Fantasy Baseball: Ranking the top 30 IL stashes with Corey Kluber progressing and Tyler Glasnow not

The All-Star break has come and gone. The 2019 season is in its waning phase. Now's when things get serious.

Among them: injuries with indefinite timetables. The baseball season is so long that whenever a star player goes down, provided it's not with what's known to be a season-ending injury, you can trust he'll eventually be back to contributing again and it will have almost certainly been worth the wait.

But now? The distinction between a weeks-long absence and a months-long absence is becoming less and less, to the point that anything short of a firm end date could be inferred to mean "or maybe not at all." 

This is especially true for starting pitchers, who might need close to a month's rehabilitation (meaning actual games) if they've missed upward of a month. Ones who have yet to begin even throwing may simply run out of time.

And the time crunch is only amplified in leagues that don't see this thing through to the end. In a Head-to-Head league, for instance, you may be looking at just a few more weeks of regular-season play. Sure, a returning ace might help you secure a championship, but you have to survive in the interim.

That isn't to say you should drop all of your longer-term injured players for shorter-term injured players. When an injured player becomes healthy, he's no longer stashable in an IL spot, of course, which means he has to be at least as good as your worst player to justify stashing in any capacity. There's still a balance then between how good the injured player is -- what sort of impact he could make at full health, in other words -- and how long the wait will be. It's just that the latter is rising in importance.

The gap is growing for pitchers like Corey Kluber, who has been throwing from long distances already and is set to begin bullpen work, and Tyler Glasnow, who still isn't throwing and won't for at least two more weeks. Both were originally given lengthy timetables with indefinite paths to recovery, and we still don't know what lies ahead for Kluber. But that seemingly small head start makes all the difference now.

It's reflected in their ranking here, among other things. 

Top 30 IL stashes

Rank	Player	Injury		Last update
1	Max Scherzer WAS SP	strained back		short stay expected, may return this weekend
2	Eddie Rosario MIN LF	sprained ankle		could return Tuesday
3	Willson Contreras CHC C	strained foot		minimum stay expected
4	Carlos Correa HOU SS	cracked rib		on rehab assignment but ineligible to return until July 26
5	Zack Wheeler NYM SP	shoulder fatigue		awaiting MRI results, but short stay expected
6	Corey Kluber CLE SP	fractured arm		set to begin bullpen sessions, mid-August possible
7	Giancarlo Stanton NYY LF	sprained knee		no baseball activities yet, hoping for August return
8	Marcell Ozuna STL LF	fractured finger		still dealing with swelling, hoping for August return
9	Cole Hamels CHC SP	strained oblique		on throwing program, hoping for August return
10	Tim Anderson CHW SS	sprained ankle		some fielding, but not able to run yet
11	Hunter Pence TEX DH	strained groin		on rehab assignment, back Tuesday?
12	Brandon Lowe TB 2B	bruised shin		possible return this weekend
13	David Peralta ARI LF	shoulder inflammation		nearing rehab assignment
14	Nathan Eovaldi BOS SP	loose bodies in elbow		nearing rehab assignment
15	Luke Weaver ARI SP	sprained elbow		has begun throwing, still a month or more away
16	Carlos Carrasco CLE SP	leukemia		throwing with an eye on returning still
17	Luis Severino NYY SP	strained lat		has begun throwing but could return in bullpen role
18	Tyler Glasnow TB SP	strained forearm		shut down two more weeks, season in doubt
19	Rich Hill LAD SP	strained forearm		will resume throwing soon, hoping for September return
20	C.J. Cron MIN 1B	thumb inflammation		likely a short-term stay
21	Yadier Molina STL C	strained thumb tendon		no surgery required, but out three weeks
22	Mitch Haniger SEA RF	ruptured testicle		trying to get cleared for baseball activities
23	Brad Peacock HOU SP	sore shoulder		recently suffered setback, likely weeks away
24	Alex Wood CIN SP	sore back		on rehab assignment
25	Jameson Taillon PIT SP	strained elbow flexor		some light tossing, but Pirates aren't optimistic
26	Tommy La Stella LAA 2B	fractured tibia		hoping for September return
27	Sean Manaea OAK SP	shoulder inflammation		struggling on rehab assignment
28	Pablo Lopez MIA SP	torn shoulder labrum		has begun throwing program, building toward rehab assignment
29	Stephen Piscotty OAK RF	sprained knee		beginning to do some running
30	Gregory Polanco PIT RF	shoulder inflammation		suffered setback on rehab