Each new Main League Baseball season brings a brand new allotment of potential comeback tales, and the 2025 marketing campaign earlier than us isn’t any exception. So let’s dig into {that a} bit by specializing in these star-caliber gamers who’re coming back from numerous main accidents within the season simply forward of us. This, in fact, just isn’t an exhaustive checklist of each participant battling his method again from illness, however these, it says right here, are the largest names and people like to offer their groups the largest enhance, offered they’re capable of finding one thing near their pre-injury varieties.
On account of an acute case of Rating-Issues Fatigue, from which the author hopes to get better in time for the 2026 season, these gamers shall be listed in alphabetical order.
Rating MLB’s high 100 gamers in 2025: Shohei Ohtani is No. 1, however how do baseball’s different stars stack up?
Dayn Perry
Acuña has now labored his method again from ACL surgical procedures on each knees. This time round, Acuña underwent surgical procedure to restore a tear in his left knee, which he suffered final Could. He is taken half in baseball actions this spring, however Acuña is but to seem in a Grapefruit League recreation. Possible, he will not and can as a substitute head out on a minor-league rehab task in April. An early inform shall be whether or not the Braves place him on the 60-day injured checklist, which might open up a spot on the 40-player roster however would preserve Acuña out no less than till effectively into Could. Extra possible, although, is that he’ll be positioned on the usual 10-day IL and make his 2025 debut effectively earlier than that 60-day timeline.
Whereas Acuña wasn’t fairly as much as his ordinary requirements earlier than getting damage final season, he is not far faraway from a legendary 2023 marketing campaign, through which he grew to become the primary (and nonetheless solely) 40-70 participant in MLB historical past and gained NL MVP honors in unanimous vogue. Now 27, he nonetheless has that sort of upside, however he could require some runway to get again to that stage post-surgery.
Alcantara – a throwback ace by way of stamina with the modern ace’s capability to overwhelm hitters – loved a season for the ages in 2022, took a step again in 2023, after which succumbed to a UCL tear. He is coming off October 2023 Tommy John surgical procedure, and if spring coaching is any indicator, then the 29-year-old is able to dominate as soon as once more. Assuming that is the case within the early going, then Alcantara may emerge as probably the most coveted commerce goal main as much as the deadline (and even effectively earlier than then). Evidently, any variety of contenders may use a beginning pitcher like Alcantara offered he is in a position to get again to his previous methods.
Bautista was a lockdown nearer after which some for his two seasons within the majors. From 2022-23, he pitched to a 1.85 ERA in 121 aid appearances with 198 strikeouts in 126 ⅔ innings. Alongside the best way, he transformed 86% of his save alternatives and logged 27 multi-inning outings. Evidently, Baltimore’s hopes took a success when he underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in October of 2023, costing him all the 2024 season. He’ll look to get again to dominance in 2025, and he is had ample time to get better. He is loved a robust spring on the command-and-control stage, which is an encouraging signal.
The “elite when wholesome however not often wholesome” descriptive qualifier appears made for deGrom. On the one hand, he owns a profession ERA+ of 156 (!) and a profession Ok/BB ratio of 5.41 (!). On the opposite, much less inspiring hand, he is pitched a complete of 197 ⅓ innings over the previous 4 seasons. In 2024, he returned from his second Tommy John surgical procedure in time to make three begins, which suggests the 2025 marketing campaign will successfully be his true comeback season. There isn’t any doubting deGrom’s rate-based excellence or stuff, however his historical past of arm troubles is a hulking one. If he is in a position to sniff 180 innings or so, then he is in all probability a Cy Younger frontrunner at age 36.
What’s he doing right here? How can this depressing scribe embrace with a bit notionally about comebacks a participant who powered the Dodgers to the World Sequence final season and on a person stage crafted the primary 50-50 marketing campaign in MLB historical past? It is all in regards to the mound. Ohtani, you may recall, didn’t pitch final season as he recovered from a Tommy John hybrid process carried out on his pitching elbow. This season, he’ll return to the mound. It is not but sure when he’ll make his 2025 pitching debut or how a lot work he’ll get this season in gentle of the group’s rotation depth and sense of warning on the subject of Ohtani as a pitcher. If, nonetheless, Ohtani returns to mound dominance throughout a notable pattern of innings, then he may comply with up his 2024 NL MVP win with a 2025 NL Comeback Participant of the Yr Award. That sounds absurd on its face, however the two-way celebrity is kind of adept at making the absurd into the routine, no less than for him.
The previous first-rounder out of UCLA had a rookie season to recollect in 2023. He put up a 3.6 WAR in simply 89 video games. In associated issues, McLain boasted an OPS+ of 127 whereas serving as a main shortstop. Going into 2024, nonetheless, McLain suffered a shoulder damage whereas diving to make a catch throughout a exercise. The shoulder damage ultimately required season-ending surgical procedure, and his 2024 was over earlier than it started. In 2025, he’ll be trying to construct off that spectacular 2023 because the Reds’ beginning second baseman and certain No. 2 hitter in Terry Francona’s lineup. McLain has the talents to just do that, and he’ll be important to Cincy’s contending hopes this season.
In McClanahan’s three seasons within the majors, he is fetched a seventh-place end within the Rookie of the Yr vote, a sixth-place end within the Cy Younger vote, and a pair of All-Star alternatives. That is mainly a super begin to a profession, however then the lefty was pressured to endure Tommy John surgical procedure, which price him all the 2024 season. McClanahan underwent the process in August of 2023, so he needs to be full go for 2025. Certainly, he’ll be the Rays’ Opening Day starter this season, and he is primed to yield ace outcomes as soon as once more.
Strider’s potent proper elbow gave out simply two begins into his 2024 marketing campaign, and he quickly underwent an internal-brace process to restore his UCL. That usually has a shorter restoration timeline than Tommy John surgical procedure, however the Braves are prudently being conservative with Strider provided that he additionally underwent Tommy John in faculty. Strider not too long ago noticed recreation motion for the primary time this spring (and was in classic kind), and barring setback he needs to be constructed up sufficient to rejoin the Atlanta rotation by late April or early Could. There isn’t any doubting Strider’s capability for utter dominance when he is at his finest and absolutely wholesome. Throughout the mixed 2022-23 seasons, Strider pitched to a glowing 2.43 FIP over 318 ⅓ innings and struck out 37.4% of opposing batters. Together with his elite stuff and wipeout secondaries, Strider is a Cy Younger risk offered his restoration goes as hoped and deliberate.
Trout sadly has turn out to be a dependable presence on lists reminiscent of this one. He authored maybe the best begin to a profession in MLB historical past, however damage upon damage have decimated his general worth lately. Not since 2016 has the three-time AL MVP performed in additional than 140 video games in a season, and over the past 4 seasons he is performed in a complete of simply 266 video games. In 2024, he was restricted to simply 29 video games, the fewest of his profession throughout a whole season, due to a knee damage that ultimately required season-ending surgical procedure. Trout remains to be a bopper when he is on the sphere (he had 10 homers in these 29 video games, and in 2023 he hit 18 in 82 video games), however he is having a lot bother staying on the sphere. The hope is {that a} transfer from middle to proper subject will assist his sturdiness and that he’ll have a giant 12 months in 2025 as a 33-year-old. By no means doubt Trout, even when current historical past says you in all probability ought to.
Yelich final season was having fun with a extremely productive renaissance on the plate earlier than lastly being pressured to deal with a power again difficulty through season-ending surgical procedure in August. That precipitated him to overlook the Brewers’ stretch-drive run to the NL Central title and their playoff sequence in opposition to the New York Mets. Compounding the miseries for Yelich is that he was producing at a excessive stage earlier than his again lastly gave out. In 73 video games final season, Yelich slashed .315/.406/.504 with 11 homers and 21 steals in 22 makes an attempt. By all accounts, Yelich’s restoration has gone swimmingly, and he is put up stable numbers in spring. The Brewers are little doubt hoping he’ll choose up the place he left off in 2024 and put up sturdy numbers now that his again is lastly feeling higher.
