March is a busy time for sports fans. The NBA and NHL seasons are heading into the stretch run. College Basketball rolls through conference tournaments and descends into March Madness. And the NFL steals headlines with trades and free agent signings. Any manager would be forgiven if they’ve missed some of the spring training storylines that will impact 2025 fantasy baseball drafts. Fortunately, this handy guide can catch any manager up to speed in just a few minutes.
Key Injuries
The following players have ailments that will impact draft-day decisions. Players are ordered by their pre-injury draft ranking.
— Gunnar Henderson (intercostal) expects to be ready for Opening Day after missing some time in March. He can be downgraded slightly but remains a first-round pick.
— Mookie Betts (illness) missed the two games in Tokyo. He has reportedly lost 15 pounds. It’s time to move him to the middle of the second round.
— Freddie Freeman (rib, ankle) missed the two games in Tokyo. More importantly, he will have his workload managed in the first half of the season. He should fall to Round 3 in drafts.
— George Kirby (shoulder) is playing catch but will miss the start of the season. He could return in mid-April and should be drafted in the range of pick 125.
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— Gerrit Cole (elbow) requires Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season.
— Royce Lewis (hamstring). Here we go again. The oft-injured Lewis has suffered a moderate strain and will miss several weeks. He now belongs in the second half of drafts.
— Jared Jones (elbow) experienced soreness this week and is undergoing testing. There is a good chance that he misses a significant amount of time.
— Spencer Steer (shoulder) has started a throwing program and is trying to avoid the IL. The guess here is that he misses part of April.
— Grayson Rodriguez (elbow) is in the early stages of a throwing program. He should miss all of April and is a late-round draft-and-stash player in default Yahoo formats.
— Nico Hoerner (forearm) didn’t play in the Cubs two games in Tokyo but still has a chance to be ready for their next game on March 27. He doesn’t need to be downgraded in drafts.
— Luis Gil (lat) is hoping to return in June. He is not worth drafting but will be someone to stash when he nears his return.
— Sean Manaea (oblique) is playing catch and should return in late April. He’s worth a late-round pick to stash in an…