Fantasy Baseball IL Stash Rankings: Gunnar Henderson, Spencer Strider should be ready to roll soon

Chris Towers highlights which injured players are worth keeping around.

By Chris Towers

Mar 25, 2025 at 10:33 am ET • 8 min read

USATSI

The 2024 Fantasy baseball season starts in just a few days, and MLB teams are in the process of finalizing their rosters. All that intrigue and all those position battles from earlier in the spring have been solved, with big-name rookies like Kristian Campbell and Cam Smith breaking camp with the big-league teams.

That's the good news. The bad news is, well, we've got some injuries to worry about. Some might be relatively minor -- Mookie Betts' stomach illness has been the cause of some discomfort in recent days, but he's apparently doing well and hopes to play in the team's final exhibition game before the real schedule gets back underway Thursday, so hopefully he's good to go. But there are plenty of players who aren't so lucky.

Let's go through the top players on the IL to open the 2025 season and rank them by stash-ability, from the players you're stashing even if you don't have an IL spot to those who are a total luxury and who might need to be sent to the waiver wire soon. This article was put together with a tip of the cap to FanGraphs and Roster Resource's Injury Report:

Too valuable to drop, period

1	Gunnar Henderson Baltimore Orioles SS
Strained intercostal -- I'm expecting Henderson to be ready around a week after the season starts, roughly. He's still a viable first-round pick for me.
2	Spencer Strider Atlanta Braves SP
Elbow surgery -- Strider is targeting a mid-April return and has pitched twice in spring. His stuff isn't all the way back, but he has 10 strikeouts in four innings. Enough said.
3	Ronald Acuna Atlanta Braves RF
Knee surgery -- Acuna hasn't played this spring, and is more like an early-to-mid-May target. He should still be an impact player, though there's risk of his 2022 post-surgery struggles cropping back up.
4	George Kirby Seattle Mariners SP
Shoulder inflammation -- Kirby began playing catch last weekend and will stay behind at extended spring training to build up, with a hoped-for return in mid-April if all goes right.
5	Shane McClanahan Tampa Bay Rays SP
Triceps nerve inflammation -- McClanahan has to wait for the nerve to heal and then build back up, so while there's a chance he could be back in April, I wouldn't necessarily be counting on it right now.
6	Vinnie Pasquantino Kansas City Royals 1B
Hamstring -- Pasquantino says he expects to play on Opening Day, but with a Grade 1-plus strain, that's no sure thing. I'd say it's 50-50 that he goes on the IL at this point, and honestly, it's probably better if he does -- you'd rather him take an extra week and make sure it fully heals than suffer a setback that potentially wrecks his whole season. Pasquantino doesn't have enough of a margin for error here to be putting himself at risk.
7	Nico Hoerner Chicago Cubs 2B
Flexor tendon surgery -- Hoerner still has a chance to be ready for Opening Day after getting into a couple of spring games. If not, it should be a minimum stay.
8	Spencer Steer Cincinnati Reds 1B
Shoulder discomfort -- Steer has been able to swing a bat, so the issue is more about throwing. He sounds like he could be ready fairly quickly, though whether he'll be limited to just DH and 1B opportunities isn't clear just yet.
9	Grayson Rodriguez Baltimore Orioles SP
Elbow inflammation -- Rodriguez resumed throwing last week off flat ground, though he remains without a firm timetable to get back on a mound. I'm hoping for May.
10	Royce Lewis Minnesota Twins 3B
Strained hamstring -- Lewis doesn't have a timetable yet, and I'd be surprised if we saw him in April. Given his history, you have to assume the Twins are going to be extra-cautious with his recovery.
11	Zachary Neto Los Angeles Angels SS
Shoulder surgery -- Neto has been doing some defensive drills in recent days, but hasn't been cleared to throw from shortstop yet. This is another one where I'm hoping for a May return.
12	Sean Manaea New York Mets RP
Strained oblique -- Manaea began a throwing program a few weeks back, but we really haven't heard much since. He could be back in April if all goes well, though that's just speculation at this point.

Also really difficult to drop

13	Sean Murphy Atlanta Braves C
Cracked rib -- Murphy's 2024 season was derailed by an Opening Day oblique injury, so I'm sure the Braves are going to be cautious here. He has done some baseball activities in recent days, and could be back a few weeks into the season. Drake Baldwin will fill in for Murphy and has some upside.
14	Alexis Diaz Cincinnati Reds RP
Strained hamstring -- Diaz was really struggling this spring, to the point where it wasn't clear he was going to be the team's closer. Unfortunately, it's not clear who would be the closer if not for him, and we may not find out until the first save chance arrives.
15	Jared Jones Pittsburgh Pirates SP
Elbow -- It's been five days and counting since Jones' injury was first reported, and the Pirates are still reportedly waiting on a second opinion. Or maybe a third or fourth, if they didn't like the first couple. The vibes feel pretty bad here, but you have to hang on to Jones until we find out one way or another.
16	Ryan Weathers Miami Marlins SP
Strained forearm -- Weathers was one of the fastest rankings risers around before this injury, though whether his newfound high-90s velocity will still be there after this is a fair question. I'll hang on to him just in case if I can.
17	Clarke Schmidt New York Yankees SP
Shoulder fatigue -- Schmidt is healthy enough to pitch, he just hasn't build up after his spring was delayed. He should only miss a turn or two in the rotation.
18	Francisco Alvarez New York Mets C
Hand surgery (fractured hamate) -- This one is especially tough because Alvarez remains more theoretically useful than actually useful for Fantasy. But Alvarez could be the next Cal Raleigh, so I'll wait on the upside.
19	Parker Meadows Detroit Tigers CF
Upper arm nerve issue -- Meadows will likely be out at least another four weeks, though really, timetables are especially tough with nerve issues, so we just don't know. I think there's real five-category appeal worth waiting on here.
20	Tyler Stephenson Cincinnati Reds C
Strained oblique -- Stephenson doesn't have a ton of upside, he's definitely a starting-caliber catcher in all two-catcher leagues, making him a must-stash there. I can take or leave him in one-catcher leagues.
21	Ha-seong Kim Tampa Bay Rays 2B
Shoulder surgery (torn labrum) -- Kim is aiming for a May return, and could have a similar impact to Andres Gimenez and Bryson Stott when healthy. That's worth waiting on, even if the ceiling is relatively low.
22	Cody Bradford Texas Rangers SP
Elbow soreness -- Bradford was throwing a bit harder before the injury, which is both intriguing and ominous. If he makes it back, I think he should be useful, though that's not a guarantee given the injury.
23	Ranger Suarez Philadelphia Phillies SP
Back tightness -- Given how Suarez's breakout in 2024 was derailed by a back injury, this is another ominous one. Not that it'll ruin his season, but that it just won't allow Suarez to pitch at the level we hope he's capable of.

Still a priority on some level

1	Shane Bieber Cleveland Guardians SP
Tommy John surgery -- Bieber looked like his old self last April before the injury, and his timetable could put him back on an MLB mound in June if all goes right. If that upside is still in there, he'll be well worth the wait.
2	Eury Perez Miami Marlins SP
Tommy John surgery -- Perez looked like one of the next great aces in baseball as a rookie in 2022, and he'll still be just 22 whenever he returns this summer. The Marlins will be cautious, but I'm hoping we see him by July, and if the stuff is still there, he's an absolute difference maker.
3	Brandon Woodruff Milwaukee Brewers SP
Shoulder surgery -- I'm mostly not expecting anything from Woodruff. But I'll stash him if I can just in case, especially since we should see him on an MLB mound sometime in April.
4	Daulton Varsho Toronto Blue Jays LF
Shoulder surgery -- Varsho was healthy enough to hit this spring, but they don't want to activate him until he's ready to play the field full time. He's a pretty low-end Fantasy option at the best of times, but there's a some useful power/speed production there when he's right.
5	Masataka Yoshida Boston Red Sox LF
Shoulder surgery -- Yoshida could still hit for a solid average and a little bit of power, though it increasingly looks like any path to real Fantasy relevance is going to come outside of Boston.
6	Brayan Bello Boston Red Sox SP
Shoulder soreness -- Bello is hoping to return to the rotation as early as the team's first series at home, which begins April 4. I'm not much of a believer in his, but I know plenty of other Fantasy analysts still believe, so I'll stick him here out of defernce to their projections of a healthy Bello.
7	Kutter Crawford Boston Red Sox SP
Knee soreness -- Crawford has been throwing bullpen sessions after getting off to a delayed start because of lingering knee soreness from last season. He's probably looking at a late-April return, and his Fantasy relevance is minimal enough that he's not a must-stash player.
8	Alex Cobb Detroit Tigers SP
Hip inflammation -- Cobb is the forgotten man in the Tigers much-hyped rotation, but things could get crowded if Casey Mize , Reese Olson , and Jackson Jobe are all healthy and effective when he's ready to return -- likely sometime in May at this point.
9	Spencer Horwitz Pittsburgh Pirates 1B
Thumb surgery -- Horwitz was given a 6-8 week timetable back in early February, so we could see him sometime in April. I don't think there's a ton of upside here, but he could be useful in deeper leagues.
10	Frankie Montas New York Mets RP
Strained lat -- The initial timetable was 6-8 weeks off throwing, after which point he would need to build his arm strength back up. We're close to six weeks, but that probably still means Montas won't be ready until May. I think there's some intrigue here with the Mets ' pitching lab, so if I can, I like holding on to Montas.
11	Luis Gil New York Yankees SP
Strained lat -- Gil is already on the 60-day IL, and the Yankees said Gil would be out "at least three months" back in early March. So we're talking about June at the earliest, and even that is no guarantee. There's enough upside to be worth waiting on if you have IL spots, but he'll be an easy cut if you need the space before long.
12	Lucas Giolito Boston Red Sox SP
Strained hamstring -- Coming back from elbow surgery, Giolito injured his hamstring in his spring debut. The injury is minor enough that he could be back in April, perhaps, but there are no guarantees that Giolito will be effective when healthy, making him a pretty fringe stash candidate.
13	Jeff McNeil New York Mets 2B
Strained oblique -- I may be on an island with this one, but I don't think McNeil is finished just yet. He had a big rise in bat speed in the second half of last season and hit .289/.376/.547 as a result. In deeper leagues, I'll exercise some patience.

Stashing is purely a luxury

37	Yu Darvish San Diego Padres SP
Elbow inflammation
38	Matt Waldron San Diego Padres SP
Strained oblique
39	Thairo Estrada Colorado Rockies 2B
Fractured wrist
40	Zack Gelof Athletics 2B
Hamate surgery
41	Ronny Mauricio New York Mets 2B
Knee surgery
42	Rhett Lowder Cincinnati Reds SP
Elbow soreness
43	Connor Norby Miami Marlins 2B
Strained oblique
44	Jon Gray Texas Rangers SP
Fractured wrist
45	Edward Cabrera Miami Marlins SP
Blister
46	Lance McCullers Houston Astros SP
Elbow surgery
47	Jerar Encarnacion San Francisco Giants LF
Hand surgery