Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 50 IL stashes show Blake Snell still a high priority

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Springs and Devin Williams are inching closer to a return

Here we go again with Blake Snell. Before the reigning NL Cy Young winner has even had the chance to get comfortable in a Giants uniform, he's back on the IL with the same groin injury that already sidelined him for a month.

Between the two IL stints, he's made six starts for his new team, but chances are you haven't gotten credit for anything he's done yet. Or I should hope not, anyway. His late signing and hurried buildup seemed like a disaster in the making, given his well-documented volatility, and all the interruptions certainly haven't helped to stabilize things. In the face of another IL stint, it's easy to look at his 9.51 ERA and 1.94 WHIP and declare him dead weight.

But of course, you should know better than to prejudge Snell after only six starts. Through nine starts last year, he had a 5.40 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. Through 10 starts in 2022, he had a 5.22 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. Through 19 starts in 2021, he had a 5.44 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. In each of those instances, without any forewarning, he flipped a switch that made him indispensable in Fantasy the rest of the way, going so far as to earn him a Cy Young award last year.

There's of course no guarantee that his 2024 follows the same pattern, but a three-year trend is one you have to see through to the bitter end. You knew what you were getting into when you drafted Snell. Allow him to fall into the wrong hands, and you'll feel the pain twice over. The good news is that, at least for the time being, you don't have to use up a bench spot to keep him around.

In other IL developments ... welcome back, Royce Lewis. The oft-injured third baseman had been shelved since straining his quadriceps on opening day but was activated Tuesday. So was White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, who had been out since April 5 with a strained hip flexor. Seeing as both were selected in the first five rounds of Fantasy drafts, they would have placed near the top of these IL stash rankings if they were still injured.

Too valuable to drop, period

1	Trea Turner Philadelphia Phillies SS
strained hamstring - just resumed baseball activities after a setback two weeks ago
2	Zac Gallen Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained hamstring - will begin throwing progression Tuesday, may only miss the minimum
3	Edwin Diaz New York Mets RP
shoulder impingement - quick turnaround expected; could begin rehab assignment Thursday
4	Gerrit Cole New York Yankees SP
pinched nerve in elbow - cleared to begin rehab assignment Tuesday, but still weeks from returning
5	Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels CF
torn meniscus - no baseball activities yet, but hitters of his ilk are a prized asset
6	Bobby Miller Los Angeles Dodgers SP
shoulder inflammation - working to regain velocity on rehab assignment, needs another 1-2 starts
7	Max Scherzer Texas Rangers SP
back surgery - throwing bullpen sessions; close to resuming rehab assignment after thumb shut it down
8	Jordan Romano Toronto Blue Jays RP
elbow inflammation - recurrence of injury that cost him three weeks; has received anti-inflammatories
9	Triston Casas Boston Red Sox 1B
cartilage tear in rib - doing everything but swinging a bat, hoping to return in late June
10	Blake Snell San Francisco Giants SP
strained groin - recurrence of an injury that already cost him a month; timetable undetermined

Also really difficult to drop

11	Yu Darvish San Diego Padres SP
strained groin - originally reported as hamstring issue; sounds like it could be short absence
12	Zach Eflin Tampa Bay Rays SP
back inflammation - Sunday bullpen session went well, could be activated as early as Wednesday
13	Nolan Jones Colorado Rockies LF
strained back - resumed rehab assignment Sunday after dealing with knee soreness
14	Max Muncy Los Angeles Dodgers 3B
strained oblique - already missed two weeks, shut down for another week after feeling "twinge" in rib cage
15	Merrill Kelly Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained shoulder - beginning throwing program Tuesday, putting him on track to return in July
16	Francisco Alvarez New York Mets C
thumb surgery - could be activated when team returns from London, beating timetable by two weeks
17	Tyler O'Neill Boston Red Sox LF
knee inflammation - has received cortisone shot, likely back when first eligible
18	Josh Jung Texas Rangers 3B
fractured wrist - has resumed swinging bat and "looks great," says manager Bruce Bochy; still weeks away
19	Jon Gray Texas Rangers SP
strained groin - threw 40-50 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, could return at the end of the week
20	Gavin Williams Cleveland Guardians SP
elbow inflammation - one start into rehab assignment, which could last a couple weeks
21	Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP
elbow inflammation - recurrence of an injury that cost him two weeks, could need longer this time
22	Jeffrey Springs Tampa Bay Rays SP
Tommy John surgery - close to resuming rehab assignment, which was halted for minor lat issue
23	Kodai Senga New York Mets SP
strained shoulder - also recovering from triceps inflammation, just doing light throwing for now
24	Devin Williams Milwaukee Brewers RP
fractures in back - playing catch, still on track for start of second half

Still a priority on some level

25	Willson Contreras St. Louis Cardinals C
fractured forearm - about four weeks into 10-week timetable, likely back after All-Star break
26	Xander Bogaerts San Diego Padres 2B
fractured shoulder - not a clear timetable but almost certainly out for the rest of the first half
27	Christian Encarnacion-Strand Cincinnati Reds 1B
fractured wrist - will have follow-up exam this week, which could clear him for hitting
28	Evan Carter Texas Rangers LF
stress reaction in back - expected to miss at least a month
29	Lars Nootbaar St. Louis Cardinals RF
strained oblique - could sideline him for all of June
30	Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers SP
shoulder surgery - throwing bullpen sessions, suggesting he could be ready for start of second half
31	Eduardo Rodriguez Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained lat - about a month into throwing program; rehab assignment likely not far off

Stashing is purely a luxury

32	Matt McLain Cincinnati Reds SS
shoulder surgery - has been running and throwing already, likely just a couple weeks from swinging bat
33	Tommy Edman St. Louis Cardinals 2B
wrist surgery - taking batting practice from both sides, but no word of rehab assignment yet
34	Wilyer Abreu Boston Red Sox RF
sprained ankle - likely a short-term absence
35	Kerry Carpenter Detroit Tigers RF
stress fracture in back - timetable unclear, but no guarantee to return in first half
36	Eloy Jimenez Chicago White Sox DH
strained hamstring - expected to miss another 3-4 weeks
37	Brandon Marsh Philadelphia Phillies LF
strained hamstring - injury considered "very mild," so he may be looking at a minimum stay
38	Masataka Yoshida Boston Red Sox DH
strained thumb - reported no issues after batting practice, could begin rehab assignment this week
39	Jasson Dominguez New York Yankees CF
Tommy John surgery - rehab assignment going well, but more likely to be optioned than activated
40	Jacob deGrom Texas Rangers SP
Tommy John surgery - no updates since April, so it's safe to assume he'll return late, if at all
41	Michael Wacha Kansas City Royals SP
fractured foot - can play catch from a knee, could return in 3-4 weeks
42	Tommy Pham Chicago White Sox CF
sprained ankle - likely a short-term absence
43	Jorge Polanco Seattle Mariners 2B
strained hamstring - not expected to be a lengthy absence, so could return this week or next
44	Vaughn Grissom Boston Red Sox 2B
strained hamstring - still awaiting MRI but doesn't think it's as bad as the one that cost him six weeks
45	Dean Kremer Baltimore Orioles SP
strained triceps - threw a bullpen session Monday, suggesting he's close to beginning rehab assignment
46	Clarke Schmidt New York Yankees SP
strained lat - will be shut down 4-6 weeks, putting him out until the second half
47	Robbie Ray San Francisco Giants SP
Tommy John surgery - has been throwing live batting practice for a couple weeks; rehab assignment close
48	Luis Garcia Houston Astros SP
Tommy John surgery - has been throwing bullpen sessions for a month; rehab assignment close
49	Tyler Mahle Texas Rangers SP
Tommy John surgery - back to facing live hitters after weeks of bullpen sessions; aiming for second half
50	Dustin May Los Angeles Dodgers SP
flexor tendon surgery - throwing bullpen sessions; aiming to return some point in second half
51	Kris Bubic Kansas City Royals SP
Tommy John surgery - looked strong in latest rehab start, but may be optioned when activated