Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 40 IL stashes show how to value Yordan Alvarez, Chris Sale

Among the players who have gone down recently, who's most worth the wait?

Where are you hurting most right now? Chances are it's at first base, where Pete Alonso and Vinnie Pasquantino have both succumbed to injuries in recent days, with Pasquantino's being a season-ender.

It should be pretty obvious that the former is must-stash and the latter is must-not-stash, as my IL stash rankings below will confirm, but you may be wondering where else you can turn at a position that has been surprisingly weak this year. 

I have a couple of suggestions. The first would be Nolan Jones (74 percent rostered), who has converted a stellar Triple-A performance into a splashy first couple weeks in the big leagues, connecting for long home runs while also chipping in some stolen bases. LaMonte Wade (64 percent rostered) has been one of the most under-rostered players for several weeks now, reaching base at better than a .400 clip while mostly batting leadoff for the Giants and delivering better power numbers than he gets credit for. There's also Alex Kirilloff (44 percent rostered), who's playing more than ever following his wrist issues of the past. The power has been a little underwhelming, but he's getting on base at a high rate and hitting a ton of line drives.

As for the best way to use your IL spots, the rankings probably speak for themselves. You'll notice Oneil Cruz has moved up quite from when I last took part in this exercise about a month ago. But he's a month further into his recovery from a fractured fibula, which makes his expected return that much closer. You'll also notice I'm fairly motivated to stash Chris Sale even though he won't make it back from the stress fracture in his shoulder any earlier than August. As always, stashability isn't strictly a matter of the length of the wait but also the extent of the reward at the end of it. 

Too valuable to drop, period

1	Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF
sprained toe - swelling has gone down, isn't expected to miss much time
2	Pete Alonso New York Mets 1B
bone bruise in wrist - expected to miss about a month but could still make it back before All-Star break
3	Yordan Alvarez Houston Astros DH
strained oblique - out 4-6 weeks, which likely means until late July
4	Cedric Mullins Baltimore Orioles CF
strained groin - has begun baseball activities and should return within a week or two
5	Julio Urias Los Angeles Dodgers SP
strained hamstring - recently suffered setback but could begin rehab assignment next week
6	Carlos Rodon New York Yankees SP
strained forearm/chronic back issue - throwing live BP, could begin rehab assignment next week
7	Brandon Woodruff Milwaukee Brewers SP
strained shoulder - throwing off flat ground, has a chance to return before the All-Star break
8	Max Fried Atlanta Braves SP
strained forearm - throwing off flat ground, no rehab assignment scheduled but could return by All-Star break
9	Jazz Chisholm Miami Marlins CF
turf toe - will need surgery after season but still expected back in a matter of weeks
10	Justin Steele Chicago Cubs SP
strained forearm - has been throwing, expecting to be activated when first eligible Saturday
11	Cody Bellinger Chicago Cubs CF
bruised knee - on rehab assignment, but injury could limit him to first base rest of way
12	Nestor Cortes New York Yankees SP
strained rotator cuff - shut down for two weeks, could return around All-Star break
13	Eduardo Rodriguez Detroit Tigers SP
ruptured finger pulley - expected to miss at least another month but is already playing catch
14	Ryan Helsley St. Louis Cardinals RP
forearm tightness - no structural damage but still undergoing testing to determine timetable

Also really difficult to drop

15	Oneil Cruz Pittsburgh Pirates SS
fractured fibula - no talk of baseball activities yet, but he's halfway into four-month timetable
16	Liam Hendriks Chicago White Sox RP
elbow inflammation - receiving PRP injection, could be sidelined for a few weeks
17	Peter Fairbanks Tampa Bay Rays RP
hip inflammation - throwing at spring training complex, could return later this week
18	Lars Nootbaar St. Louis Cardinals CF
bruised back - took batting practice Monday, nearing rehab assignment
19	Byron Buxton Minnesota Twins DH
bruised ribs - expected to be a short-term absence
20	Kris Bryant Colorado Rockies RF
bruised heel - cleared to throw and hit but not to run yet, may be a couple weeks away
21	Riley Greene Detroit Tigers CF
stress fracture in leg - timetable still to be determined but could return before All-Star break
22	Ryan Mountcastle Baltimore Orioles 1B
vertigo - short absence expected
23	Chris Sale Boston Red Sox SP
stress reaction in shoulder - recently placed on 60-day IL, which puts him out until August
24	Dustin May Los Angeles Dodgers SP
strained forearm - has yet to pick up a baseball, can't return until late July and likely out longer
25	Drew Rasmussen Tampa Bay Rays SP
flexor strain - no updates since landing on 60-day IL in mid-May, still hoping to return this year

Still a priority on some level

26	Harrison Bader New York Yankees CF
strained hamstring - low grade, likely just a week or two from returning
27	Jake Fraley Cincinnati Reds LF
bruised wrist - there was talking of him avoiding the IL, so it may be just a minimal stay
28	Nick Lodolo Cincinnati Reds SP
stress reaction in tibia - still in a boot as of a week ago, looking at extended absence still
29	Kyle Wright Atlanta Braves SP
strained shoulder - no updates since landing on 60-day IL in mid-May, still hoping to return this year
30	Brandon Lowe Tampa Bay Rays 2B
herniated disc - shut down until the end of June, at least, which likely puts him out until second half
31	Jorge Polanco Minnesota Twins 2B
strained hamstring - second instance of same injury figures to keep him out longer than last time
32	Tarik Skubal Detroit Tigers SP
flexor tendon surgery - has looked good in two rehab starts, should return before end of June
33	Tyler O'Neill St. Louis Cardinals LF
strained back - says he sees "light at the end of the tunnel" but has yet to begin baseball activities
34	C.J. Cron Colorado Rockies 1B
back spasms - still feeling pain, has yet to begin baseball activities after being sidelined about a month
35	Trevor Story Boston Red Sox 2B
elbow surgery - won't be able to play shortstop until August but could potentially return sooner as DH

Stashing is purely a luxury

36	Mason Miller Oakland Athletics SP
sprained elbow - has begun throwing program, likely still a month away at least
37	Kenta Maeda Minnesota Twins SP
strained triceps - already made three rehab starts, set for a fourth
38	Trevor Rogers Miami Marlins SP
strained biceps - scratched from last rehab start for unrelated issues, could resume this week
39	Charlie Blackmon Colorado Rockies DH
fractured hand - likely to miss 4-6 weeks
40	Frankie Montas New York Yankees SP
shoulder surgery - has begun throwing program, could return at some point in the second half