Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Tuesday, May 20, 2025. In today’s report, Yordan Alvarez continues to be at a standstill concerning his recovery. Also, Mike Trout took a big step forward yesterday in how much pressure his ailing knee can withstand. Finally, we get an end date for Hunter Greene’s absence, which is a welcome sign to fantasy owners everywhere. All of this and so much more in today’s MLB Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Yordan Alvarez – OF Houston Astros
Alvarez said he is hitting in the cage and unsure of a timeline to return. He said if he’s pain free, “It could be tomorrow, it could be the next day, but we’re going to keep working for it to be 100 percent.” https://t.co/ED0EJFh91V
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 19, 2025
The absence of Alvarez has been frustrating for fantasy owners everywhere. He started the year slowly, and now it’s been revealed that he has been dealing with inflammation in his hand for “a while”. That word is very vague, as it could indicate the problem starting days ago, weeks ago, or even months ago. For all we know, he was dealing with this issue last season, as it was revealed that he didn’t swing a bat at full strength all offseason. Without reading too much into this and at the risk of overreacting, the Astros famously misdiagnosed Kyle Tucker’s foot last season, and the hope is that this isn’t another case of the team not doing the right thing.
Mike Trout – OF Los Angeles Angels
#Angels RF Mike Trout has progressed to jogging on the field pic.twitter.com/W8Poeu5PhG
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) May 19, 2025
Trout advanced his workouts here, moving from the gravity-machine treadmills to flat ground. Depending on how he feels in the coming days, he may be able to try sprinting and pivoting with that injured knee. It’s unclear if he will require a rehab assignment, but it should be noted that he last played on April 30 and likely won’t be ready to play in any game until at least the beginning of June.
Hunter Greene – SP Cincinnati Reds
The #Reds are expecting Hunter Greene to be ready this weekend against the #Cubs.#ATOBTTR | @Reds
🔗 https://t.co/6YbqEWFvEp pic.twitter.com/5ubrPSOHsg— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) May 19, 2025
Be prepared.
Chandler Simpson – OF Tampa Bay Rays
#Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson (face, right hand) is available today, even if he’s not starting, and is feeling much better. “He’s good to go,” Kevin Cash said.
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) May 19, 2025
There was some concern that Simpson was dealing with something more than a minor hand ailment, as he was excluded from the starting lineup on Monday. He made an appearance as a pinch-runner late in last night’s contest. It looks as if he will make his return there later today.
Ha-Seong Kim – SS Tampa Bay Rays
#Rays SS Ha-Seong Kim, who’s currently out on the field taking grounders and zipping the ball to first base, is getting close to a return. He’ll do BP and more infield work, but could take live at-bats and then FCL games by the end of the week, then a potential rehab assignment…
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) May 19, 2025
As noted, this is a big week for Kim, who will be accelerating his on-field recovery program. If all goes well, he should be making his 2025 debut for the Rays within the next two weeks. He is worth stashing away on teams now before the cost gets too high.
Shota Imanaga – SP Chicago Cubs
Per Craig Counsell, #Cubs Shota Imanaga will begin throwing off a mound towards the end of next week. He said his return will be “well into June.”
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 19, 2025
Imanaga has been out of action since the beginning of May with a hamstring injury. The hope was that this would be a minor setback, but hamstring injuries to pitchers are tricky, as they cannot always keep their arms active while they are healing. As such, here, Imanaga will begin throwing again, but from the sounds of it, he will have a long way to go.
Ian Happ – OF Chicago Cubs
Per Counsell, #Cubs Ian Happ is expected to come off the IL at some point this series. He’s eligible to come off tomorrow.
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 19, 2025
Of note, Happ is first eligible to come off the Injured List tomorrow. He went through a full workout on Sunday, and then a day later, it’s mentioned that he is likely coming back soon. Either way, be prepared.
Porter Hodge – RP Chicago Cubs
Per Craig Counsell, #Cubs Porter Hodge has a left oblique injury and is going to be placed on the IL.
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 20, 2025
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Hodge placed on the Injured List and the aforementioned Ian Happ activated from that list today.
Reese Olson – SP Detroit Tigers
Reese Olson is going on the IL. Right ring finger. Chase Lee is up. Bullpen game Wednesday.
— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) May 19, 2025
An unfortunate break here for Olson, who will see his hot streak interrupted. The good news is that this doesn’t seem to be a serious injury, with no talk of a fracture, sprain, or anything more. The hope is that this is a precautionary move to give the bruise some time to heal. Stay tuned.
Casey Mize – SP Detroit Tigers
Casey Mize threw 5 innings in a sim game at Comerica today. Meadows, Vierling, Rogers, Perez all hit. Mize on a good track to return Saturday
— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) May 19, 2025
This is great news on multiple fronts, the biggest of which being that the Rigers, having just lost Olson, will have a reinforcement in their rotation later in the week. The hope is that Mize can regain his dominant form when he returns.
Justin Verlander – SP San Francisco Giants
Bob Melvin said it was pec discomfort that Justin Verlander was dealing with yesterday. They’ll give him a couple days to rest and then see if he’s ready for next start.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) May 19, 2025
The physical issue was listed as an anonymous ailment earlier in the day, as Verlander wasn’t disclosing what it was to the public. He did complain that it was something physical that was stopping him from pitching as well as he could have. Now that we know that this is a minor issue, the hope is that he can overcome this and get back on the mound later in the week.
Arizona Diamondbacks – Team Update
A.J. Puk has started his throwing program out to 60 feet.
Eduardo is Rodriguez threw to 90 feet today.
— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) May 20, 2025
Both A.J. Puk and Eduardo Rodriguez are at similar points in their recovery, with Rodriguez able to throw the farthest of the two. If anyone is closer to a return timeline-wise, it’s not Puk, who is not eligible to return until July 1. That said, both players have a long way to go given the tenuous state of their injuries.
