Fantasy Baseball: Ranking the top 30 DL stashes with Astros newcomers George Springer and Lance McCullers

I've probably published a dozen of these DL stash rankings since the start of the 2018 season, but in none has timetable mattered more than this one.

Time is running short, you may have noticed, and that's especially true in Head-to-Head leagues, where playoffs are set to begin in just a few weeks. A lot of good that returnee does you if you're already eliminated.

So for now — and increasingly so over the rest of the season — the criteria for these rankings is weighted differently. It's now:

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

Timetable is now of greater concern than the quality of the player himself since any multi-week absence could now effectively be a season-ender.

In these particular rankings, Carlos Martinez is the first high-end player  who I don't feel super confident will make a worthwhile contribution the rest of the way, though it's certainly possible, which is why he still ranks ahead of near-recovered players like J.A. Happ and Brandon Belt. You can find a player-by-player breakdown for the biggest names on this list (basically, how confident I am in each making a meaningful contribution) right here.

A couple quick notes: Hunter Strickland has begun a rehab assignment and would rank much higher on this list if I was confident in him reclaiming the closer role from Will Smith, who has been the better pitcher this year. Meanwhile, Tyler O'Neill is all but certain to miss just the minimum 10 days, but he's of course unproven and has a non-guaranteed role.

Top DL stashes

1	Chris Sale Boston Red Sox SP
shoulder inflammation
2	Jose Altuve Houston Astros 2B
sore knee
3	Carlos Correa Houston Astros SS
stiff neck
4	George Springer Houston Astros RF
sprained thumb
5	Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF
fractured wrist
6	Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals SP
pinched nerve in neck
7	Gary Sanchez New York Yankees C
strained groin
8	Wilson Ramos Philadelphia Phillies C
strained hamstring
9	Tyler Skaggs Los Angeles Angels SP
strained adductor
10	Ross Stripling Los Angeles Dodgers SP
toe inflammation
11	Carlos Martinez St. Louis Cardinals SP
strained shoulder
12	Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs 3B
shoulder inflammation
13	Wil Myers San Diego Padres LF
bruised foot
14	Yu Darvish Chicago Cubs SP
shoulder impingement
15	Lance McCullers Houston Astros SP
strained forearm
16	Sean Doolittle Washington Nationals RP
stress reaction in toe
17	Brandon Morrow Chicago Cubs RP
biceps inflammation
18	Brandon Belt San Francisco Giants 1B
bruised knee
19	J.A. Happ New York Yankees SP
illness
20	Eduardo Rodriguez Boston Red Sox SP
sprained ankle
21	Alex Wood Los Angeles Dodgers SP
strained adductor
22	Nomar Mazara Texas Rangers RF
sprained thumb
23	Tommy Pham Tampa Bay Rays CF
fractured foot
24	Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays 3B
strained calf
25	Rafael Devers Boston Red Sox 3B
strained hamstring
26	Ian Kinsler Boston Red Sox 2B
strained hamstring
27	Hunter Strickland San Francisco Giants RP
fractured finger
28	Tyler O'Neill St. Louis Cardinals RF
strained groin
29	Hyun-Jin Ryu Los Angeles Dodgers SP
strained groin
30	Michael Fulmer Detroit Tigers SP
strained oblique