X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

When Will Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider Return? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

Spencer Strider fantasy baseball rankings waiver wire pickups draft sleepers starting pitchers

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

The MLB regular season is over a week old, but some stars are still conspicuously absent from the lineup for their fantasy baseball teams and their MLB teams. If you're anxiously awaiting the return of Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers or  Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves, you'll want to stay up on the latest on these stars' recoveries.

As all fantasy baseball players are very aware, injuries can radically impact your team's season. Keeping up on the latest news about your players' injuries and navigating the absence of key contributors is critical to success. Knowing the latest info can help you correctly value players for redraft or dynasty leagues and plan for fill-in measures if needed.

All three of the National League stars covered in this update are currently on the injured list but are working their way back to the lineup. All three will be critical to their team's playoff aspirations and give their fantasy owners a big boost when they are back in the lineup. Let's take a look at the latest news and how toy approach each situation.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Freddie Freeman Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Freeman was scratched on Opening Day with left ribcage soreness and missed both of the games in the Tokyo Series. He played the three games in the series against the Tigers, going 3-for-12 (.250) with two home runs, four RBI, and a .453 wOBA.

However, during that weekend, he had what manager Dave Roberts described as a "mishap" in the shower and tweaked his surgically repaired right ankle. The team hoped to get him back in the lineup right away, but ultimately, he missed the whole series against the Braves and was not expected to be available for Friday's series opener against the Phillies.

Even though X-rays were negative, the team opted to play it safe and place him on the 10-day injured list on Friday, retroactive to March 31.

In good news, there hasn't been any indication that Freeman is headed for a long-term absence, and he is currently expected to return after the minimum days on the IL or shortly after that. However, the issue was also expected to be minor when the mishap happened, but it has lingered longer than the Dodgers or Freeman's fantasy owners would like.

Hopefully, he will be able to return in mid-April and keep producing as he did in his limited availability. He already showed that he can still be an elite producer when he's on the field, but the lingering injuries are starting to be a cause for concern. So far, there isn't anything major, but multiple minor things could start to add up for the 35-year-old lefty.

While he is out, the Dodgers have been starting Kike Hernandez at 1B. In his first five games of the season, Hernandez went 2-for-19 (.105), but both of those hits were home runs. He does have a little power potential but is not a great long-term option at the position. He'll return to his utility role as soon as Freeman is ready to return, so he is unlikely to retain fantasy value.

 

Ronald Acuna Jr. Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

The Braves continue to bide their time while waiting for Acuna to be cleared for work in the outfield and to be able to cut on his surgically repaired ACL. The last update from manager Brian Snitker came early this week when he said that the star outfielder still hasn't been cleared for those activities.

Acuna is still on the long road back from his torn left ACL suffered last May against the Pirates. He sustained the dreaded "non-contact injury" while running the bases. It is the second torn ACL he has suffered in his time with the Braves. Acuna tore the ACL in his right knee in 2021 and was able to return to win the NL MVP in 2023 with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases.

Initially, the team was hopeful that he would return in time for Opening Day, but they have moved his timeline back to early May. However, they did only place him on the 10-day injured list, not the 60-day injured list, which means they still think he'll be back before the end of May.

The last time he returned from the IL after an ACL injury, he had a little bit of a down year, hitting .266 with 15 homers, 29 stolen bases, and a .332 wOBA in 2022. The team seems to be trying to take a more conservative route this time so that he can return closer to full strength.

Since he's still not doing cutting or fielding drills, he has a long way to go before he's ready to play the outfield on a regular basis. He will likely need an extended minor league rehab stint since he did not see any spring training action.

The Braves initially plugged the huge hole left by Acuna with Jurickson Profar, who was leading off every day before getting hit with an 80-game suspension for PED use. Without Profar now, the Braves have gone with Michael Harris II in the leadoff spot against lefties and Ozzie Alibes against righties.

They'll likely continue to split time at the top of the lineup while Bryan De La Cruz starts on one side of the outfield with Jarred Kelenic and Stuart Fairchild platooning in the other corner outfield spot.

 

Spencer Strider Injury Update For Fantasy Baseball

Strider is much closer to a return for the Braves and is currently on his rehab assignment in Triple-A with the Gwinnett Stripers. He got in four innings in two spring training starts, totaling 10 strikeouts in four innings, but he wasn't quite ready to break camp with the MLB club.

In those two Grapefruit League outings, he shook off some rust, but he also showed that his elite strikeout potential was back with 10 strikeouts in the 17 batters he faced against the Orioles and Red Sox.

In Triple-A, Strider threw 60 pitches in his first start for the Stripers, getting through three innings with just two hits and one earned run while racking up six strikeouts. He was even sharper in his second rehab start on Friday, working up to 75 pitches and not allowing a hit or a run in 5 1/3 innings with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Strider was limited to just two starts before his injury last season and only totaled nine innings before requiring a procedure on his elbow.

However, instead of full-blown Tommy John surgery, which typically requires an 18-month recovery, Strider had an internal brace procedure to stabilize his damaged ulnar collateral ligament that only requires a nine to 12-month recovery, enabling him to come back just a year after the initial injury.

After his strong rehab outings, he may be ready to return in his next start, although the initial plan was for him to get in at least one more start in Gwinnett. Throwing so effectively, Strider will obviously be a huge boost for the rotation with his elite ceiling.

Right now, the Braves are using a rotation of Chris Sale, Bryce Elder,  Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Grant Holmes. With Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) on the 60-day IL, the Braves could opt to send either the 25-year-old Elder or the 22-year-old Smith-Shawver to the minors or to the bullpen when Strider is ready to take over his spot in the rotation.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Shane Baz

Tosses Seven Shutout Innings In Win
Trevor Larnach

Homers, Collects Four RBI On Friday
Jordan Beck

Power Surge Continues, Homers Twice On Friday
Jacob Markstrom

Ends Losing Spell Friday
Devin Williams

Blows Save On Friday, Yankees Make Temporary Move At Closer
Cole Caufield

Collects Two Points In Friday's Win
Connor McDavid

Totals Three Points In Game 3 Win
Johnathan Kovacevic

Exits Early Friday
Seth Lugo

Tosses Eight Shutout Innings In Friday's Win Over Houston
Sam Montembeault

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Friday
Logan Thompson

Exits Loss With Injury
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Will Throw A Bullpen On Sunday
Brandon Hagel

Suspended For Game 3
Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF