Fantasy Baseball: Ranking the top 25 DL stashes with returns of Aroldis Chapman and Sean Manaea looking murky

More players are coming off the DL than going on it this time of year.

Don't believe me? Check out the headline. Every other time I've ranked DL stashes this season, it's been a top 30. But right now, there aren't 30 of real consequence in Fantasy. So 25 it is.

And in just a couple days, we won't see any more added to their number. Or we'll see significantly fewer, anyway. That's because the 10-day DL becomes more or less defunct in September. It still exists. Players can technically still go on it. But because active rosters have expanded to include everyone on the 40-man, there's no point to it.

It can be pretty infuriating for Fantasy owners. At the same stage of the season when every injury has a chance to be a season-ender, the built-in clarity of a DL stint is lost. Sometimes an injury is so severe that a player will immediately go on the 60-day DL, freeing up another 40-man spot, and all is well. But if there's any doubt, a team will just park him on its bench, where he'll remain until either the season runs out or it doesn't.

And your only choice in Fantasy is to do the same — that or drop him. Yeah, maybe the same injury would have landed him on the DL from April through August, but he won't go on the DL now, which means you can't move him to your DL spot. So if you want first dibs on him if and when he does return, you'll have to play a man down in the meantime.

Fittingly, this will be my final DL stash rankings for 2018. If they've given you even the slightest shred of clarity about what to do with an injured player, they've served their purpose. Rest assured, life is about to become even more complicated without them.

It's already beginning. Notice how low Sean Manaea is on this list? He has tendinitis in his shoulder, which normally wouldn't be a horrible diagnosis, but with only four weeks remaining, the Athletics are giving him just a 50/50 shot of returning (and with only a 50/50 shot you'd actually start him if he does).

Lance McCullers, meanwhile, is even lower on this list because there won't be enough time to stretch him out for a starting role. Aroldis Chapman's knee tendinitis takes on new severity when an indefinite rest period is attached, and things are as murky as ever for Sean Doolittle and Brandon Morrow.

Then there's Josh Donaldson refusing to give up on his season, Jose Abreu potentially missing only a couple weeks despite abdominal surgery, Trevor Bauer insisting he won't need a full six weeks to recover from a broken bone, and Ross Stripling's probable (but perhaps not permanent) shift to the bullpen.

In fact, the only players on this list who I feel confident saying will get the chance to make a worthwhile Fantasy impact again this year are the top six, Eduardo Rodriguez, Mallex Smith and Marcell Ozuna. That's it.

Top DL stashes

1	Chris Sale Boston Red Sox SP
shoulder inflammation
2	James Paxton Seattle Mariners SP
bruised forearm
3	Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs 3B
shoulder inflammation
4	Gary Sanchez New York Yankees C
strained groin
5	Charlie Morton Houston Astros SP
shoulder discomfort
6	Didi Gregorius New York Yankees SS
bruised heel
7	Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF
fractured wrist
8	Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox 1B
abdominal surgery
9	Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays 3B
strained calf
10	Trevor Bauer Cleveland Indians SP
fractured fibula
11	Eduardo Rodriguez Boston Red Sox SP
sprained ankle
12	Ross Stripling Los Angeles Dodgers SP
back inflammation
13	Aroldis Chapman New York Yankees RP
knee tendinitis
14	Mallex Smith Tampa Bay Rays CF
illness
15	Marcell Ozuna St. Louis Cardinals LF
shoulder inflammation
16	Sean Doolittle Washington Nationals RP
fractured toe
17	Brandon Morrow Chicago Cubs RP
strained biceps
18	Tyler Skaggs Los Angeles Angels SP
strained groin
19	Marco Gonzales Seattle Mariners SP
strained neck
20	Marcus Stroman Toronto Blue Jays SP
blister
21	Rafael Devers Boston Red Sox 3B
strained hamstring
22	Sean Manaea Oakland Athletics SP
rotator cuff tendinitis
23	Michael Wacha St. Louis Cardinals SP
strained oblique
24	Yangervis Solarte Toronto Blue Jays 3B
strained oblique
25	Lance McCullers Houston Astros SP
strained forearm