Major League Baseball’s season is just around the corner. That means welcoming a lot of new faces, in the form of rookies and offseason additions, to places. It also means welcoming back old faces who may have missed serious time because of injury.
As the headline suggests, this particular piece focuses on the latter.Â
Below, you’ll find 10 notable players (of countless candidates, to be sure) who are returning from some injury or another. You’ll also find insight into their physical issues and expected timetables.
1. Gerrit Cole, RHP, New York Yankees
Cole finally won his first career Cy Young award in 2023. Alas, the time since hasn’t been so kind to the Yankees ace. He was limited by injury to 17 starts in 2024, then had his entire 2025 campaign erased by Tommy John surgery last March. In theory, that would give him a chance to return around Opening Day. In practice, the Yankees have said they envision that milestone falling in June. Whatever the case, Cole should rejoin the Yankees before the midway point.
2. Zack Wheeler, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Wheeler did not pitch after Aug. 15 last year, derailing any chance he had of winning the Cy Young award or contributing to the Phillies’ championship aspirations, after requiring thoracic outlet decompression surgery. (He admitted last month that he kept the rib removed as part of that operation.) Wheeler won’t be back in time for Opening Day, but precedent suggests he ought to return at some point during the first half. He’ll be a sight for sore eyes when he does make it back: in his first six seasons with the Phillies, he’s collected a 146 ERA+ and four top-10 finishes in Cy Young Award balloting.
3. Jared Jones, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Before there was Paul Skenes, there was Jared Jones. He turned in an impressive start to his career in 2024, starting 22 times and tallying a 100 ERA+ and a 3.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio that understate how good he was early on. (He had a 3.05 ERA in his first 10 starts.) Jones missed all of last season after undergoing an internal brace surgery to address a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. The Pirates have placed him on the 60-day injured list, meaning he cannot return until late May. When Jones does, he has a chance to make an impact for the upstart Pirates.
4. Carlos Rodón, LHP, New York Yankees
Rodón is an exception in this article. Unlike everyone else, he didn’t miss action in 2025. Rather, he logged a career-high 33 starts and 195 innings. Rodón then underwent surgery in October to address a bone spur and loose bodies in his throwing arm. He’s not expected to make his way back in time for Opening Day, but the Yankees have suggested he could return by the end of April if his recovery continues to progress as expected.
5. Justin Steele, LHP, Chicago Cubs
Steele was limited to four starts last season (none later than April 7) by revision repair surgery on his UCL. The Cubs have publicly ruled out the possibility that he’ll be back for Opening Day, instead stating that he should return before the All-Star Game. Steele had, in his previous three seasons, notched a 3.10 ERA (134 ERA+) and a 3.55 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 78 starts.
6. Joe Musgrove, RHP, San Diego Padres
Musgrove hasn’t pitched since the 2024 National League Wild Card Series, when he exited a start against the Braves with an elbow injury. Said injury turned out to be a torn UCL, requiring Tommy John surgery that removed him from the rest of the postseason and the entire 2025 campaign. Now hearty and hale, Musgrove will attempt to make 20-plus starts in a season for the first time since 2022, when he made his first (and to date only) All-Star team.
7. Triston Casas, 1B, Boston Red Sox
Casas required season-ending surgery last May when he ruptured his patellar tendon trying to beat out an infield single. It’s not clear when, exactly, the Red Sox expect him back in the lineup, but it won’t be during spring training or for Opening Day. They acquired Willson Contreras in a trade with the Cardinals over the winter, giving them a new Plan A at the hot corner. They’ve also, by and large, refused to place a timetable on Casas’ recovery. Whenever Casas does get back on the field, though, the Red Sox will have to find a spot for him.
8. Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves
Riley earned MVP consideration each season from 2021-23, but he’s failed to meet those heights in either of the past two years. The 2025 campaign was particularly frustrating, as he posted his worst OPS+ since 2020 (106) and missed most of the final two months after requiring surgery to correct a core-muscle injury. Stay tuned to see if a healthy Riley can regain his old form.Â
9. Shane McClanahan, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
McClanahan asserted himself as one of the better left-handed starters in the majors over his first three seasons, compiling a 3.02 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 3.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 74 starts. Unfortunately, he hasn’t appeared in a regular-season contest since August 2023. First, he required Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2024 campaign. Then, late last spring, he experienced a nerve issue in his triceps. McClanahan, who recently told reporters that he “learned how to find happiness in everyday life,” is expected to wield that newfound perspective as part of Tampa Bay’s Opening Day rotation.
10. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
Rodriguez isn’t far removed from being considered a top prospect. He hadn’t lived up to that billing in his first 43 career appearances, notching a 4.11 ERA (97 ERA+) and a 3.32 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Rodriguez didn’t get a chance to improve upon those marks in 2025, as elbow woes sidelined him until he underwent surgery in August to have bone spurs removed. He was subsequently traded from the Orioles to the Angels (in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward), meaning his first appearance in 2026 will double as his debut with his new club.Â