MLB injury news: When Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuña Jr. and other stars will return

If it were up to me, injuries would be turned off in MLB games and every team would play a full 162-game season at full strength. Things aren’t up to me, though, and injuries are an all-too-common occurrence given the marathon that is a baseball season.

We see injuries derail promising seasons both for teams and players alike. Not all injuries are created equal, as some players heal faster than others, and some teams are better equipped to deal with the absence of a superstar.

Key injury updates around MLB

There are, unfortunately, quite a few big names on the injured list right now. With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’re keeping a close eye on all 30 teams and the top injuries of note. Here, we’ll look at 10 of the most notable injuries, when those players are expected to return and how those injuries impact the rest of the season. 

New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge

We’ll start with the biggest one. Judge won MVP each of the last two seasons and three of the last four years and is baseball’s best hitter when healthy. He was off to another great start in 2026 before a fractured rib put him on the shelf and opened the door for the rest of the AL’s superstar players to vie for an MVP award. It would be the first AL MVP not named Judge or Shohei Ohtani since the 2020 season. 

That rib fracture is expected to keep Judge on the shelf until late July or even early August. He’s been out since May 31, and he’s going to get reimaging done in the very near future to get a better grasp on his eventual return. 

The good news for the Yankees is that they’ve played well in his absence and are in first place in the AL East ahead of the Rays. New York looks like the American League’s best team, and the Yankees will only get better here in the coming months – and that’s not including potential trade deadline moves.

New York Yankees LHP Max Fried 

We’ll stick with the Yankees, who have another important piece on the injured list right now. That would be Fried, who joined New York last year after eight impressive years in Atlanta. 

Fried joined the Yankees to be their No. 2 starter behind former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, but Cole missed all of 2025 and Fried was the No. 1 guy. He did very well with a 19-5 record and 2.86 ERA, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting. The veteran lefty was off to another great start to 2026 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts before a left elbow bruise knocked him out of action. 

Fried is expected to face live hitters this week and is targeting a July return after a rehab assignment.

The Yankees have had the ability to mitigate Fried’s absence as Cole returned to action, as did Carlos Rodon, who, like Cole, began 2026 on the IL. New York has also gotten an amazing second-year boost with Cam Schlittler emerging as the frontrunner for AL Cy Young. Fried’s eventual return will give the Yankees a terrifying top three or top four of their rotation, making them a very tough out assuming they make the postseason yet again.

Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Blake Snell

It’s weird to say a team hasn’t really missed a two-time Cy Young winner who’s still in the prime of their career, but not all teams are created equal. The Dodgers have one of baseball’s best starting rotations even without Snell’s services as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have dazzled while Justin Wrobleski has emerged as a breakout player in L.A.

Snell has made just 12 total regular-season starts for the Dodgers since signing ahead of last year, and he made only one start earlier this year before needing surgery to clean up loose bodies in his left elbow. The star southpaw is targeting a return around the Aug. 3 trade deadline. 

Like I said – the Dodgers haven’t really needed Snell, but adding a pitcher of his caliber to an already-stacked roster only gives the reigning champs more ammo in their 3-peat bid. 

Arizona Diamondbacks RHP Corbin Burnes

We’re also keeping close tabs on another former Cy Young winner in the NL West. 

Burnes, a four-time All-Star and 2021 Cy Young winner in Milwaukee, could be a tremendous X-factor if the Diamondbacks, who are hovering around .500 and currently are on the outside looking in when it comes to a Wild Card spot, are able to stay competitive into September. 

Burnes made just 11 starts for Arizona last year after signing a blockbuster free-agent deal ahead of the 2025 season as the star right-hander tore his UCL and needed Tommy John surgery. Burnes was aiming to return around the All-Star Break of this year, but he suffered a lat strain during his rehab, pushing his anticipated return back. He’s now aiming to return to the Diamondbacks’ rotation in September. If he’s able to do that and Arizona is in the thick of a postseason push, that would be a major boost for the Diamondbacks and bad news for the rest of the National League. 

Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. 

Judge isn’t the only former MVP on the shelf right now. Acuna, Atlanta’s talented outfielder, tweaked his hamstring earlier this month for the second time this season, resulting in his second IL stint of the year.

Acuna missed 15 days earlier this year for the same injury, so perhaps a similar timeline is in order and the former MVP returns this weekend or early next week. But there’s also a world where the Braves are especially cautious given their place atop the NL East standings and their long-term outlook for the remainder of 2026.

Chicago Cubs LHP Justin Steele

The Cubs desperately need starting pitching help. Unfortunately for them, they got some bad injury news this week.

Steele, arguably Chicago’s top starter when healthy, has been out since early 2025 due to Tommy John surgery as well as a flexor tendon strain. The talented southpaw is an All-Star-caliber pitcher when healthy, and the expectation for a while had been he’d give the Cubs a second-half boost with a return. 

But Cubs president Jed Hoyer told reporters this week Steele is unlikely to return as a starter this season after all. In fact, a return altogether may not happen, and even if it does, Steele would pitch out of the bullpen. A Steele 2026 debut may be dependent on whether or not the Cubs are in contention late in the season. 

Cleveland Guardians 3B Jose Ramirez

I thought with Judge hitting the IL for about two months that this could be Ramirez’s time to shine and potentially earn his first MVP award in what’s been a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Unfortunately, the star third baseman suffered a broken hamate bone in his left hand during Cleveland’s game on June 13, landing him on the IL. 

It’s a big blow for a Cleveland team that, even with Ramirez, is among the worst teams in baseball when it comes to scoring runs. The Guardians have not played particularly well in his absence and desperately need him back, especially as the White Sox have played much better than expected both this season in general, but also without their star slugger, who we’ll talk about next. 

Ramirez is expected to return in late July after a five- to seven-week absence. How the Guardians do over that timeframe will be very key to watch considering how tough runs have been to come by in Cleveland this season.

Chicago White Sox 1B Munetaka Murakami

That aforementioned White Sox slugger, of course, is Murakami, who took the league by storm in his first year in MLB, swatting 20 home runs in just 57 games. Murakami was the early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year in a loaded American League, and considering the White Sox emerged as a postseason contender, he was expected to earn some MVP votes as well.

He very well might, but Murakami has been out of action since May 29 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, but there’s good news. First, the star slugger is due back either late this month or in early July. Second, the White Sox have not floundered without their rookie phenom. They obviously were better with him, but they’ve been able to keep pace with Cleveland atop the AL Central, and they’re in contention for a division title or Wild Card berth. Murakami’s return will play a major role in whether the Sox get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and after losing 100+ games each of the last three years. 

Seattle Mariners IF/OF Brendan Donovan

The Mariners’ two biggest moves of the offseason were re-signing Josh Naylor and trading for Donovan. Seattle has been beat up quite a bit this year, and Donovan has played just 25 games for his new team and has been out since May 15 with a groin injury. 

Donovan was playing well for the M’s with a .386 on-base percentage and .839 OPS, and Seattle could certainly stand to get him back as soon as possible as the team hasn’t exactly taken advantage of what’s been a weak AL West this year. What will be interesting when Donovan returns – which is expected to be in July after a rehab assignment – is where he’ll play. He was Seattle’s go-to third baseman, but J.P. Crawford slid over there from shortstop to accommodate rookie Colt Emerson. The team also has gotten good play at second base from Cole Young, which could push Donovan to corner outfield. 

Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Edwin Diaz

We’ll close this with the closer. Diaz has been arguably baseball’s best reliever since his debut, with 257 career saves to date between his time in Seattle, New York and now Los Angeles. 

The Dodgers don’t have many weak spots, but bullpen help is always needed and was arguably the worst part about the team the last year or two. Enter Diaz, who is as dominant as they come. Unfortunately, Diaz was limited to just seven appearances and four saves with an ERA over 12 with L.A. as he needed surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. He’s been out since April 19. He’s expected to return to the Dodgers after the All-Star Break.

Diaz will certainly make an impact upon his return assuming he’s back to 100%, but with the Dodgers firmly atop the NL West, his true impact will come in the postseason. Diaz is a lockdown closer who pitched well in limited playoff action during his Mets days, but the Dodgers will need him at his best for ninth innings in October. And given what the Dodgers have done the last two years, there are probably going to be a lot of L.A. postseason games again this fall.