When Will Ronald Acuna Jr., Ketel Marte, CJ Abrams Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

April 15, 2025

When will Acuna Jr., Marte, and Abrams return and play? Will Acuna Jr., Marte, and Abrams be back again this season? Read the latest fantasy baseball injury updates and return date for Week 3 of the 2025 MLB season.

Fantasy baseball injuries can be tough to overcome, especially if they occur to key players. Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks and CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals are elite multi-category producers who went down early in the season. Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves is another elite fantasy option that has been missing in the early part of the season as he recovers from his injury last season.

When the three stars return, they will give their fantasy teams a big boost in multiple categories, so fantasy baseball managers need to stay up on the latest news on their status. Whether you're a fantasy baseball rookie or a grizzled fantasy baseball veteran, making the right calls on injured players is critical to your team's success. Successfully navigating injuries and surviving the absence of key contributors can make or break your season, so you'll want to keep up with the latest injury news on these key players. 

When they do get back, their return will also impact the rest of the players on their team since they are key contributors for their teams. Let's take a look at the lastest updates on Acuna, Marte, and Abrams and see how their absence and their return will impact fantasy baseball lineups over the next few weeks.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Acuna is still recovering from the ACL injury he suffered late last May in a game against the Pirates. The season-ending injury was of the dreaded non-contact variety as he stopped and tried to get back to the base after bluffing a steal. Ultimately, the injury turned out to be a torn ACL in his left knee, and it cost him the rest of the year.

It was the second time he tore his ACL, after tearing the ACL in his right knee in 2021. Ultimately, he recovered from that surgery and returned to win the NL MVP in 2023 with his memorable season of 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases.

Originally, the Braves hoped that Acuna would be back for Opening Day, but he is still not quite ready in his recovery. He's definitely progressing, though, and could be cleared for the final steps of his rehab soon.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is in Los Angeles today undergoing a battery of tests that’ll determine if he’s cleared to begin the final steps of his rehab, including cutting when he runs.

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 14, 2025

Before receiving this final clearance, Acuna could not play the outfield or cut when he ran. His hitting may return to good form right away, but he will likely require a rehab assignment to ramp up once cleared for all baseball activities. There haven't been reports that he suffered a setback, so he should remain on track for a mid-May return.

The Braves took a very cautious approach with superstar Spencer Strider in his return and will likely follow a similar path with Acuna, giving him plenty of time to return at full strength. If you drafted Acuna, there's no reason to change course and drop him, and hopefully, the wait will be over soon.

While he has been out, the Braves' offense has struggled. Jurickson Profar was hitting leadoff before being suspended, and now Bryan De La Cruz has become an everyday outfielder while Jarred Kelenic and Stuart Fairchild platoon in left field. Michael Harris II has become the primary leadoff hitter, but the lineup isn't as dynamic without a healthy Acuna leading off.

While he's still likely a few weeks away, the news overall has been positive on Acuna, and fantasy managers should stay the course for a while longer.

Ketel Marte Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Unlike Acuna, Marte was available to start the season, so managers were counting on him to contribute immediately. He started the year hot, hitting .346 with a .418 wOBA over his first eight games, and during that time, he also signed an extension worth $116.5 million, which will keep him with the Diamondbacks through 2031.

Just two days after signing the new deal, though, Marte left a game early after pulling up with a hamstring injury on a double against the Nationals. He landed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and has missed almost two weeks.

In good news for Marte and his fantasy managers, it doesn't look like the injury will cost him too much more time. He has been cleared to resume baseball activities and is hitting off a pitching machine.

The Daily Ketel Marte update from #Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo . Marte is hitting off the machine in the cage pic.twitter.com/WxuZOB2kpE

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) April 13, 2025

According to manager Torey Lovullo, Marte has still not resumed running, which is obviously a key step in his recovery from a hamstring injury. It isn't clear if he'll need a rehab assignment or come right back into the lineup, but in a different interview, Lovullo indicated that the end of April or the very beginning of May is a realistic timeframe for getting Marte back into the lineup.

Since he was playing already this season, his rehab will likely be shorter than Acuna's, and he'll likely get back into the mix ahead of Acuna, barring any setbacks. Like Acuna, he's still a few weeks away but is trending in the right direction, so hold him on your bench or IL spot if you have him on your fantasy roster.

While Marte has been out, switch-hitting shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has moved to the top of the lineup and been very productive just before or after Corbin Carroll in the batting order. Garrett Hampson has been playing most of the time at 2B, with Tim Tawa filling a utility role off the bench.

Jordan Lawlar continues to produce good numbers at Triple-A and is pushing for a promotion, but the Dbacks have not used Marte's injury as an opportunity to promote their top prospect. Marte's return will likely take time away from Hampson and send Tawa back to the minors. It will be interesting if the team tries to keep Perdomo near the top of the order and hit Marte third or drops Perdomo to the bottom of the order, where he has been hitting the last few seasons.

CJ Abrams Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Abrams is another very productive middle infielder on the shelf as we hit the middle of April. Like Marte, he was healthy to start the season. He played 11 games and hit .244 with four stolen bases and four home runs, along with a .369 wOBA.

On Friday, April 11, he was forced to leave the Nationals' game against the Marlins after missing a couple of games earlier in the week with tightness in his thigh. After an MRI on Saturday, Abrams landed on the 10-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain.

Davey Martinez on CJ Abrams' injury. pic.twitter.com/xwdtl1Qszb

— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) April 12, 2025

Martinez references him needing a week and a half for the injury to "calm down" to prevent it from becoming a lingering or larger issue. Unlike Marte, it doesn't look like he'll miss multiple weeks, and he is likely to return shortly after he is first eligible. He'll miss the rest of this week for the Nationals, but hopefully, he'll return shortly after that.

In the team's first three games without Abrams, Alex Call moved into the leadoff spot and could get a nice short-term boost from hitting in that premium lineup spot just ahead of James Wood. The Nationals recalled infielder Nasim Nunez to fill Abrams' roster spot, and Nunez started Sunday's game after veteran Paul DeJong played shortstop in the first two games Abrams missed.

The 24-year-old Nunez has been primarily a speed prospect during his rise to the MLB, but he had a very productive spring training, hitting .419 (13-for-21) with seven stolen bases. If he gets playing time, he could be a DFS or streaming option if he can translate that hot spring into productive at-bats while Abrams is out.

The good news for Abrams and his fantasy managers is that this isn't expected to be a long-term issue, and of the three players in this post, he's likely to be the first one to return to the field.

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