Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 50 IL stashes with Garrett Crochet, Pete Fairbanks joining the wounded
Find out which of the many injured closers to prioritize
By
Scott White
Apr 29, 2026
at
6:28 pm ET
•
5 min read
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
