A weekend full of injuries has shaken up the IL stash rankings
By Scott White
• 4 min read
The top player from the last IL stash rankings, Trea Turner, made his return Monday, and other long-term stashables like Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer and Bobby Miller are also set to come back this week. That's the good news -- and it's indeed very good given how long they've had to occupy an IL spot for your Fantasy team.
The bad news is that other stalwarts like Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Michael Harris will now be occupying those spots instead.
Yes, the shakeup to the IL stash rankings is real with the season nearing its halfway point. Other players who once seemed so far off are now on the verge of returning, with Josh Jung, Jeffrey Springs and Clayton Kershaw recently beginning rehab assignments. You can see how far they've moved up this list.
There will come a point, as the calendar begins to dwindle, when players who suffer long-term injuries won't be as worth the wait because the payoff will be so minimal. Since we're not quite over the hump yet, though, Betts and Yamamoto both still place in the top five for me.
Too valuable to drop, period
| 1 | Kyle Tucker Houston Astros RF |
| bruised shin - hopes to resume running this week, will likely need rehab assignment thereafter | |
| 2 | Zac Gallen Arizona Diamondbacks SP |
| strained hamstring - scheduled for sim game Tuesday, likely to need a rehab start or two thereafter | |
| 3 | Gerrit Cole New York Yankees SP |
| pinched nerve in elbow - set to return Wednesday, struck out 10 over 4 1/3 innings in final rehab start | |
| 4 | Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers SS |
| fractured wrist - expected to miss 6-8 weeks, which puts him returning in late July or early August | |
| 5 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| strained rotator cuff - not thought to be a season-ender but could miss upward of a month | |
| 6 | Bo Bichette Toronto Blue Jays SS |
| strained calf - expected back when first eligible June 25 | |
| 7 | Max Scherzer Texas Rangers SP |
| back surgery - expected back this week; velo down a little on rehab assignment, but pitched well | |
| 8 | Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels CF |
| torn meniscus - working out, but no baseball activities yet; return seems a ways off still | |
| 9 | Michael Harris Atlanta Braves CF |
| strained hamstring - Grade 2 injury, so likely to miss at least 3-4 weeks | |
| 10 | Bobby Miller Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| shoulder inflammation - set to return Wednesday, seemed to fix velocity issues on rehab assignment | |
| 11 | Jordan Romano Toronto Blue Jays RP |
| elbow inflammation - expected to throw off a mound Wednesday, likely a quick buildup from there | |
| 12 | Josh Jung Texas Rangers 3B |
| fractured wrist - began minor-league rehab assignment Sunday, may spend a couple weeks there | |
| 13 | Triston Casas Boston Red Sox 1B |
| cartilage tear in rib - doing light swings off a tee, but still weeks of progression ahead of him | |
| 14 | Blake Snell San Francisco Giants SP |
| strained groin - recurrence of earlier injury; will throw sim game Tuesday and could return this weekend | |
| 15 | J.T. Realmuto Philadelphia Phillies C |
| torn meniscus - opted for surgery with shorter timetable, so could return right after All-Star break | |
Also really difficult to drop
| 16 | Yu Darvish San Diego Padres SP |
| strained groin - will make rehab start Saturday, putting him on track to return next week | |
| 17 | Willson Contreras St. Louis Cardinals C |
| fractured forearm - beginning rehab assignment Tuesday, could be activated next Monday | |
| 18 | Max Muncy Los Angeles Dodgers 3B |
| strained oblique - injury has been slow to heal, has yet to begin swinging a bat | |
| 19 | Justin Verlander Houston Astros SP |
| neck discomfort - looked like he might avoid IL stint, so should be a short stay | |
| 20 | Merrill Kelly Arizona Diamondbacks SP |
| strained shoulder - throwing again but being brought along slowly, won't return until second half | |
| 21 | Jeffrey Springs Tampa Bay Rays SP |
| Tommy John surgery - only built up to two innings but velocity good, should return in second half | |
| 22 | Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| shoulder surgery - set to make first rehab start Wednesday, should return for start of second half | |
| 23 | Kodai Senga New York Mets SP |
| strained shoulder/triceps - throwing bullpen sessions, hoping to return early in second half | |
| 24 | Devin Williams Milwaukee Brewers RP |
| fractures in back - expected to throw off mound soon, still on track for start of second half | |
Still a priority on some level
| 25 | Gavin Williams Cleveland Guardians SP |
| elbow inflammation - four starts into rehab assignment but still has yet to go beyond three innings | |
| 26 | Ryan Weathers Miami Marlins SP |
| strained finger - no longer has symptoms but has yet to resume throwing, likely a couple weeks away | |
| 27 | Kyle Bradish Baltimore Orioles SP |
| UCL sprain - recurrence of injury that sidelined him from February to May, renewing surgery concerns | |
| 28 | Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP |
| bone spur in elbow - expected to play catch this week, working on delivery to reduce stress | |
| 29 | Evan Carter Texas Rangers LF |
| stress reaction in back - about three weeks into month-long timetable, but no talk of rehab assignment | |
| 30 | Lars Nootbaar St. Louis Cardinals RF |
| strained oblique - was reportedly going to begin swinging a bat this weekend; couple weeks away still | |
| 31 | Wilyer Abreu Boston Red Sox RF |
| sprained ankle - should begin rehab assignment in coming days | |
| 32 | Eloy Jimenez Chicago White Sox DH |
| strained hamstring - set to begin rehab assignment Thursday, should return sometime next week | |
| 33 | Xander Bogaerts San Diego Padres 2B |
| fractured shoulder - not a clear timetable but almost certainly out for the rest of the first half | |
| 34 | Matt McLain Cincinnati Reds SS |
| shoulder surgery - has been running and throwing, but no word on swinging yet | |
| 35 | Jacob deGrom Texas Rangers SP |
| Tommy John surgery - threw first bullpen session Monday; ways to go but on track to return in August | |
Stashing is purely a luxury
| 36 | Robbie Ray San Francisco Giants SP |
| Tommy John surgery - three starts into rehab assignment, but likely another 3-4 to go | |
| 37 | Tommy Edman St. Louis Cardinals 2B |
| wrist surgery - finally ready for live at-bats, but likely just at spring training complex for now | |
| 38 | Eduardo Rodriguez Arizona Diamondbacks SP |
| strained lat - one month into throwing program, but no talk of rehab assignment yet | |
| 39 | Kerry Carpenter Detroit Tigers RF |
| stress fracture in back - timetable unclear, but not guaranteed to return in first half | |
| 40 | Michael Wacha Kansas City Royals SP |
| fractured foot - successful rehab start Monday, could return this weekend | |
| 41 | Dean Kremer Baltimore Orioles SP |
| strained triceps - made rehab start Sunday, could make another or be activated this weekend | |
| 42 | Clarke Schmidt New York Yankees SP |
| strained lat - roughly halfway into 4-to-6-week shutdown, probably won't return until August | |
| 43 | Christian Encarnacion-Strand Cincinnati Reds 1B |
| fractured wrist - ligament damage discovered; surgery being considered | |
| 44 | Jorge Polanco Seattle Mariners 2B |
| strained hamstring - on rehab assignment, could return as soon as this weekend | |
| 45 | Ben Brown Chicago Cubs RP |
| stress reaction in neck - no timetable given, but good chance we don't see him again in first half | |
| 46 | Anthony Rizzo New York Yankees 1B |
| fractured arm - expected to miss eight weeks | |
| 47 | Vaughn Grissom Boston Red Sox 2B |
| strained hamstring - taking part in baseball activities, but return isn't imminent | |
| 48 | Elias Diaz Colorado Rockies C |
| strained calf - limp is gone but hasn't started running yet; next week seems like a possibility | |
| 49 | Michael Massey Kansas City Royals 2B |
| sprained back - set to begin rehab assignment Tuesday, could return next week | |
| 50 | Kris Bryant Colorado Rockies 1B |
| strained oblique - likely a multi-week absence, putting first-half return in doubt | |
| 51 | Kyle Harrison San Francisco Giants SP |
| sprained ankle - severity not revealed yet but likely a short-term absence | |
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