Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 45 IL stashes reveal if Max Scherzer, Grayson Rodriguez worth the wait

We've reached the point where every injury has the potential to be a season-ender

"Every injury is 6-8 weeks."

It's a line I use sometimes on the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast when I'm feeling particularly glib, and of course, it's not literally true. But there's enough truth to it for me to point out that we're inside of eight weeks to go. So if every injury is 6-8 weeks, then every injury from this point forward has the potential to be a season-ender.

It makes you think twice about how you allocate your IL spots. Fortunately, the dwindling schedule has brought clarity to some long-term IL stashes like Mike Trout and Evan Carter, who have now officially been ruled out. Kodai Senga technically came off the IL but wound up going right back on with an injury (strained calf) that, at this late stage, is effectively a season-ender. And then there are those pitchers -- Jesus Luzardo, for instance -- who aren't officially out for the year but won't have enough ramp-up time to return to a starting role, their teams have said. No sense in stashing them.

So yes, some potential IL stashes have removed themselves from the discussion, allowing me to rank only 45 this time instead of the usual 50. But what about those who just got hurt and don't have clear timetables yet, like Grayson Rodriguez and Max Scherzer? What about those who've already been sidelined for some time but are still only in the early stages of rehab, like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Bo Bichette? What kind of priority are they?

I'll admit that the later we get into the season, the more a player's timeline matters. An extra week or two obviously has a bigger impact now than it did in May. But there's enough time remaining that I think impact -- i.e., how good a player is -- still takes top priority.

This is only true up to a point, of course. Ozzie Albies (fractured wrist) and Jordan Westburg (fractured hand) won't be back until the last two weeks of the season, if even that, so you'll see they don't rank so high here, despite being impact players. But Yamamoto could still return with a month to go. Scherzer may miss only the minimum 15 days. Such outlooks are optimistic, but as long as they're still rational, I'm willing to hold out hope.

Why? Because they could actually be the difference between winning and losing. Sure, I could devote the IL spot to a lesser player with a nearer return, like Thairo Estrada or Lance Lynn, but what am I going to do with him when he's back? Plant him on my bench? Drop him, even? It hardly seems worth the trouble.

Of course, your interpretation of an impact player and a bench-warmer will vary depending on the depth your league. The deeper the league, the more an Estrada or Lynn matters. So I should clarify that, as is generally the case, I've tailored this list for a 12-team league.

Too valuable to drop, period

1	Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers SS
fractured wrist - should begin rehab assignment this week with an eye on returning next week
2	Kyle Tucker Houston Astros RF
bruised shin - seems likely to return before September, but he's already missed longer than anyone expected
3	Fernando Tatis San Diego Padres RF
femoral stress reaction - uncommon baseball injury with unclear timeline, but team remains optimistic
4	Julio Rodriguez Seattle Mariners CF
high ankle sprain - doing some linear running but has to master changing directions before return
5	Riley Greene Detroit Tigers LF
strained hamstring - has taken batting practice but hasn't resumed running yet, still a week or two away
6	Christian Walker Arizona Diamondbacks 1B
strained oblique - about a week into what was billed as a three-week timetable
7	Michael Harris Atlanta Braves CF
strained hamstring - began rehab assignment Tuesday, is confident he'll return when eligible Aug. 14
8	Tyler O'Neill Boston Red Sox LF
infection in leg - should be ready when first eligible next week
9	Ranger Suarez Philadelphia Phillies SP
back soreness - threw bullpen session Monday, likely to return next week
10	Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers LF
strained back - may need offseason surgery but will try to gut it out this year; no clear timetable
11	Yoshinobu Yamamoto Los Angeles Dodgers SP
strained rotator cuff - completed first bullpen session Saturday, perhaps a month from returning
12	Jared Jones Pittsburgh Pirates SP
strained lat - expected to begin rehab assignment soon with eye on late-August return
13	Triston Casas Boston Red Sox 1B
cartilage tear in rib - on rehab assignment, which figures to be extensive given length of absence
14	Carlos Correa Minnesota Twins SS
plantar fasciitis - able to jog and field but will need to sprint without pain before returning
15	Grayson Rodriguez Baltimore Orioles SP
lat strain - mild case, offering hope for a relatively quick return

Also really difficult to drop

16	Ryan Pepiot Tampa Bay Rays SP
knee infection - scheduled for three-inning sim game this week, could be activated thereafter
17	Merrill Kelly Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained shoulder - scheduled to throw four innings Tuesday in what might be only rehab start
18	Reynaldo Lopez Atlanta Braves SP
forearm inflammation - no structural damage, seems mostly like a chance to build in some rest
19	Justin Verlander Houston Astros SP
neck discomfort - threw two-inning sim game Sunday, will begin rehab assignment this weekend
20	Max Scherzer Texas Rangers SP
arm fatigue - performed reasonably well pitching through issue, eligible to return Aug. 15
21	Max Muncy Los Angeles Dodgers 3B
strained oblique - scheduled for simulated game Thursday, will need lengthy rehab assignment thereafter
22	Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP
bone spur in elbow - returning this weekend after just one rehab start, still pitching with bone spur
23	Bo Bichette Toronto Blue Jays SS
strained calf - hasn't resumed baseball activities, still another week before rehab plan mapped out
24	Reese Olson Detroit Tigers SP
strained shoulder - no structural damage but no word of him beginning throwing program yet
25	Nolan Jones Colorado Rockies LF
strained back - well into rehab assignment, but hard to muster enthusiasm given production when healthy
26	Tommy Edman Los Angeles Dodgers 2B
wrist surgery - set to resume rehab assignment this weekend, will need a few weeks to get timing down

Still a priority on some level

27	Ozzie Albies Atlanta Braves 2B
fractured wrist - was given an eight-week timetable July 22, so likely out until mid-September
28	Jordan Westburg Baltimore Orioles 3B
fractured hand - no official timetable but unlikely to return with more than a week or two remaining
29	Jacob deGrom Texas Rangers SP
Tommy John surgery - has built up enough to face live hitters, but still not clear he has enough time
30	Matt McLain Cincinnati Reds SS
shoulder surgery - was hoping to begin rehab assignment Aug. 12 but now has stress reaction in rib cage
31	Starling Marte New York Mets RF
bone bruise in knee - has begun rehab assignment but likely won't play every day when he returns
32	Kerry Carpenter Detroit Tigers RF
stress fracture in back - began rehab assignment Tuesday, could return within a couple weeks
33	Thairo Estrada San Francisco Giants 2B
sprained wrist - recurrence of injury that sidelined him 11 days previously, has begun hitting
34	Alex Cobb Cleveland Guardians SP
shoulder irritation - has looked good in seven rehab starts, set to return this weekend
35	Gabriel Moreno Arizona Diamondbacks C
strained groin - no timetable offered yet; was hot prior to injury, renewing Fantasy appeal
36	Walker Buehler Los Angeles Dodgers SP
hip inflammation - struggled through two rehab starts; Dodgers seem in no hurry to bring him back

Stashing is purely a luxury

37	Jordan Romano Toronto Blue Jays RP
elbow impingement - nearing end of six-week recovery from surgery, but no timetable for return
38	Anthony Rizzo New York Yankees 1B
fractured forearm - has resumed hitting and fielding, will likely need multi-week rehab assignment
39	Jacob Wilson Oakland Athletics SS
strained hamstring - has resumed batting practice but still several weeks from returning
40	Nick Gonzales Pittsburgh Pirates 2B
strained groin - scheduled for rehab assingment next week, though unclear if he's resumed running yet
41	Clarke Schmidt New York Yankees SP
strained lat - set to face live hitters this week but will spend most of August building back up
42	Ryan Weathers Miami Marlins SP
strained finger - nearing bullpen sessions after throwing off flat ground, won't be back before September
43	Jon Gray Texas Rangers SP
strained groin - about a week into what was initially ruled to be a one-month timetable
44	Lance Lynn St. Louis Cardinals SP
knee inflammation - no structural damage, could return after the minimum 15 days
45	Heston Kjerstad Baltimore Orioles LF
concussion - was facing demotion even before word of the injury, but at least he's more stashable now