Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 40 IL stashes add C.J. Abrams to the middle infield pile

Middle infield has been hit hard; Spencer Strider and Clarke Schmidt are closing in on a return

Remember how cautiously we approached Spencer Strider on Draft Day, as if choosing him was some flight of fancy that would end with our team in a smoldering heap at the bottom of the standings?

How we feeling about that now?

For those unaware, Strider is set to rejoin the Braves rotation Wednesday after a rehab stint in which he more or less looked like the guy who was drafted first at his position last year. His latest outing saw him strike out 13 over 5 1/3 innings, making it fair to assume that those who took to that flight of fancy will have an ace to show for it. And in the grand scheme of things, the wait wasn't all that long.

What do you have to show for drafting Justin Steele instead? Sorry, that's a low blow. Well, hopefully that Pablo Lopez pick put you in a nice spot. Whoops, looks like he's hurt, too. But hey, at least Blake Snell gave you a nice head start. Oh, wait ... nevermind.

As the injuries pile up around us, it seems kind of silly in retrospect to have so disregarded Strider for his, knowing how high the upside is and how short the timeline was. While you always have to guard against the possibility of a setback, the idea that you'd be free of all injury headaches simply by avoiding the injured players on Draft Day was, of course, magical thinking. But whether you drafted Lopez or Snell or several dozen other players who've so far left you high and dry (or close to it), there's no turning back now. The best you can do is make proper use of your IL space, and this article aims to help in that endeavor.

Naturally, the actual order of priority depends on your individual needs and scoring format, but if you're already overloaded with injuries, these rankings should give you a loose idea who should stay and who should go. You'll notice it's less about how long before a player returns than how impactful he'll be when he does (though timeline factors into my thinking as well).

Too valuable to drop, period

1	Ronald Acuna Atlanta Braves RF
torn ACL - awaiting final clearance for full running, with rehab assignment soon to follow
2	Wyatt Langford Texas Rangers LF
strained oblique - seems like a fairly mild case, should return before the end of April
3	Jackson Merrill San Diego Padres CF
strained hamstring - nearly avoided IL stint; seems like a short stay just to calm things down
4	Ketel Marte Arizona Diamondbacks 2B
strained hamstring - already taking ground balls and swinging a bat, so late April/early May likely
5	C.J. Abrams Washington Nationals SS
hip flexor strain - tried to play through the injury, may only need the minimum stay
6	Spencer Strider Atlanta Braves SP
elbow surgery - recorded 13 strikeouts in final rehab start and expected back Wednesday
7	Matt McLain Cincinnati Reds 2B
strained hamstring - expected back when first eligible Tuesday
8	Pablo Lopez Minnesota Twins SP
strained hamstring - only a Grade 1 strain, so likely won't need much longer than the minimum
9	George Kirby Seattle Mariners SP
shoulder inflammation - has been throwing off a mound, putting him on track to return in May
10	Blake Snell Los Angeles Dodgers SP
shoulder inflammation - will resume throwing Monday; timeline should develop thereafter
11	Zachary Neto Los Angeles Angels SS
shoulder surgery - performing well on rehab assignment, likely nearing activation
12	Royce Lewis Minnesota Twins 3B
strained hamstring - has been doing some running, but still weeks away from rehab assignment

Also really difficult to drop

13	Grayson Rodriguez Baltimore Orioles SP
elbow inflammation - throwing side sessions, but will still need multiple rehab starts
14	Shane McClanahan Tampa Bay Rays SP
nerve irritation - no real updates since diagnosis, which likely means he's a ways off still
15	Joshua Lowe Tampa Bay Rays RF
strained oblique - has been pain-free for about a week, but still needs time for Grade 2 strain
16	Masyn Winn St. Louis Cardinals SS
back spasms - hoped to avoid IL, so maybe looking at minimum stay
17	Sean Manaea New York Mets SP
strained oblique - taking it slow after having one setback already, but throwing again
18	Spencer Arrighetti Houston Astros SP
fractured thumb - about a week into estimated six-week timetable
19	Colton Cowser Baltimore Orioles RF
fractured thumb - two weeks into projected timetable of 6-8 weeks

Still a priority on some level

20	Francisco Alvarez New York Mets C
fractured hamate bone - on rehab assignment, could need a couple weeks still
21	Tyler Stephenson Cincinnati Reds C
strained oblique - close to catching bullpen sessions, with rehab assignment soon to follow
22	Clarke Schmidt New York Yankees SP
rotator cuff tendinitis - expected back Wednesday after two successful rehab starts
23	Jack Leiter Texas Rangers SP
blister - expected to make what should be his only rehab start later this week
24	Ivan Herrera St. Louis Cardinals C
bone bruise in knee - has been going through workouts but still several weeks away
25	Ranger Suarez Philadelphia Phillies SP
back stiffness - looked good in first rehab start, likely to need two more before returning
26	Brandon Woodruff Milwaukee Brewers SP
shoulder surgery - made first of what will likely be at least three rehab starts Saturday
27	Zach Eflin Baltimore Orioles SP
strained lat - considered a low-grade strain, but could still miss upward of a month
28	Yu Darvish San Diego Padres SP
elbow inflammation - playing long toss, but still at least three weeks from returning
29	Shane Bieber Cleveland Guardians SP
Tommy John surgery - throwing bullpen sessions, could return around midseason
30	Eury Perez Miami Marlins SP
Tommy John surgery - close to throwing bullpens, could return after the All-Star break
31	Ha-seong Kim Tampa Bay Rays 2B
shoulder surgery - has been hitting and fielding for weeks now; early May remains possible

Stashing is purely a luxury

32	Daulton Varsho Toronto Blue Jays LF
rotator cuff surgery - hit well in spring training and nearing the point of playing defense
33	Jake Cronenworth San Diego Padres 2B
fractured ribs - likely 4-6 weeks from returning
34	Parker Meadows Detroit Tigers CF
nerve irritation - back to hitting, running and fielding, but can't return until late May
35	Victor Robles Seattle Mariners RF
fractured shoulder - about a week into 12-week timetable (six to heal, six to rehab)
36	Alexis Diaz Cincinnati Reds RP
strained hamstring - likely to be activated this week, but may not regain closer role so easily
37	Max Scherzer Toronto Blue Jays SP
thumb inflammation - has resumed throwing, but thumb continues to nag him
38	Ryan Weathers Miami Marlins SP
strained forearm - has begun throwing progression, no word on rehab assignment yet
39	Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers SP
toe surgery - will begin rehab assignment Wednesday, could return when first eligible May 17
40	Jared Jones Pittsburgh Pirates SP
sprained elbow - still another month from throwing; surgery remains a possibility
41	Cody Bradford Texas Rangers SP
sprained elbow - hasn't resumed throwing yet, ineligible to return until late May