Pitchers Who Missed Significant Time in 2025

Injuries are a part of the game of baseball. Within the realm of the fantasy baseball world, they can do some serious damage to the teams that roster those ailing players, simply because of the large investment value that each injured pick holds. If a fantasy manager spends a very high draft pick on someone who won’t play, then their team likely suffered as a result.

However, a year after these disasters, fantasy players should look to capitalize. Oftentimes in drafts, a player’s average draft position or draft cost will be lowered due to many reasons, such as injury concern, performance upon return, and not knowing what to expect. Here are some pitchers who missed significant time in 2025, and what to expect in 2026.

Pitching Injuries to Monitor in 2026 Spring Training

Gerrit Cole – New York Yankees

During Spring Training last season, Gerrit Cole suffered a torn UCL, leading to Tommy John surgery in March. He subsequently missed the entire 2025 season, but did make progress in his recovery. Over the many months of healing, he advanced to a long toss of up to 75 feet before the season officially ended. The good news is that at the beginning of November, he took a major step forward by throwing a bullpen session at Yankee Stadium.

Gerrit Cole posted a video of himself pitching on the mound in the Yankee Stadium bullpen pic.twitter.com/OeMPogx6ie

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) November 1, 2025

It was revealed in December that Cole doesn’t plan on returning until late May or early June. This is quite standard, as the recovery timeline for a pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery typically involves a minimum of a 12-month absence. As such, fantasy owners may want to stash him away on their rosters and wait for the former Cy Young winner to make his triumphant return. There is, however, significant caution in doing this.

For starters, this timeline of a possible June return is a best-case scenario. If Cole suffers any setbacks, big or small, this will undoubtedly get pushed to later in June. Secondly, pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery tend to take a while to get back to their dominant ways. They essentially need to learn how to throw in a completely new way, as their bodies adjust to the major changes that have occurred. Finally, in leagues with or without a spot for the Injured List, this could be considered a roster-clogger, in that other injuries will most assuredly take place, and holding onto someone who won’t play for months could be detrimental.

While his current draft cost of pick 250+ seems like a reasonable price, there are many risks involved. If someone is drafting Cole to be a staple of their rotation, then the suggestion here is to look elsewhere in the draft. That being said, as the time gets closer to his return, he might be worth stashing where possible, as his upside is immense, even with the immediate return from a major injury.

Spencer Schwellenbach – Atlanta Braves

Another pitcher to miss time with a significant injury in 2025 was Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Schwellenbach. Back in July, the 25-year-old was placed on the Injured List with a fractured elbow following a dominant effort days earlier. There was some belief that this freakish injury was due to an increase in velocity. While most pitchers do not end up suffering this kind of fate, for Schwellenbach, the pain that he suffered was more than just tightness and quite intense. The good news is that he is now pain-free, as he attempts to work this offseason to return.

Spencer Schwellenbach is pain-free now, Alex Anthopoulos said today.

Very good news for the Braves.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 11, 2025

The news here came after months of him throwing bullpen sessions with the anticipation that those would advance into live bullpens. It’s tough to get details on exactly how players are progressing in the offseason, but the fact that he was pain-free months after this news is a very positive sign. The unfortunate part of all of this is that his current draft price does not offer any discounts. He is being drafted just outside the fifth round, meaning that he will likely be your fantasy team’s SP1 or SP2 if you want him on your team. With more positive updates, that price will likely rise throughout the winter and spring months. That being said, this injury shouldn’t impact him moving forward, and he should be treated similarly in drafts to how he was thought of last year at this time.

Shane McClanahan – Tampa Bay Rays

As of the Rays’ Opening Day game, it will have been 967 days since we last saw Shane McClanahan pitch in a Major League Baseball game. Back in 2023, the 28-year-old lefty underwent his second Tommy John surgery and worked hard to make his return by the following season. Instead of a triumphant debut, he suffered from nerve damage in his left triceps and finished the season without even one appearance for the Rays after setbacks with nerve discomfort. He had a procedure done to help alleviate the pain there, and now will be aiming for a return in 2026.

There are some interesting notes to add here. First, McLanahan was going to have his innings limited in 2025 when he was returning from Tommy John surgery. It wouldn’t be outlandish to think that the same will be true in 2026, given what he’s had to come back from. Second, as of December, the southpaw had only advanced to throwing from flat ground. As such, he still has a way to go before being ready. While there isn’t any worry that he will not be ready, it’s still just another hurdle. It will be important, however, to keep up to date with any and all news regarding his velocity, location, and what the manager says about him and his role, especially out of the gate. That said, his draft cost will be similar to that of the aforementioned Gerrit Cole. He can be someone slotted into the backend of your rotation, with the reminder that his production could be limited or capped yet again in 2026.

Quick Hits

Joe Musgrove had Tommy John surgery in October 2024 and was almost ready to return late in the 2025 season. His return was delayed somewhat as he suffered from a tendinitis-type feeling in his arm, and thus, he was looking forward to Spring Training being his opportunity to make his debut. His status as a returnee from this surgery remains similar to the players mentioned above – draft with caution… Reese Olson missed two months of the season with a right shoulder strain. He was tentatively going to be available if the Tigers had made the World Series. He has started a throwing progression and should be ready for Spring Training. He remains a late-round option and should pitch every day… Grayson Rodriguez has had a plethora of injuries, some of which have been recurring over the years, but he is on pace to be healthy enough to start the season on the mound. His injury history makes him very difficult to trust, but his draft cost, which is close to pick 400 overall, makes him worth the risk due to his upside.