Welcome to another edition of FantasyPros’ Fantasy Baseball Injury Stash Rankings!
This week is a rather interesting one as it pertains to our respective rankings lists. Some big names came off the list, some big names remain, and other high-impact fantasy baseball stars, unfortunately, made their way into the rankings. All of these moves impact the playoff races taking place across the league, but they also affect the upcoming fantasy baseball playoffs and how we navigate our precious injured list roster spots.
Let’s dive into a fresh set of Fantasy Baseball Injury Stash Rankings and see who is worth holding on to as we approach a critical decision-making time in the fantasy baseball calendar!
Fantasy Baseball Injury Stash Rankings
Top 10 Players to Stash Right Now
Mike Trout (OF – LAA)
Shane McClanahan (SP – TB)
Cedric Mullins (OF – BAL)
Clayton Kershaw (SP – LAD)
Bo Bichette (SS – TOR)
Hunter Greene (SP – CIN)
Joe Ryan (SP – MIN)
Joe Musgrove(SP – SD)
Josh Jung (3B – TEX)
Oneil Cruz (SS – PIT)
This week’s Top 10 list is chock-full of new names who have hit the shelf over the last seven days.
The top two players on last week’s list — Aaron Judge and Corey Seager — have both been activated, while Mike Trout remains at the top of the list as he is now hitting soft toss in his recovery from a broken bone in his hand.
The top fresh face on this list is Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan who is likely out for the season due to a forearm strain. If so, he will join Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen on the season-ending shelf while fantasy managers are devastated by losing a 26-year-old sporting a 3.29 ERA and a 25.8% K%, not to mention an 11-2 record in 21 outings. He remains one of, if not the top, dynasty league pitchers on the planet.
The highest-ranked position player to hit the shelf is Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette who hurt his knee rounding first base. The peer optics of the injury instilled fear into Jays fans and fantasy managers alike, but the good news is Bichette’s knee is not structurally damaged, and he is simply getting time to rest and recuperate.
Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove has been shut down for three weeks due to inflammation in his right shoulder capsule. It’s a tough blow for a Padres team whose playoff odds are getting longer by the day, while his contributions to fantasy baseball will be limited as he may not be ready until late in the fantasy baseball playoffs. He remains on this list as he is certainly worth holding onto in dynasty leagues, but his value in redraft leagues has taken a hit.
Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has enjoyed a nice coming-out party, but his story is similar to Musgrove’s. Jung is much younger than Musgrove, but he, too, won’t be ready to contribute much to the 2023 fantasy baseball playoffs as he underwent surgery to repair a fractured thumb on Wednesday. He hopes to return before the end of the regular season, but the 25-year-old’s true value is to dynasty leagues as slugged 22 homers with a .812 OPS in his rookie season in 2023.
The final fresh face on the Top 10 list is Twins right-hander Joe Ryan who resides on the 15-day IL with a left groin strain. Ryan has been shelled for 31 runs over his last six starts and has seen his ERA rise to 4.43 as a result but let’s not forget his 3.44 SIERA and big-time 24.3% K-BB% on the season. Ryan owns a 27.1% K% for his career and should be back in time to bounce back for fantasy managers come playoff time.
Finally, while Chris Sale was on this list last week and is still technically on injured reserve, he is set to come off the IL to start Friday’s game against the Tigers. As a result, we decided to forego the left-hander on this week’s rankings.
Top 8 Pitchers to Stash Right Now
Shane McClanahan (SP – TB)
Clayton Kershaw (SP – LAD)
Hunter Greene (SP – CIN)
Joe Ryan (SP – MIN)
Joe Musgrove (SP – SD)
Nick Lodolo (SP – CIN)
Nathan Eovaldi (SP – TEX)
Jordan Romano (RP – TOR)
We covered a number of these pitchers in the Top 10, but updates and fresh faces remain.
One key name to keep an eye on here is Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo who is currently throwing bullpen sessions in his long journey back from a lower-leg injury suffered back in mid-May. The 25-year-old is targeting a late-August return which lines up nicely with the start of fantasy baseball playoffs. Even redraft managers need to hold onto the Southpaw, who has racked up punchouts at a hefty 29.3% clip in his young big-league career while his 3.44 SIERA in 2023 is well below his 6.29 ERA. The positive regression is worth the wait.
Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi is dealing with a forearm issue and threw a 15-20 pitch bullpen session on Wednesday, with a longer one likely to take place on Saturday. The veteran’s value is in run prevention and wins, considering his 2.69 ERA and 11-3 record on a strong Rangers club, but his fantasy value has long been capped by a middling strikeout rate that sits at 23.2% this season and 20.1% for his career.
Jordan Romano cracks the Top 8 pitchers list as he recovers from a back injury that saw him hit the shelf on July 29. Fantasy managers need not worry about the club’s acquisition of former Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks as Romano will return to a full-time closer’s role upon his return while he sports a 2.79 ERA in 42 innings with his 28 saves ranking fifth in all of baseball.
Top 8 Hitters to Stash Right Now
Mike Trout (OF – LAA)
Cedric Mullins (OF – BAL)
Bo Bichette (SS – TOR)
Josh Jung (3B – TEX)
Oneil Cruz (SS – PIT)
Royce Lewis (SS, 3B – MIN)
Byron Buxton (OF, DH – MIN)
Jonah Heim (C – TEX)
The hitters’ list actually hasn’t changed a whole lot, but we do have a pair of new names at the bottom.
There’s little doubt Byron Buxton is enduring a tough season at the plate. He’s hitting just .207 with a .732 OPS, figures far below his standard. However, he has still clubbed 17 homers with nine steals in 85 games. He has been limited to designated hitter duties in an effort to keep him healthy this season, and while that idea hasn’t gone precisely to plan, Buxton is certainly worth a stash given his ceiling as long as he remains outfield eligible.
The Rangers took a gut punch when All-Star catcher Jonah Heim hit the shelf with what was potentially a season-ending wrist injury. However, Heim could be activated as soon as Aug. 14 when the club begins a homestand against the rival Angels. The 28-year-old is hitting .280 with 14 homers and a pair of stolen bases across 359 trips to the plate this season.
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