This is an exciting period of the season for this article. Talking about injuries is always a downer, but it’s awesome when these guys are coming back. We have many big-name players right around the corner in their recovery, and it looks like we could have a completely different list next week.
This week, we got rid of Walker Buehler, Justin Steele, Christian Yelich, Kyle Bradish, Josh Lowe, Paul Sewald and Cody Bellinger, and that’s all fantasy managers can hope for. With that in mind, let’s dive into this week’s injury stash rankings and see who might get cut out next week.
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2024 Fantasy Baseball Injury Stashes (Week 7)
Pitchers to Stash Right Now
Evan Phillips is the closer I drafted most in season-long leagues. Seeing him land on the injured list (IL) this week was devastating. The good news is that it’s a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He’s only expected to miss the minimum 15 days. We expect Daniel Hudson to get the bulk of the saves in his absence, so look for Phillips to return in two weeks.
Blake Snell’s injury seemed like it might be a long-term issue, but he’s moving steadily through his rehab. The Cy Young winner had a bullpen session on Saturday and threw three innings of live batting practice on Tuesday. That’s a quick recovery from a Grade 2 adductor strain. He could make a rehab start as soon as this weekend.
Max Scherzer has missed the opening month of the season after offseason back surgery and is currently tending to a thumb issue. It’s just soreness. Texas expects Scherzer to start rehab games again when the swelling goes down. The hope is that he’ll be able to return this weekend or early next week. We’d expect one more rehab session after that as well. With that said, look for the former Cy Young winner to return by the end of May.
Grayson Rodriguez was put on the IL on April 30 because of some shoulder soreness, but it looks like a maintenance move from Baltimore. The Orioles youngster resumed a throwing program this week. There’s some thought he could be back when he’s first eligible. That would be next week, but don’t be surprised to see Baltimore be cautious with their young ace.
This is another young pitcher who needed some time off. The right-hander landed on the IL on April 13 with a shoulder issue, but he was able to throw a bullpen session over the weekend. The next step is to face live hitters. We could then see Miller go on a rehab assignment as early as next week or even this weekend. The Dodgers wanted to limit his innings from the jump. This was a great way to do it.
Jesus Luzardo landed on the IL on April 26 with a flexor strain but has made much more progress than anyone could have hoped. The lefty made a rehab start on Sunday, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings in a sparkling showing. He’ll be able to return to the Marlins rotation this weekend if he doesn’t suffer a setback this week.
Gerrit Cole suffered the first big-name injury of the season, but he’s been making progress every day. After resting for about a month, Cole has progressed to bullpen sessions. The next step is to face live hitters. He should have a lengthy rehab assignment ahead of him. An early June return is possible, but that’s the best-case scenario.
Joe Musgrove has gotten off to a terrible start and an IL stint seemed inevitable. Elbow inflammation sent him to the injured list. Fantasy managers are hopeful that’s what made him so poor throughout the opening month. There is some hope he’ll return when he’s first eligible on the 17th, but we wouldn’t bet on it, especially since that happens to be a matchup with Atlanta.
Many fantasy managers were high on Bryan Woo in the offseason, but an elbow issue has kept him sidelined. The good news is he’s close to a return, throwing five shutout innings in his most recent rehab start on Saturday. He threw 66 pitches in that game and could make his final rehab start this weekend. He hasn’t allowed a run through his three starts while sporting a sensational 0.45 WHIP. He could even be back this week if Seattle is ready.
Pete Fairbanks was concerned when he landed on the IL with a nerve issue, but a negative MRI reassured the Tampa closer. After that favorable prognosis, he’s in the advanced stages of rehabilitation, going out on a rehab assignment on Tuesday. He’ll only need 2-3 appearances to be ready to return to the Rays, which could be as early as this weekend. His velocity looked normal in his first rehab appearance!
On the Border Pitcher Stashes
Ryan Pepiot, Cristian Javier, Nathan Eovaldi, Merrill Kelly, Brayan Bello, Kodai Senga, Garrett Whitlock, Taj Bradley, Cody Bradford, Jacob deGrom, Tylor Megill, Devin Williams
Hitters to Stash Right Now
Trea Turner was off to a tremendous start, but a hamstring strain forced the speedster to the IL. That’s a nightmarish injury for a guy like this, keeping Turner out for at least six weeks. Don’t look for any updates on Turner for a few weeks because he needs to rest that hammy before doing any rehab to return.
Mike Trout has been on the IL way too much over recent years, and he’ll miss a significant amount of time due to a knee injury. The former MVP had to get meniscus surgery, but that’s about the best possible knee surgery you could get from a timetable standpoint. He’s expected to miss at least six weeks, but we could see his speed being hindered when he returns.
The White Sox are the worst team in baseball. Not having Luis Robert is a major reason why. We haven’t had an update on the All-Star since April 30, but he was ramping up his baseball activities then. He should be progressing well because he’s nearing the end of the initial six-week timetable. We expect Robert to go on a rehab assignment sometime over the next two weeks and return by the end of May.
It was shocking to see Cody Bellinger return so soon from his rib fracture, but Seiya Suzuki is also recovering quickly. The outfielder has been out for a few weeks due to an ab oblique strain but is starting a rehab assignment on Wednesday. That means he could return by Monday and miss out on next week’s article.
Nolan Jones has been one of the biggest busts through the opening month, but a back issue was hurting his production. Colorado put him on the IL because they need this guy fully healthy. The good news is that it’s expected to be a minor back issue, with Jones resuming throwing and running drills over the weekend. The next step is some hitting drills. We could see Jones go out on a rehab assignment sometime over the next week.
Royce Lewis suffered a severe quad strain on Opening Day. He’s finally starting to get going on his rehabilitation. The third baseman has increased his baseball activities over the last week and is projected to return by his initial eight-week timetable. That should have Lewis back in the Twins lineup by the end of May.
Many fantasy managers were high on this rookie coming into the year, but Wyatt Langford will be out for the next few weeks due to a hamstring strain. He was freefalling down the Texas lineup before the injury and a rehab assignment could be what he needs to get hot. This is one of the best buy-low opportunities in fantasy, with Langford expected back by the end of the month.
Steven Kwan was having a breakout season before landing on the IL. It’s no minor injury, either. Kwan is expected to miss at least four weeks due to a hamstring strain. He was hitting .353 before that injury but won’t return until June.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (OF – CIN)
Christian Encarnacion-Strand was placed on the IL on Wednesday with a fracture in his wrist. The slugger will miss 4-6 weeks with the injury, but Cincinnati is hopeful this will be the thing to get him going in the second half.
Zack Gelof was one of many position players who suffered an oblique strain in the opening month, landing on the IL on April 25. The second baseman has resumed some hitting and fielding drills this week, but it’s considered a “light” workload. He needs to ramp that up, but it sounds like Oakland wants to send him on a rehab assignment this weekend.
On the Border Hitter Stashes
Lane Thomas, Masataka Yoshida, Triston Casas, Sean Murphy, Josh Jung, Byron Buxton, Jorge Soler, Francisco Alvarez, Matt McLain, Willson Contreras, Tommy Edman, Brandon Lowe, JP Crawford
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.