Welcome to the injury report! Here we will dive into some of the notable injuries across the league and let you know who is worth keeping and who is worth punting. Well, that last one might be a little harsh but some are better than others, right?
We’ll dive into the top 10 IL players worth stashing for the time being before going into which hitters and pitchers, specifically, are worthy of your very precious IL spots.
Without further ado, let’s get into it and see if we can create some much-needed space on those fantasy rosters!
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Top 10 Players to Stash Right Now
Corey Seager (SS – TEX)
Bryce Harper (OF/DH – PHI)
Justin Verlander (SP – NYM)
Jose Altuve (2B – HOU)
Brandon Woodruff (SP – MIL)
Tyler Glasnow ( SP – TB)
Michael Harris II (OF – ATL)
Giancarlo Stanton ( OF – NYY)
Triston McKenzie (SP – CLE)
Tim Anderson (SS – CWS)
Seager was off to a white-hot start but even his surface numbers didn’t do it justice. The Rangers’ shortstop was hitting a cool .359 before getting hurt and some will gander at his .406 BABIP and suggest bad luck. Well, he has just one homer despite sitting in the league’s 89th percentile and barrel rate, 93rd in hard-hit rate, and 97th in average exit velocity. Seems like his worth is rather sustainable.
Justin Verlander should be able to make his season debut soon and he will be a big boost to the Mets rotation that recently lost fellow ace and former teammate Max Scherzer to a 10-game ban. The right-hander says he might need one rehab start before making his Mets debut and fantasy owners are itching to remove him from their IL slot for that outing.
McKenzie is making progress and while his return is pegged for late next month he is likely worth the wait.
Top 5 Hitters to Stash
Corey Seager (SS – TEX)
Bryce Harper (OF – PHI)
Jose Altuve (2B – HOU)
Michael Harris II (OF – ATL)
Giancarlo Stanton (OF – NYY)
We see these names above but Bryce Harper seems special here. Why? Because he’s been seen wearing a first baseman’s mitt which makes sense considering Rhys Hoskins is out for the season after sustaining an ACL tear in Spring Training. In other words, Harper will and should be eligible in the outfield, first base, and designated hitter spots after he gets some games under his belt this season.
Jose Altuve isn’t coming back until June and hand injuries are tricky. However, he’s coming off a big season and a World Series that should have him hitting the ground running. He’s already played competitive ball this spring after competing for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic.
The oft-injured Giancarlo Stanton is a frustrating player for both fantasy managers and the Yankees but still manages to be a Statcast monster. He’ll go on a tear at some point upon his return which should be about a month or so from now.
Top 5 Pitchers to Stash
Justin Verlander (SP – NYM)
Max Fried ( SP – ATL)
Brandon Woodruff ( SP – MIL)
Tyler Glasnow ( SP – TB)
Triston McKenzie ( SP – CLE)
I touched on Verlander and McKenzie above but man what could Tyler Glasnow be at full health? The right-hander is so dominant and electric when healthy. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case throughout his career, although it appears managers might only have to wait until mid-May to see their prized righty to make his season debut.
You would think Brandon Woodruff’s absence would be a killer for the Milwaukee Brewers but their pitching depth is so great they don’t appear to be missing the right-hander all too much. Milwaukee ranks fifth with a 3.42 team ERA on the season as pitching continues to be their biggest strength.
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