We have a little over a month left to wring our hands over fantasy baseball. Is anyone else feeling the pressure? I am clinging onto some slim leads and slowly inching my way up the standings in a few places. And sure, a few of my teams are left for dead. But you always play it out to the end, folks.
What follows is a practical list of injured players, and who is actually worth stashing in fantasy baseball leagues right now. If there are player names omitted, it is because I think the said player will not offer value. So if you think I missed one, be sure to let me know.
As always, I’ll share the top 10 players to stash and then get into the proverbial weeds a bit at each position.
Top-10 Players to Stash Right Now
1 Ozzie Albies (2B – ATL)
2. Zack Wheeler (SP – NYY)
3. Luis Severino (SP – NYY)
4. Justin Verlander (SP – HOU)
5. Carlos Carrasco (SP – NYM)
6. Jack Flaherty (SP – STL)
7. Ramon Laureano (OF – OAK)
8. Harrison Bader (OF – NYY)
9. Byron Buxton (3B, SS – TB)
10. Wander Franco (3B, SS – TB)
With the news that Clayton Kershaw is returning today, he’s no longer a player to stash. Other prominent graduations from a week ago are Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, and Trevor Story. Some big news for this week is that Ozzie Albies begins his rehab assignment today.
Luis Severino is my jam within the pitching ranks. The Yankees have taken their sweet time bringing him along, but he’s expected to make five starts before the regular season concludes. His return date is September 12, so mark those calendars. Bader at least has a timeline for a return, while Buxton and Franco seem a bit more nebulous.
Catcher
1. Joey Bart (C – SF)
2. Jorge Alfaro (C, OF – SD)
That’s it. That’s the list. Bart is the name to stash here. Hopefully, the concussion issue does not linger. Alfaro has been useful (.252 BA, 7 HR) in limited duty, though his worth would be more tied to daily leagues where you can bench him when he does not play.
First Base
1. Patrick Wisdom (1B, 3B, OF – CHC)
2. Vinnie Pasquantino (1B – KC)
3. Eric Hosmer (1B – BOS)
4. Kris Bryant (1B, 3B, OF – COL)
5. Jonathan Schoop (1B, 2B – DET)
Kris Bryant is still getting injections, even after three weeks of inactivity in a walking boot. I shouldn’t even be listing him. Wisdom’s power production is the best stash at first base right now. Vinnie Pasquantino hurt himself swinging about a week ago, but there’s no timetable yet.
Second Base
1. Ozzie Albies (2B – ATL)
2. Brandon Lowe (2B, OF – TB)
3. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B, SS – MIA)
4. Jonathan Schoop (1B, 2B – DET)
We should find out next week whether we can expect Jazz Chisholm Jr. to return or not.
Shortstop
1. Wander Franco (3B, SS – TB)
2. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B, SS – MIA)
3. Tim Anderson (SS – CWS)
“Waiting on Wander” sounds like a sweet name for a cool little Indie flick, but it sure is getting old for fantasy baseball purposes. He was pulled from his rehab assignment a week ago. Tim Anderson tore a ligament in his hand three weeks ago and was given a timeline of 4-6 weeks. Do with that what you will. I assume his return is within the realm of possibility, but he’d have to be on the short side of that time frame to be of much use this season.
Third Base
1. Patrick Wisdom (1B, 3B, OF – CHC)
2. Wander Franco (3B, SS – TB)
3. Kris Bryant (1B, 3B, OF – COL)
4. Yoan Moncada (3B – CWS)
Moncada has left hamstring tightness, but his arrival to the IL is no doubt mercy for fantasy baseball managers who were forced to rely on his abysmal .197 BA for any stretch of time this year. Again, at either corner, I would rather stash the power upside of Patrick Wisdom. His injury is a left ring finger sprain, and if he returns soon enough he could sock a few more dingers in your corner infield slot.
Outfield
1. Ramon Laureano (OF – OAK)
2. Harrison Bader (OF – NYY)
3. Byron Buxton (OF – MIN)
4. Patrick Wisdom (1B, 3B, OF – CHC)
5. Brandon Lowe (2B, OF – TB)
6. Avisail Garcia (OF – MIA)
7. Jorge Soler (OF – MIA)
8. Kris Bryant (1B, 3B, OF – COL)
9. Edward Olivares (OF – KC)
10. Trevor Larnach (OF – MIN)
Perhaps most noteworthy is Luis Robert, who has missed half of the last month’s worth of games, but hasn’t found his way to the IL. What a headache it was to manage the and Byron Buxton in my hometown league this season. Laureano’s rehab assignment is drawing near, so he slots in ahead of Bader for me.
Jorge Soler resumed hitting in a cage over a week ago, so there’s a play for power if you need one. Fair warning, though, his batting average stands at just .207, and that’s the case with more than one of these bats (Wisdom and Lowe are also BA risks). His teammate, Avisail Garcia, is already rehabbing at Triple-A and offers a bit more of a well-rounded profile.
Edward Olivares, everyone’s favorite sleeper, could return sometime in September if his rehab assignment goes well. Trevor Larnach is in the same boat.
Pitcher
1. Zack Wheeler (SP – PHI)
2. Luis Severino (SP – NYY)
3. Justin Verlander (SP – HOU)
4. Carlos Carrasco (SP – NYM)
5. Jack Flaherty (SP – STL)
6. Shane McClanahan (SP – TB)
7. Tony Gonsolin (SP – LAD)
8. Ryan Pressly (RP – HOU)
9. Tyler Mahle (SP – MIN)
10. Nestor Cortes (SP – NYY)
11. Nathan Eovaldi (SP – BOS)
12. Michael Kopech (SP – CWS)
13. Bailey Ober (SP – MIN)
14. Mike Soroka (SP – ATL)
15. Tyler Glasnow (SP – TB)
16. Jon Gray (SP – TEX)
17. Keegan Thompson (SP – CHC)
18. Hunter Greene (SP – CIN)
19. MacKenzie Gore (SP – WAS)
20. Aroldis Chapman (RP – NYY)
Zack Wheeler should return this coming Tuesday, so he’s the top arm given that he’s sporting a tidy 3.07 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 148 strikeouts over 138 innings.
Justin Verlander can return on September 13th from his right calf injury, and there’s an expectation that he can be ready at that point. He’s just one hair behind Severino in my rankings, given that Severino has been rehabbing for much longer. With Verlander, there’s more risk that he may not be ready after his minimum 15-day stint. But overall the prognosis here is good, so you have to stash him where you have him. McClanahan has received a similar hopeful prognosis and could return after a minimum IL stint due to a left shoulder impingement.
Ryan Pressly may not even require a rehab stint, so that’s good news for saves-starved managers. The same is true of Nestor Cortes, who threw a bullpen session yesterday (Wednesday). Once you get beyond the top five hurlers, though, this list starts to get dicey with timelines given that the season is rapidly drawing to a close.
That’s it for me today, gamers. Let me know who I missed. You can find me on Twitter, @HeathCapps. I would love to connect and talk fantasy baseball with anyone. Let’s stay in the grind, folks! It’s almost over!
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