Notable MLB Names Looking to Get Back on Track in 2025

Though the MLB season has technically kicked off already with a series in Japan featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, the rest of the league doesn’t kick off for a few more days. Still, it is one of the most exciting times of the year as we speculate on what will happen.

MLB news is followed closely by millions, and there are plenty of things to talk about at the start of the season. Amidst all the sports news stories is discussion about which major stars can rebound from injuries or down years to get back on track in 2025.

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Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds

One of the youngest names on the list, the former UCLA first rounder had an incredible rookie season. With a 3.6 WAR in 89 games, McClain became the feature shortstop for the Reds with a fantastic OPS+ of 127.

McClain is looking to bounce back after suffering a shoulder injury in 2024. The injury required surgery, killing his season before it began. McClain is looking to build on an impressive rookie season and become not only the starting second baseman, but an impact player that could be vital to Cincinnati’s contending hopes.

Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays

McClanahan has been flat-out dominant in his three major league seasons. He finished 7th in Rookie of the Year voting, 6th in Cy Young voting, and registered a pair of All-Star selections. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery cost him all of the 2024 season.

McClanahan is back and looking good, set to be the Opening Day starter for the Rays. He underwent surgery in August 2023, so the hope is that enough time has passed, and he can regain the elite stuff that made him one of the best in the majors.

Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves

Strider made it all of two starts into 2024 before his elbow gave out and he had an internal-brace procedure to fix his damaged UCL. The timeline is shorter than Tommy John and the Braves are being conservative with Strider given he had the latter in college.

Strider looks like he’s on track to rejoin the rotation by the end of April, which is great news for the Braves. During his two seasons, he struck out 37.4% of the batters he faced. When healthy, Strider is a threat for the Cy Young.

Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

It bears mentioning that Trout has become a staple on lists like these in recent years. The start of his career is pantheon level in MLB history, but he has largely been off the field since 2016. The three-time MVP hasn’t played more than 140 games in a season since then, playing just 266 games in total over the last four seasons.

His 2024 was just 29 games because of a knee injury. That said, when he is on the field, he is dominant. If anyone can recover and become a dominant player again, it is the surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

Yelich was enjoying a renaissance season last year before chronic back issues required surgery that ended his season. The good news is that he was producing at a high level before the back issues became too much to deal with.

Yelich was hitting .315 with 11 home runs and had 21 steals (in 22 attempts) before going out. His recovery is supposedly going well, and the hope is that Yelich can pick up where he left off a year ago before having to miss the remainder of the season.

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