When Will Wyatt Langford, Fernando Tatis Jr., Justin Steele Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

April 11, 2025

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

Injuries happen. It's a universal fact that all fantasy baseball managers know well. While they are seemingly unavoidable, injuries also come in a wide variety of types and severity. Some are sadly season-ending, others can result in a quick trip to the injured list, and some can even just need a couple of days of rest. Over the last week, Wyatt Langford of the Rangers, Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres, and Justin Steele of the Cubs all suffered injuries. How serious are they, and what should fantasy managers expect going forward?

Navigating injuries successfully by staying up to date with the latest info is critical to your fantasy baseball team's success. Whenever a player is hurt, it impacts the team around him in terms of playing time and opportunities for other players to step up. It also impacts his value in both redraft and dynasty leagues.

Thankfully for this trio and their fantasy owners, none of the injuries seem to be too significant at this point. However, each one will need to be carefully monitored for the next several weeks. It's good to have as many contingencies in place as possible and build in extra depth on your roster to help deal with these situations. Let's run down the latest on each of these important players.

Wyatt Langford Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Langford was the Rangers' first-round draft pick in 2023 and quickly jumped to the majors by 2024. He played 134 games for Texas last season, hitting .253 with 16 home runs, 19 stolen bases, and a .321 wOBA. In spring training, he looked ready to take his game to the next level, going 14-for-33 (.424) with two homers and a .508 wOBA.

Once the regular season began, he went 10-for-41 (.244) with four home runs, two stolen bases, and a .382 wOBA. He had a 47.1 percent hard-hit rate and an 11.3 percent barrel rate, which were both improvements from last season.

However, on Tuesday, April 8, after hitting his fourth homer of the season earlier in the game, he had to exit due to right-side tightness. An MRI revealed an oblique strain, and ultimately, he landed on the 10-day IL.

Wyatt Langford did lobby to stay off IL, but acknowledged this was right decision. Minimal time missed with 3 off days in next 12 days. Get issue right. Back before April is done. Smart to be cautious with oblique

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) April 9, 2025

Since Langford also dealt with an oblique strain in spring training, the team should be extra cautious and give him the time to recover. Unless they get time to fully heal, they can continue to be an issue or become worse.

With Langford on IL, the Rangers sent down Jonathan Ornelas and recalled Ezequiel Duran and Dustin Harris from Triple-A. Harris and Duran could both be in the mix in the outfield, with Josh Smith, Kevin Pillar, and Leody Taveras also sharing time alongside Adolis Garcia.

The good news for Langford, the Rangers, and his fantasy managers is that he's not expected to be out long at all and should return later in April. He's worth holding onto in almost all formats and is a great addition if someone gives up on him early.

Fernando Tatis Jr. Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Tatis has a long history of health issues, so any injury issue deserves attention. Like Langford, Tatis left Tuesday's game with an injury. He went 0-for-2 with a walk before being lifted in the fifth inning.

After the game, Padres manager Mike Shildt said that Tatis tweaked his surgically repaired shoulder on a swing and then further reaggravated it sliding into third base in the second inning. Even though it's a complication to a serious injury, Tatis and the manager both said it was minor.

Fernando Tatis Jr. tweaked his surgically repaired shoulder on a swing tonight and re-aggravated it sliding into third base.

"I'm not going on the IL or nothing like that," he said. "So, day to day so far."

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) April 9, 2025

Tatis was not in the lineup on Wednesday for the series finale in Sacramento, but he could have played in case of emergency, according to Shildt. The manager also said that Tatis was on track to return to action on Friday, and Tatis was in the lineup hitting leadoff Friday against the Rockies. As long as he avoids setbacks, he'll be correct in his prediction that he will avoid the IL for now.

Before he left with the injury, Tatis was off to a fantastic start to the season. He went 16-for-44 (.364) with a double, two home runs, and five stolen bases. Without him on Wednesday, Luis Arraez moved into the leadoff spot, and Oscar Gonzalez played RF.

Tatis was ready to return on Friday, and this will be a non-issue going forward. Since it is an aggravation to such a serious injury, though, it'll be important to monitor the situation for any further developments. Tatis is an elite producer.

Justin Steele Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The Cubs were not quite as fortunate with Steele as the Padres were with Tatis. Steele was placed on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday due to left elbow tendinitis.

Cubs starter Justin Steele felt elbow discomfort in the middle of his last start. He pitched a couple more scoreless innings but still felt it the next day. He’s on the IL for what he thinks will be a minimum stay.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) April 9, 2025

The start in which he felt the issue was, ironically, his best start of the season. His velocity was down, but he still went seven scoreless innings in the cold game while allowing just three hits with eight strikeouts against the Rangers.

In his previous three outings, including his start in Tokyo, he gave up 12 runs over 15 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts. Steele is 3-1 on the year now with a 4.76 ERA and 4.76 FIP. He'll hopefully miss just the minimum time on the IL and be ready to return before the end of April. He's first eligible to return on April 23.

While he is out, the Cubs may not even need to replace him in the rotation since they have a handful of off days on the schedule over the next few weeks. If they do need a spot start, they could either look to the bullpen and give Colin Rea the chance or call up Jordan Wicks from Triple-A Iowa.

Wicks is 0-2 in two starts for Iowa, with a 4.66 ERA and 4.16 FIP in 9 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. He went 2-4 in 11 games in 2024 with a 5.48 ERA, 5.32 FIP, and an 8.2 K/9. Wicks could get a short-term chance for the Cubs while Steele is out, so stay tuned to see how the Cubs align their rotation this weekend.

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