It amazes me how we have new players going on and off the IL every week. It’s essentially a revolving door, but we’ve had more players come off the IL over the last two weeks than go on it.
That’s all fantasy managers can hope for, but it doesn’t sound like we have many big-name players returning within the next week. Many of them look likely to return in the coming month, though, and we were hopeful we could hold off some of the injuries until then because my IL spots are getting full!
With that in mind, let’s dive into this week’s fantasy baseball injury updates and rankings.
2024 Fantasy Baseball Injury Stashes (Week 9)
Here are fantasy baseball injury updates for ailing pitchers.
Pitchers to Stash Right Now
Evan Phillips (RP – LAD)
We actually thought Phillips might be back by the time this was published, but the Dodgers are taking time with their prized closer. The club said on May 20 that Phillips will need at least two to three rehab appearances before returning from his hamstring strain. He’s projected to throw a live batting practice and then be sent on a rehab assignment. Look for Phillips to be back with the Dodgers sometime next week.
Bobby Miller (SP – LAD)
It’s funny that we have two Dodgers to kickstart the article, but this team will take every precaution to be ready for the postseason. Miller is expected to be one of their top starters when they get there. He threw a 51-pitch sim game on Tuesday and is expected to make a rehab start this weekend. Miller will likely need at least one more after that to be ready for a full workload. Look for him to be back from his shoulder issue in early June.
Gerrit Cole (SP – NYY)
We moved Cole up in our IL rankings because he’s inching closer to a return. After sitting for a month, Cole faced live hitters for the first time earlier this week. That’s the most significant step in his rehab, and there’s some thought he could be back sometime in June. Look for him to make at least three rehab starts before being cleared.
Zach Eflin (SP – TB)
Eflin is the most recent Tampa pitcher to land on the IL, dealing with a back issue. The highest-paid Rays pitcher is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks with that ailment, as he missed two weeks with the same injury last season. That means he could be back when first eligible, but a mid-June return looks most likely.
Max Scherzer (SP – TEX)
Mad Max has hit a wall in his rehab, being moved to the 60-Day IL last week. The good news is that he is eligible to come off the IL next week. He has resumed some light catch after a thumb injury in his first rehab start. A back issue has kept the 39-year-old out for the opening two months, and it’s tough to know where things go from here. We expect him to make a rehab appearance sometime next week and hopefully be back in the Rangers rotation sometime in June.
Nick Lodolo (SP – CIN)
Lodolo got off to an incredible start, but he’s on the IL once again. The lefty suffered a groin injury in his last start but isn’t expected to miss much time past the minimum. He had a bullpen session on Tuesday and is slated for an extended bullpen session Thursday. He’s eligible to come off the IL on May 27. That could happen if he gets to 50 pitches in his extended bullpen session.
Jeffrey Springs (SP – TB)
This is Springs’s first time in this article. He’s been recovering from Tommy John surgery undergone in April of last year. That’s a lengthy recovery, but he completed one inning in his first rehab start earlier this week. It’ll take at least a handful of rehab starts until he builds up his pitch count, but this guy had a 2.26 ERA and 1.01 WHIP between 2022 and 2023.
Nathan Eovaldi (SP – TEX)
This Rangers rotation is desperate to get some starting pitchers back, with Eovaldi looking closest to a return. He suffered a groin strain on May 3 but was able to throw off of a mound last week and got in a bullpen session on Wednesday. The team has said that Eovaldi is “really close” to a return. There’s some thought he could rejoin the team without a rehab start. We’d still expect one, which would likely take place this weekend.
Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI)
We’ve had many pitchers return recently, leaving us with lackluster options. While we like Kelly as a pitcher, he’s still far from returning. Kelly has been out for a month with a shoulder issue and is set for an MRI this week to see if he can start a throwing program. That means we’re still a month away from Kelly’s return.
Kodai Senga (SP – NYM)
Senga’s status keeps changing, with the Japanese pitcher suffering multiple setbacks. They initially slowed down his rehab with some mechanical issues and recently cut him back after triceps tightness. The good news is that he appears to be over a shoulder issue that kept him sidelined through the opening month. He still needs to make a handful of rehab starts before returning to the Mets rotation, so a June return is the best-case scenario at this point.
On the Border Fantasy Baseball Injury Pitcher Stashes
Garrett Whitlock, Jacob deGrom, Devin Williams, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Williams
Hitters to Stash Right Now
Here are fantasy baseball injury updates for hitters on the mend.
Luis Robert (OF – CWS)
LuBob has been dealing with a hip injury since the opening week, but we’re on the brink of a return. He just started playing Arizona Complex League games on Wednesday and will likely need a week of rehab games before being ready to return to Chicago.
Trea Turner (SS – PHI)
Turner has been making more progress than we projected at this point. He just started hitting and fielding earlier this week and is running at 80 percent. That feels quick after a hammy strain a few weeks ago, with Turner looking likely to beat his initial six-week timetable when the injury occurred.
Max Muncy (3B – LAD)
Muncy was a surprising addition to the IL on Friday, suffering a Grade 1 oblique strain during batting practice. This isn’t expected to be a long-term issue, though, with Muncy already resuming baseball activities. The third baseman is eligible to come off the IL on Monday and could do that if he continues to progress.
Wyatt Langford (OF – TEX)
Langford was one of the biggest disappointments through the opening month and capped it off with a hamstring strain a few weeks ago. The initial timetable was 3-4 weeks, so that he could be back in action soon. He was running at 85 percent last week but should be nearing 100 percent at this point. Look for him to go out on a rehab assignment sometime next week and then return to the Rangers the week after.
Royce Lewis (3B – MIN)
Lewis was the first big-name position player to land on the IL, suffering a severe quad injury on Opening Day. He’s nearly two months removed from that injury, resuming some base-running on Monday. That’s the first significant step in his rehabilitation, with a rehab assignment likely starting sometime next week. Since he’s been out for so long, Lewis will need at least 25 at-bats before he’s ready for a return.
Nolan Jones (1B,OF – COL)
Jones was supposed to be back shortly after last week’s article, but he jammed his knee during a rehab game. We are glad he’s over his back issue, especially since the knee injury is considered soreness. That means he should resume his rehab assignment this weekend and could be back with the Rockies next week.
Mike Trout (OF – LAA)
Trout had meniscus surgery a few weeks ago and is expected to miss at least another month. He said he’s unsure about the initial timetable, and that’s the last thing you want to hear. This superstar has missed over 300 games across the last five years, and we believe this injury could sideline him for longer than fantasy managers are hoping. With LA playing for nothing, don’t be surprised if Trout is out through the All-Star break, if not longer.
Rhys Hoskins (1B – MIL)
Hoskins suffered a hamstring strain last week, landing on the IL on Tuesday. They gave him a 2-4 week timetable after the injury, which means he should resume some baseball activities in the coming week. We haven’t heard any updates since the injury occurred, which isn’t a great sign since he’s already 10 days removed from the IL placement.
Xander Bogaerts (2B,SS – SD)
Bogaerts was the most recent addition to the IL, suffering a broken shoulder on Tuesday. He did have a clean MRI, but a fractured shoulder will keep him out for at least a month. We don’t have a timetable yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the middle infielder miss a lengthy period of time.
Josh Jung (3B – TEX)
Jung was raking before fracturing his wrist in the opening week. When the injury occurred, the third baseman was projected to miss at least six weeks, but they added another six weeks to his timetable last week. That’s a rough timeline, but we should get more information sometime over the next month.
On the Border Fantasy Baseball Injury Hitter Stashes
Sean Murphy, Steven Kwan, Lane Thomas, Masataka Yoshida, Triston Casas, Francisco Alvarez, Matt McLain, Willson Contreras, Tommy Edman, TJ Friedl, Jasson Dominguez, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Jung Hoo Lee, Michael Conforto, Christian Encarnacion-Strand
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
