When Will Royce Lewis, Masataka Yoshida, Luis Gil Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

April 9, 2025

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

We are already at the point of the season where the injuries are starting to pile up for fantasy baseball managers. Ketel Marte, George Kirby, Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Neto, Sean Manaea, and Freddie Freeman are just a few players currently on the injured list. Losing those big-time players does not make many managers happy this early in the fantasy year. 

Three more players to add to that list are Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis, Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, and New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil. These three players have yet to make their season debut, as Lewis, Yoshida, and Gil all started the year on the IL. 

So, when will Lewis, Yoshida, and Gil return? Can fantasy managers expect them to be back in the next few weeks? Let's dive in and find out. 

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Royce Lewis Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Drafting Lewis in 2025 fantasy baseball drafts was always going to be a risk. He has never played over 85 games in a season, and injuries continue to be a problem for him. The slugging third baseman tore his ACL in both 2021 and 2022 and then only appeared in 58 games during the 2023 campaign due to an oblique strain and a hamstring injury. 

Injuries have held back the 25-year-old third baseman in recent years. After playing just 82 contests in 2024, Lewis went through extensive work in the offseason to get his body ready to play a full season. He tried everything to ensure he would stay healthy during the 2025 campaign. Nonetheless, it didn't take him long to wind up back on the IL. 

Lewis injured his hamstring trying to beat out a grounder against the Boston Red Sox toward the end of spring training. The injury occurred on March 16, and the Twins placed him on IL when the season began. That hamstring strain is a tough break for a player who did all he could to try and stay healthy this year. 

The good news is that Lewis has already begun hitting and doing some running. That is a clear sign of progression, and the young third baseman will likely increase his baseball activity level over the next few weeks. He is also expected to be cleared for a running program this upcoming weekend. The bad news, though, is that he is still a little bit away from a return.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Lewis is still three weeks away from beginning a minor league rehab assignment. Assuming he suffers no setbacks before then, fantasy managers shouldn't expect the 25-year-old to be activated until the middle of May. Given his injury history, there's also a chance that we won't see him until Memorial Day. 

Royce Lewis (hamstring) has been hitting and doing some running, per Derek Falvey.

Falvey: "No change in his status. He just needs to continue to progress."

Lewis is three weeks into his recovery from a moderate hamstring strain. In general, those have a timeline of 6-8 weeks.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 6, 2025

Even though it will be at least another month until Lewis is activated off the IL, he is worth an IL stash. He hit 15 home runs in 58 games in 2023 and added another 16 home runs in 82 games last year. When healthy, the Twins corner infielder is one of the best power hitters in the game. So, fantasy managers should continue to keep him in one of their IL spots. 

Masataka Yoshida Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Yoshida had a very strong rookie season with the Red Sox back in 2023. He hit .289 with 15 home runs, 33 doubles, 72 RBI, and eight stolen bases across 140 games in his first major league season. Although he missed over a month due to a thumb injury last year, the Japanese native still posted solid all-around numbers at the plate. The lefty had a .290 batting average with 10 home runs, 21 doubles, and 56 RBI in 108 contests. 

However, Yoshida hasn't been able to build off those campaigns so far. He underwent shoulder surgery this past offseason and then dealt with a back issue a few weeks ago. Those two things have delayed the start of his 2025 campaign.

This team gets to add Masataka Yoshida. Scary to think about

— Céad Míle Fáilte (@ColeyMick) April 7, 2025

The biggest obstacle for Yoshida is making sure his shoulder is 100 percent healthy before being activated off the IL. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the outfielder is currently throwing at 80 percent intensity. Once he does get to that 100 percent threshold, Boston will then send him on a minor league rehab assignment. 

If he suffers no setbacks with his throwing progression, we could expect Yoshida to make his season debut at some point in May. Given that the 31-year-old had 35 at-bats during spring training, he might not spend much time on his minor league rehab assignment. The Red Sox just have to ensure his arm is ready to go. 

With a return near for Yoshida, some fantasy managers might want to stash the outfielder in one of their IL spots. He has hit for a solid average in both of his two major league seasons and could drive in upward of 65 runs in this Boston lineup. However, the lefty is not worth hanging on in most fantasy formats.

When he does get activated off the IL, there is nowhere for him to play. Rafael Devers is occupying the designated hitter spot, and Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu are currently locking down the three outfield spots. So, there's a good chance Yoshida doesn't see frequent playing time in the outfield. That makes him someone to leave on waivers for the time being. 

Luis Gil Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Both the Yankees and fantasy managers were excited about Gil's potential in 2025. The right-hander finished with a 3.50 ERA, 1.193 WHIP, and 171 strikeouts last year and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Even though he led the league in walks allowed (77), there was plenty of optimism surrounding him entering the new season. 

However, Gil started the year on the IL after injuring his shoulder in the spring. The Yankees pitcher suffered a high-grade right lat strain during his bullpen session on February 28 and was shut down from throwing for six weeks. Those six weeks are now approaching, which means the 26-year-old could begin throwing in the next few days. 

That's on par with what Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Wednesday, April 9. When talking to reporters, Boone stated that Gil would begin a throwing program within the next "several days." That update is certainly encouraging for the right-hander and puts him in a good spot moving forward. 

Clarke Schmidt is scheduled to make his final (if all goes well) rehab start tomorrow either at SWB or Somerset, wherever it’s not going to rain.

Luis Gil is expected to start a throwing program in the next several days, per Boone.

— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) April 9, 2025

Now, we should still expect Gil to miss the rest of April and all of May. This injury usually takes several months to recover from, and the right-hander is just about to start his throwing program. But assuming he suffers no setbacks in the coming weeks, there's a good chance the 26-year-old will make his season debut at some point in June. 

As a result, Gil is a strong IL stash. If you currently have an open IL spot on your roster, he is worth holding onto. He had a 3.50 ERA in 2024 to go with a .208 expected batting average against, a 29 percent whiff rate, a 26.8 percent strikeout rate, and a 37.4 percent hard-hit rate. It might be a few more months until he is activated, but it could pay off in the second half of the fantasy season. 

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