These last two weeks have been overloaded from an MLB news standpoint. Between the All-Star game and the trade deadline, we’ve had more moves over the last two weeks than I can remember. That includes injured list (IL) moves. It’s critical to follow the IL placements to see who’s worth keeping and who’s worth sending to the waiver wire. Making those tough decisions is vital at this time of the year. We’re hopeful these rankings will help to clear things up.
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 18)
Here are fantasy baseball injury updates for ailing pitchers.
Pitchers to Stash Right Now
Ranger Suarez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, but back soreness has sent him to the IL. Many believe this is just some time off because Suarez has a 7.71 ERA and 1.76 WHIP across his last four starts. Suarez is expected to be ready to go after a minimum of 15 days, making him eligible to return on August 6.
Justin Verlander has been out since June 9 with a neck issue, but he’s getting close to a return. The former Cy Young winner faced live hitters on Tuesday and completed over 30 pitches in that session. He’ll likely need one more and then be sent on a rehab assignment early next week. We’d expect Verlander to return in about 2-3 weeks.
Forearm issues are always horrifying, but we were thankful Max Fried’s MRI came back clean. That allowed the lefty to play catch on Sunday — the first step in what could be an extensive rehab. There’s no timetable, but he felt good after the session and could try throwing off a mound this weekend.
Jared Jones has been on the IL for a month with a lat issue and has resumed a throwing program over the last two weeks. He progressed to a bullpen session on Tuesday, mixing in breaking balls and getting up to 38 pitches. He likely needs to extend to about 50 in a session this weekend and could be sent out on a rehab assignment next week.
Walker Buehler has been working on mechanical issues because he struggled mightily in his return from Tommy John surgery. That work didn’t pay off much in his first rehab start, allowing eight hits and four runs across four innings last week. The Dodgers will keep him in the minors until he looks effective, but that could be soon if he looks sharp in his next rehab start.
Joe Musgrove is having a nightmarish season in San Diego, landing on the IL back in May due to an elbow injury. It’s been a lengthy rehabilitation, but Musgrove is ready for rehab games. He threw a two-inning simulated game earlier in the week and could make his first rehab start this weekend. He’ll likely need at least two of those to be ready to return to the Padres’ rotation.
Ryan Pepiot suffered one of the strangest injuries of the season, dealing with an infection from a bug bite on his knee. He had to be taken to the hospital with that issue, but he’s been cleared since then. The righty has been ramping up his throwing this week and completed an intense bullpen session on Tuesday. Since this isn’t an arm injury, Pepiot could be back in the next two weeks.
Jacob deGrom has yet to make an appearance this season, recovering from Tommy John surgery. The best pitcher in baseball is finally making significant progress, completing a 45-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday. He’ll need to bump that above 60 sometime over the next week and then could start a lengthy rehab assignment. A return in August is not out of the question.
Merrill Kelly has been recovering from a shoulder injury and hasn’t appeared since April 15. He had to rest for two months before starting some rehab, but he’s progressed to a three-inning simulated game on Wednesday. That’s a massive step because he only needs one more of those before going on a rehab assignment. We expect to see Kelly back sometime in August.
Alex Cobb was a surprising trade by San Francisco, sending him to Cleveland. The Guardians are notorious for getting gems from their starters and Cobb could be a sneaky addition. The veteran has yet to pitch this season but made a rehab start just last week. He suffered a blister injury in that start but should be ready to resume rehab next week. Don’t be surprised to see Cobb in the Guardians’ rotation by mid-August.
On the Border Fantasy Baseball Injury Pitcher Stashes
Reese Olson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Garcia, Jon Gray, Jordan Romano, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Hitters to Stash Right Now
Here are fantasy baseball injury updates for hitters on the mend.
Julio Rodriguez suffered a high ankle sprain last week and is expected to be re-evaluated tomorrow. The only real update is that Seattle said they don’t expect him back after the 10-day minimum but don’t expect him to miss much time beyond that. He should be ready to go sometime in August, but it’s unclear when.
Kyle Tucker has been out since June 3 with a shin bruise, but many speculate it was a fracture. That’s why Houston decided to put him on the 60-day IL, but he’ll still be eligible to return next week. The outfielder has resumed some baseball activities, but management said they’re hopeful he’ll be able to return before September. That’s not the most transparent report, but this situation has been murky from the start.
Mookie Betts (2B, SS, OF – LAD)
Mookie Betts has been out with a fractured wrist since mid-June and was projected to miss 6-8 weeks when that happened. We’re right at that timetable now, but Betts looks a few weeks away. He has resumed some light batting practice and some fielding, with Dave Roberts saying a return in two weeks is realistic.
Fernando Tatis has been out since June 21 with a quad strain. We’re discouraged by the progress. San Diego said he would be ready to go after the All-Star break but he still has some hurdles to clear. Tatis has resumed some light baseball activities, but the team said he expects Tatis to return at some point this season. That’s one of the most annoying reports and doesn’t bode well for his status. We’d expect the superstar to be back in action near the end of August.
Riley Greene suffered a hamstring strain last weekend and was placed on the IL on Friday. We love that he was able to do some on-field work yesterday, which bodes well for his return after the 10-day minimum. That could have him ready to go before our next article is published.
Christian Walker is the most recent addition to the IL, suffering an oblique strain on Monday. We got a rare clear timetable, with Walker projected to miss about three weeks.
Triston Casas has been out with a rib issue since April. His rehabilitation has been much slower than we would’ve hoped. He initially said he’d be back by July 1, but we’re a month past that. The good news is Casas started a rehab assignment on Tuesday and could be back sometime next week.
Carlos Correa is on the IL due to plantar fasciitis, but he has dealt with this for years. This is more about management because the shortstop will likely have to play through this issue for the remainder of the season. He has begun some light activity and could return to the Twins within two weeks, but he might not be as effective as we’re accustomed to.
Bo Bichette is having a terrible season. It got even worse when he was sent to the IL with a calf injury. Toronto said he’d miss multiple weeks when that happened, which was back on July 19. We haven’t had any updates since then, so we don’t expect Bichette to return anytime soon.
This is a frustrating development for Christian Yelich. The All-Star has had back issues throughout his career. This one sent him back to the IL. Surgery was on the table initially, but Yelich decided to opt for rest and rehab. It sounds like surgery is inevitable. It wouldn’t be shocking if Yelich’s season were over. With that said, the fact he opted for rehab means he’s going to try to make a return, so keep an eye out for updates because they’d want to decide on surgery as soon as possible.
On the Border Fantasy Baseball Injury Hitter Stashes
Michael Harris, Tommy Edman, Starling Marte, Nolan Jones, Max Muncy, Evan Carter, Thairo Estrada, Kerry Carpenter, Matt McLain, Ozzie Albies, Jordan Westburg, Mike Trout
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.