupying those IL spots are Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones, Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis, and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani has been hitting at the plate to start the season, but he is currently unavailable as a pitcher. 

So, when will Jones, Lewis, and Ohtani (pitcher) return? Can fantasy managers plug them into their lineups soon? Let's dive in and find out. 

Jared Jones Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Jones was in a good spot to build off his encouraging rookie campaign in 2024. He finished with a 4.14 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings pitched last season and looked fantastic during his four spring starts. That led to Jones being a sleeper pick in the middle round of fantasy drafts. However, the right-hander experienced some discomfort in his elbow after a bullpen session on March 16. 

The good news is that Jones suffered no structural damage in his elbow and will not need surgery following further examination. It is only a UCL sprain for the Pirates pitcher. The 23-year-old will take a few weeks to rest and won't throw for at least the next six weeks. In a lot of ways, this was the best-case scenario for him. 

Jones will not be out for the entire season and will pitch again in 2025. Now, when he will make his season debut remains to be seen. He won't throw for at least six weeks and will need to build back up. Therefore, we shouldn't expect him to pitch in the majors until at least the beginning of June. 

Sources: No torn ligaments, no surgery for Jared Jones. He will go six weeks without throwing. Overall encouraging news for the Pirates.

— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) March 25, 2025

Since Jones won't be out for the season, he is a great IL stash in fantasy. He was a solid fantasy option in his rookie campaign and had 17 strikeouts across 12 innings pitched this spring. While it might be a while until he can contribute to your fantasy team, he should put up solid numbers in the second half of the season. 

Royce Lewis Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Lewis has dealt with his fair share of injuries so far in his career. He tore his ACL in both 2021 and 2022, dealt with an oblique strain and a hamstring injury during the 2023 season, and missed more time due to injuries last year. That has limited the talented third baseman to just 152 games over the past three years. 

Given his recent injury history, it was only a matter of time until Lewis winded up on the IL this season. That became a reality when the Twins corner infielder injured his hamstring toward the end of spring training. He tried to beat out a grounder but winded up suffering a moderate left hamstring strain in the process. So, the 25-year-old started the season on the IL. 

Royce Lewis pulled up running to first base and exited the game with what looks like a leg injury. pic.twitter.com/dgzimQfi7y

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) March 16, 2025

As it stands now, there is no official timetable set for Lewis' return. He hasn't participated in any baseball activities since injuring his hamstring on March 16 and is still likely weeks away from coming back. There's no doubt the Twins will take a careful approach with their young third baseman, considering he appeared in just 82 games last season. 

Nonetheless, Lewis is a nice IL stash for your fantasy team right now. When he is healthy, he is one of the best power hitters in the game. He hit 15 home runs across 58 games in 2023 and launched 16 home runs last year. Although the 25-year-old has struggled to stay healthy in his career, he's a low-risk, high-reward hold in all fantasy leagues. 

Shohei Ohtani Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

There are no concerns surrounding Ohtani as a hitter. He hit .310 with 54 home runs, 38 doubles, 130 RBI, and 59 stolen bases last year and is already off to a great start offensively in 2025. However, it has been a while since we have seen the two-way superstar pitch in an MLB game. His last start came on August 23 of the 2023 season. 

In that August 23 outing, Ohtani left the contest early due to some elbow discomfort. It turned out that the Japanese native needed Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career, with the first coming back in 2018. Unfortunately, this injury prevented the Dodgers superstar from pitching during the 2024 season. On top of that, he underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in the offseason. 

So, Ohtani is essentially working his way back from two separate injuries. The encouraging news is that the right-hander will pitch for the Dodgers at some point this season. He threw his first bullpen session in the spring and resumed his ramp-up on March 29 with another bullpen session. 

Shohei Ohtani is throwing his first bullpen session in about a month. Dave Roberts says the MVP is still not close to pitching in games, but he’s taking steps. pic.twitter.com/CoQWxgoN9a

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) March 29, 2025

While the March 29 bullpen session is a nice sign for Ohtani, it still might be some time until we see him pitching in a major league game. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander "doesn't have a timeline," and he's still a "ways away [from a return]." Therefore, we shouldn't expect the right-hander to pitch in the majors until at least the middle of May. 

Los Angeles will surely take a careful approach with its star pitcher, given he hasn't pitched in a major league game in 587 days. But when he does return to the mound, he should provide fantasy managers with solid pitching numbers. Ohtani finished with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts across 132 innings pitched in 2023. 

As a result, Ohtani should be stashed in your IL spot in most leagues. He will pitch at some point during the 2025 season and has the upside to contribute solid fantasy numbers for managers. Just keep in mind, though, that the Dodgers will likely limit his innings this year. He might be a part of a six-man rotation and likely won't go deep into games in his first few outings. 

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