garrett-crochet.jpg

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 (edit: make that 52).

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

Garrett Crochet


Boston Red Sox RP
shoulder inflammation – describes it as “fatigue” he wants to “get ahead of,” hopes for minimal stay
2

Jackson Chourio


Milwaukee Brewers CF
fractured hand – has resumed hitting and could embark on a rehab assignment soon
3

Francisco Lindor


New York Mets SS
strained calf – in a boot for next three weeks, then could resume baseball activities; likely to miss most of May
4

Hunter Brown


Houston Astros SP
strained shoulder – about a week into throwing program, has a chance to return before the end of May
5

Wyatt Langford


Texas Rangers OF
flexor strain – expected to miss the minimum number of days, putting him on track to return May 2
6

Mookie Betts


Los Angeles Dodgers RF
strained oblique – back to hitting after being shut down briefly, says he’s “turned a corner”
7

Jhoan Duran


Philadelphia Phillies RP
strained oblique – strain is considered mild, and he’s already playing catch, suggesting a minimal absence
8

Raisel Iglesias


Atlanta Braves RP
shoulder inflammation – slept on his shoulder wrong, on track to return when first eligible May 5
9

Nick Lodolo


Cincinnati Reds SP
blister on index finger – looked great in Sunday rehab start, unclear whether he’ll need another one
10

Spencer Strider


Atlanta Braves SP
strained oblique – has had no trouble missing bats on rehab assignment, will make season debut Sunday
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 and resumed batting practice Tuesday
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, aiming for Friday return
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

Pete Fairbanks


Miami Marlins RP
nerve irritation – similar to injury that cost him three weeks in 2024, but Marlins are hoping for only two
20

Tatsuya Imai


Houston Astros SP
arm fatigue – beginning rehab assignment Tuesday, the length of which could be determined by his performance
21

Sonny Gray


Boston Red Sox SP
strained hamstring – only a Grade 1 strain so could return as soon as May 6; was struggling before injury
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

Casey Mize


Detroit Tigers SP
strained adductor – Grade 1 injury, so Tigers hopeful he’ll miss the minimum
25

Spencer Schwellenbach


Atlanta Braves P
bone spurs in elbow – scheduled to meet with doctor in a week, not expected back in first half
26

Hunter Greene


Cincinnati Reds SP
bone spurs in elbow – had same surgery as Schwellenbach about three weeks later
27

Edwin Diaz


Los Angeles Dodgers RP
loose bodies in elbow – had surgery on April 22, expected to be out through All-Star break
28

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
29

Grayson Rodriguez


Los Angeles Angels SP
shoulder inflammation – threw three innings’ worth of batting practice Friday; rehab assignment coming
30

Gabriel Moreno


Arizona Diamondbacks C
strained oblique – expected to be activated for weekend series against Cubs
31

Addison Barger


Toronto Blue Jays SS
sprained ankle – will test himself on the bases this week, could begin rehab assignment thereafter
32

Jackson Holliday


Baltimore Orioles SS
broken hamate bone – shut down after 14 rehab games due to continued soreness in hand; next step unknown
33

Kyle Teel


Chicago White Sox C
strained hamstring – was slated to begin rehab assignment Monday, but recovery has been slower than expected
34

Alejandro Kirk


Toronto Blue Jays C
fractured thumb – had screw inserted April 7; about three weeks into six-week timetable
35

Jared Jones


Pittsburgh Pirates SP
internal brace procedure – set to begin rehab assignment Wednesday, could return before the end of May
36

Carlos Estevez


Kansas City Royals RP
foot contusion – injury is less the concern than velocity, but he was apparently throwing harder in recent bullpen session
37

Jorge Polanco


New York Mets 1B
bruised wrist/sore Achilles – doing some baseball activities, but return likely still weeks away rather than days
38

Giancarlo Stanton


New York Yankees DH
strained calf – no timeline provided, but only a Grade 1 injury
39

Brendan Donovan


Seattle Mariners 2B
strained groin – injury related to sports hernia; Mariners hopeful it’s a shorter-term absence
40

Shane Bieber


Toronto Blue Jays SP
forearm fatigue – has thrown several bullpen sessions, should begin facing hitters soon
41

Joe Musgrove


San Diego Padres SP
Tommy John surgery – throwing but has yet to work off a mound yet, putting May return in doubt
42

Justin Steele


Chicago Cubs SP
UCL revision surgery – shut down from throwing after suffering setback; midseason return may be best hope now
Stashing is purely a luxury
43

Jordan Westburg


Baltimore Orioles 2B
torn UCL – has been hitting and throwing, but future is cloudy with no mention of timetable
44

Corbin Burnes


Arizona Diamondbacks SP
Tommy John surgery – has begun throwing bullpen sessions but not expected back until midseason
45

Bryce Miller


Seattle Mariners SP
strained oblique – followed one bad rehab start with a good one Friday, expected to need 2-3 more
46

Quinn Priester


Milwaukee Brewers SP
nerve issue in wrist – struggled with control in two rehab starts, will likely remain down until he looks right
47

Anthony Volpe


New York Yankees SS
shoulder surgery – performing well on rehab assignment, could be activated this weekend
48

J.T. Realmuto


Philadelphia Phillies C
back spasms – was in and out of lineup for a few days while contending with the injury, on track to return Saturday
49

Ha-seong Kim


Atlanta Braves 2B
torn tendon in finger – cleared to begin rehab assignment but faces competition from Mauricio Dubon when healthy
50

Clayton Beeter


Washington Nationals RP
forearm soreness – MRI clears him of serious injury, and he’s already back to throwing; not a surefire closer, though
51

Hurston Waldrep


Atlanta Braves SP
bone spurs in elbow – same procedure as Schwellenbach at about the same time, but sounds like he could return sooner, in June
52

A.J. Puk


Arizona Diamondbacks RP
internal brace procedure – throwing bullpen sessions, eyeing rehab assignment in late May; high-leverage role awaits