Fantasy Baseball: Ranking the top 30 DL stashes in light of Adam Eaton's surgery

Adam Eaton has a clear diagnosis but an unclear timetable. So where does he place among the top 30 DL stashes? Our Scott White updates his rankings.

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Turns out Adam Eaton doesn't just have bone bruise in his ankle.

He had surgery Thursday to remove a flap of cartilage that was easy to overlook when it was immobilized but impossible to ignore when he tried to resume baseball activities. It explains why an injury that looked like it would  require only the minimum DL stay has instead dragged on for a month.

So the good news is the issue is resolved, and after a week of down time, he can graduate to a walking boot and eventually move on to rehab with no more hangups. The bad news is we don't know how long any of it will take.

After some consternation over early reports that a 2018 return was "possible," The Washington Post has since confirmed that the Nationals do expect Eaton back this year. But are we talking 4-6 weeks or sometime after the All-Star break? There isn't a tried-and-true path for this sort of thing, and you've already invested weeks in someone who has played precisely 31 games since the end of 2016.

I'm guessing the timetable will be on the shorter end. It wasn't an invasive procedure, and Eaton will be mobile again in a matter of days. The source of the pain is gone, so now it's just a matter of his body healing.

And given what we've seen him do at the top of the Nationals lineup in those 31 games, as brief as they were, he's still one of the more exciting injured players you can stash. Rest assured, he'll be high on this list.

What again is the criteria for said list?

1. How good is the player?
   
2. What's the timetable?
   
3. How likely is the injury to impact his performance?
   

Big risers this week are Greg Bird and Alex Reyes. They're both on rehab assignments and have the upside to factor in all leagues.

Top DL stashes

1	Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers SP
biceps tendinitis
2	Jacob deGrom New York Mets SP
hyperextended elbow
3	Carlos Martinez St. Louis Cardinals SP
strained lat
4	Yu Darvish Chicago Cubs SP
illness
5	Madison Bumgarner San Francisco Giants SP
fractured hand
6	Justin Turner Los Angeles Dodgers 3B
fractured wrist
7	Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers 1B
strained hamstring
8	Wil Myers San Diego Padres RF
strained oblique
9	Robbie Ray Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained oblique
10	Daniel Murphy Washington Nationals 2B
knee surgery
11	Elvis Andrus Texas Rangers SS
fractured elbow
12	Adam Eaton Washington Nationals CF
ankle surgery
13	Yoan Moncada Chicago White Sox 2B
strained hamstring
14	Rougned Odor Texas Rangers 2B
strained hamstring
15	Miguel Sano Minnesota Twins 3B
strained hamstring
16	Jake Lamb Arizona Diamondbacks 3B
sprained shoulder
17	Johnny Cueto San Francisco Giants SP
sprained elbow
18	Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals C
groin surgery
19	Greg Bird New York Yankees 1B
bone spur in ankle
20	Trevor Cahill Oakland Athletics SP
elbow impingement
21	Alex Reyes St. Louis Cardinals RP
Tommy John surgery
22	Andrew Miller Cleveland Indians RP
strained hamstring
23	Mark Melancon San Francisco Giants RP
elbow flexor strain
24	Zach Britton Baltimore Orioles RP
rupture Achilles
25	Todd Frazier New York Mets 3B
strained hamstring
26	Eric Thames Milwaukee Brewers 1B
torn thumb ligament
27	Mac Williamson San Francisco Giants RF
concussion
28	Jimmy Nelson Milwaukee Brewers SP
shoulder surgery
29	Ervin Santana Minnesota Twins SP
finger surgery
30	Carlos Rodon Chicago White Sox SP
shoulder surgery