Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 50 IL stashes with Francisco Lindor, Wyatt Langford joining the wounded

Boy, that escalated quickly.

In my last IL stash rankings three weeks ago, I marveled at how quiet the injury scene had been. So I guess you can blame me for the jinx that’s befallen us since.

Back then, I needed just 40 spots to capture the full scope of stashable players. Now, I need 50.

One player absent from this list is Trey Yesavage, who has recovered from his shoulder impingement and is set to be activated Tuesday. He was getting knocked around on his rehab assignment, believe it or not, but he was missing bats at a pretty good rate and seemed to have recaptured his fastball velocity by the end. If he qualified, he would be in the “too valuable to drop, period” tier of the IL stash rankings, so everyone who did stash him should find a way to clear space for him on their bench.

Don’t like that, do you? Well, there’s the rub with IL stashes. You need to feel confident you’ll actually want them when they’re healthy. It’s why I tend to prioritize the higher-impact players over the ones with shorter timetables, particularly this early in the season.

Too valuable to drop, period

1	Jackson Chourio Milwaukee Brewers CF
fractured hand – has resumed hitting and could embark on a rehab assignment soon
2	Francisco Lindor New York Mets SS
strained calf – in a boot for the next three weeks, then could resume baseball activities; likely to miss most of May
3	Hunter Brown Houston Astros SP
strained shoulder – about a week into throwing program, has a chance to return before the end of May
4	Wyatt Langford Texas Rangers OF
flexor strain – expected to miss the minimum number of days, putting him on track to return May 2
5	Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers RF
strained oblique – has been taking batting practice; expected to begin rehab assignment this week
6	Jhoan Duran Philadelphia Phillies RP
strained oblique – strain is considered mild, and he’s already playing catch, suggesting a minimal absence
7	Raisel Iglesias Atlanta Braves RP
shoulder inflammation – slept on his shoulder wrong, on track to return when first eligible May 5
8	Nick Lodolo Cincinnati Reds SP
blister on index finger – looked great in Sunday rehab start, unclear whether he’ll need another one
9	George Springer Toronto Blue Jays RF
fractured toe – did some hitting and running on the field Monday, not expected to need a rehab assignment
10	Spencer Strider Atlanta Braves SP
strained oblique – had no trouble missing bats on rehab assignment, next start will likely be in majors
11	Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers LF
strained groin – more than two weeks into 4-to-6-week timetable; should return in mid-to-late May
12	Jeremy Pena Houston Astros SS
strained hamstring – has been fielding grounders on the field, likely to need a rehab assignment
13	Blake Snell Los Angeles Dodgers SP
shoulder fatigue – second rehab start forthcoming as he works his way up to 75 pitches and/or five innings
14	Carlos Rodon New York Yankees SP
loose bodies in elbow – scheduled for second rehab start Thursday, will need only 1-2 more thereafter
15	Gerrit Cole New York Yankees SP
Tommy John surgery – two starts into rehab assignment, where he’s merely been OK; another 2-3 to go
16	Eugenio Suarez Cincinnati Reds 3B
strained oblique – injury considered mild, but no timetable for return yet
17	Daniel Palencia Chicago Cubs RP
strained lat – threw a light bullpen session Saturday, will throw with higher intensity this week
18	Josh Hader Houston Astros RP
biceps tendinitis – threw live batting practice Saturday but won’t be eligible to return until late May

Also really difficult to drop

19	Tatsuya Imai Houston Astros SP
arm fatigue – beginning rehab assignment Tuesday, the length of which could be determined by his performance
20	Sonny Gray Boston Red Sox SP
strained hamstring – only a Grade 1 strain, could return as soon as May 6; was struggling before injury
21	Justin Steele Chicago Cubs SP
UCL revision surgery – throwing live batting practice, could be ready before the end of May
22	Nick Pivetta San Diego Padres RP
flexor strain – no updates since being sidelined in mid-April, but expected to miss “weeks and maybe months”
23	Mick Abel Minnesota Twins P
elbow inflammation – already back to playing catch after two weeks off, likely just a week or two away
24	Spencer Schwellenbach Atlanta Braves P
bone spurs in elbow – scheduled to meet with doctor in a week, could resume throwing thereafter
25	Hunter Greene Cincinnati Reds SP
bone spurs in elbow – had same surgery as Schwellenbach about three weeks later, putting him out for the first half, most likely
26	Edwin Diaz Los Angeles Dodgers RP
loose bodies in elbow – had surgery on April 22, expected to be out through All-Star break
27	Ryan Pepiot Tampa Bay Rays RP
hip inflammation – slow progress moved him to 60-day IL in mid-April; hip was still feeling unstable at last report

Still a priority on some level

28	Grayson Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels SP
shoulder inflammation – threw three innings’ worth of batting practice Friday; rehab assignment coming
29	Gabriel Moreno Arizona Diamondbacks C
strained oblique – expected to be activated for weekend series against Cubs
30	Addison Barger Toronto Blue Jays SS
sprained ankle – will test himself on the bases this week, could begin rehab assignment thereafter
31	Jackson Holliday Baltimore Orioles SS
broken hamate bone – shut down after 14 rehab games due to continued soreness in hand; next step unknown
32	Kyle Teel Chicago White Sox C
strained hamstring – was slated to begin rehab assignment Monday, but recovery has been slower than expected
33	Alejandro Kirk Toronto Blue Jays C
fractured thumb – had screw inserted April 7; about three weeks into six-week timetable
34	Jared Jones Pittsburgh Pirates SP
internal brace procedure – set to begin rehab assignment Wednesday, could return before the end of May
35	Jorge Polanco New York Mets 1B
bruised wrist/sore Achilles – doing some baseball activities, but return likely still weeks away rather than days
36	Giancarlo Stanton New York Yankees DH
strained calf – no timeline provided, but only a Grade 1 injury
37	Brendan Donovan Seattle Mariners 2B
strained groin – injury related to sports hernia; Mariners hopeful it’s a shorter-term absence
38	Shane Bieber Toronto Blue Jays SP
forearm fatigue – has thrown several bullpen sessions, should begin facing hitters soon
39	Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP
Tommy John surgery – throwing, but has yet to work off a mound yet, putting May return in doubt

Stashing is purely a luxury

40	Jordan Westburg Baltimore Orioles 2B
torn UCL – has been hitting and throwing, but future is cloudy with no mention of timetable
41	Corbin Burnes Arizona Diamondbacks SP
Tommy John surgery – has begun throwing bullpen sessions but not expected back until midseason
42	Bryce Miller Seattle Mariners SP
strained oblique – followed one bad rehab start with a good one Friday, expected to need 2-3 more
43	Quinn Priester Milwaukee Brewers SP
nerve issue in wrist – struggled with control in two rehab starts, will likely remain down until he looks right
44	Anthony Volpe New York Yankees SS
shoulder surgery – performing well on rehab assignment, could be activated this weekend
45	J.T. Realmuto Philadelphia Phillies C
back spasms – was in and out of the lineup for a few days while contending with the injury; likely a short absence
46	Ha-seong Kim Atlanta Braves 2B
torn tendon in finger – cleared to begin rehab assignment but faces competition from Mauricio Dubon when healthy
47	Carlos Estevez Kansas City Royals RP
foot contusion – injury is less of a concern than velocity; unlikely to regain closer role without improvement
48	Clayton Beeter Washington Nationals RP
forearm soreness – details are few, and he wasn’t a surefire closer anyway
49	Hurston Waldrep Atlanta Braves SP
bone spurs in elbow – same procedure as Schwellenbach at about the same time, but no updates as of yet
50	A.J. Puk Arizona Diamondbacks RP
internal brace procedure – throwing bullpen sessions, eyeing rehab assignment in late May; high-leverage role awaits

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