I don’t remember a week when we had so many players return from the injured list (IL). Nearly half of the players from last week’s article are back in action, leaving us with a new group of players to discuss. That’s an exciting development for fantasy managers, but it will force some people to make big-name drops.
With that in mind, let’s dive into this week’s fantasy baseball injury updates and rankings.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
- Rest-of-Season Rankings
- Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Baseball Injury Stashes (Week 11)
Here are fantasy baseball injury updates for ailing pitchers.
Pitchers to Stash Right Now
This is exciting. The best pitcher in fantasy made his first rehab start earlier this week, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings. Aaron Boone said he would need at least two more starts after that to build up his pitch count, but Cole could be back with the Yankees in the next two weeks.
Since returning from a shoulder issue, Bobby Miller has already made two rehab starts, but the Dodgers say he needs at least one more. The young righty has struggled in those rehab appearances. They want to keep him down until he looks sharp. He threw 65 pitches in that last start and should make another in the next few days. If that goes well, Miller could return to the Dodgers next week.
Zac Gallen has been dealing with a hammy issue all season, and it finally sent him to the IL. The Arizona ace is not expected to be out long, though, resuming a throwing program on Tuesday. That seems like a quick turnaround, but fantasy managers should be encouraged. A minimum stint on the IL is not out of play, and that would have him back next weekend. We should have a better read on this in next week’s article.
Phantom IL stints always happen throughout the MLB season when players are struggling, which appears to be what happened to Edwin Diaz. He was put on the IL with a shoulder impingement but is projected to return when he’s first eligible. He’s expected to start a rehab assignment in the coming days and could return by Tuesday.
Yu Darvish was an unfortunate addition to the IL, but this shouldn’t concern fantasy managers. San Diego considered skipping him a start to correct his groin issue, but they went with the full 15 days to get him healthy. That means Darvish should be back sometime next week when he’s first eligible. We haven’t had any updates since the injury, so keep an eye out for a throwing program this weekend.
Max Scherzer had his rehabilitation stalled when he had a thumb issue during a rehab start, but he’s back to throwing live batting practice. The former Cy Young winner threw 40 pitches in a simulated game and could be sent on another rehab assignment as early as this weekend. It should take the veteran a few starts to get his pitch count up, but a return at the end of June is not out of play.
This is tricky because Jordan Romano is back on the IL with an elbow issue. He missed a month earlier in the year with the same ailment, and it isn’t easy to know where things go from here. The good news is that he received an injection a few days ago and could resume throwing this week. He could be back in a week or be out for another month, so keep an eye out for updates.
Blake Snell is back on the IL. After a late signing, he missed the opening month and suffered a groin injury in his last start. An adductor is what kept him out earlier in the year. We’re glad this ongoing issue is considered “minor.” It’s unclear how much time the reigning Cy Young winner will miss, but it’s hard to get excited when looking at his 9.51 ERA and 1.94 WHIP. We know what he’s capable of, so this could be one of the best buy-lows out there.
Jon Gray has been out for two weeks due to a groin issue, but he’s making significant progress. The righty threw an extended bullpen session on Monday, throwing 40-50 pitches. Bruce Bochy said he might be able to forgo a rehab assignment and return to the Rangers’ rotation this weekend. That would be a best-case scenario, but Texas has already done that with Nathan Eovaldi.
This might be the last time Joe Musgrove is in this section because his status is scary. The right-hander is back on the IL with elbow inflammation. The only thing San Diego said is that they’re hopeful it’s not a season-ending surgery. That’s the last thing fantasy managers want to hear. We likely won’t get any updates for a few weeks. This guy is too talented to sit on waiver wires, but he might be dropped everywhere once we get more info because it’s expected to be bad news.
On the Border Fantasy Baseball Injury Pitcher Stashes
Gavin Williams, Kodai Senga, Merrill Kelly, Jeffrey Springs, Robbie Ray, Devin Williams, Clayton Kershaw, Eduardo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia, Clarke Schmidt
Hitters to Stash Right Now
Here are fantasy baseball injury updates for hitters on the mend.
Nolan Jones landed on the IL with a back issue and then had his rehab assignment stalled due to knee soreness. He restarted his rehab assignment on Sunday and could be back with the Rockies in the next few days.
Trea Turner had a setback when he did some sprints last weekend, but he’s back to doing all baseball activities. That’s a massive step in his rehab, with Turner needing to go on a rehab assignment before returning to the lineup. He’s getting close to the initial 4-6 week timetable, so look for Turner to be back in action later this month.
Max Muncy was projected to come off the IL when he became eligible, but some renewed soreness in his oblique has kept him from any progression. The third baseman has yet to resume swinging a bat, which means he has numerous steps before being ready to return. We’d expect Muncy to be out for at least a few more weeks.
Mike Trout had meniscus surgery in early May and has made steady progress in his rehabilitation. The All-Star has started running on a treadmill and should start some simple baseball activities in the coming weeks. Most meniscus surgeries keep a player out for 6-10 weeks, which means Trout is projected to return sometime in July. When in July, we don’t know.
Francisco Alvarez is projected to shatter his initial timetable, starting some rehab games this week. The catcher has been recovering from thumb surgery and is expected back with the Mets when they return from London next week. He homered and caught a no-hitter in his first two games on his assignment, so things are trending in the right direction.
Triston Casas looked like a potential breakout before a fractured rib forced him to the 60-day IL. The good news is that he’s expected to return when first eligible, which would have him ready to return on July 1. He’s ready to be cleared to swing a bat and could be a sneaky addition if he’s sitting on your waiver wire.
Willson Contreras suffered a fractured forearm when J.D. Martinez hit him with a swing. He was projected to miss 8-12 weeks when that happened. We did hear some encouraging news when the catcher was interviewed last weekend, though. Contreras said he’s hopeful he’ll be back in mid-June. That would shatter his initial timetable, but catchers are tough. We’d expect an early July return to be more realistic, but that would still beat the initial timetable.
Josh Jung only made it a week into the season before fracturing his wrist, but the third baseman is inching closer to a return. He looked great after swinging a bat last weekend and could resume some hitting drills later this week. They said he would be out for six weeks on May 18, which would have him in line to return around July 1.
We had so many position players return this week that we’re including players like Masataka Yoshida. The outfielder was quietly going off before straining his thumb, posting a .343 AVG and .953 OPS in his 11 games before that IL placement. Alex Cora said the outfielder could start a rehab assignment as early as this weekend and be back in action before our next article is published. He is one of the best players sitting on waiver wires right now.
Much like Musgrove, this situation is vague. Xander Bogaerts broke his shoulder last week and will miss an indefinite period. That’s a terrifying diagnosis, especially given how much Boegarts struggled before the injury. He likely won’t resume any baseball activities for a few weeks. A return after the All-Star break is most likely.
On the Border Fantasy Baseball Injury Hitter Stashes
Evan Carter, Kerry Carpenter, Matt McLain, Tommy Edman, Jasson Dominguez, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Jung Hoo Lee, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Wilyer Abreu
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
