Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 50 IL stashes with Michael Harris, Bo Bichette, Justin Verlander added

The top player from the last IL stash rankings, Trea Turner, made his return Monday, and other long-term stashables like Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer and Bobby Miller are also set to come back this week. That's the good news -- and it's indeed very good given how long they've had to occupy an IL spot for your Fantasy team.

The bad news is that other stalwarts like Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Michael Harris will now be occupying those spots instead.

Yes, the shakeup to the IL stash rankings is real with the season nearing its halfway point. Other players who once seemed so far off are now on the verge of returning, with Josh Jung, Jeffrey Springs and Clayton Kershaw recently beginning rehab assignments. You can see how far they've moved up this list.

There will come a point, as the calendar begins to dwindle, when players who suffer long-term injuries won't be as worth the wait because the payoff will be so minimal. Since we're not quite over the hump yet, though, Betts and Yamamoto both still place in the top five for me.

Too valuable to drop, period

1	Kyle Tucker Houston Astros RF
bruised shin - hopes to resume running this week, will likely need rehab assignment thereafter
2	Zac Gallen Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained hamstring - scheduled for sim game Tuesday, likely to need a rehab start or two thereafter
3	Gerrit Cole New York Yankees SP
pinched nerve in elbow - set to return Wednesday, struck out 10 over 4 1/3 innings in final rehab start
4	Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers SS
fractured wrist - expected to miss 6-8 weeks, which puts him returning in late July or early August
5	Yoshinobu Yamamoto Los Angeles Dodgers SP
strained rotator cuff - not thought to be a season-ender but could miss upward of a month
6	Bo Bichette Toronto Blue Jays SS
strained calf - expected back when first eligible June 25
7	Max Scherzer Texas Rangers SP
back surgery - expected back this week; velo down a little on rehab assignment, but pitched well
8	Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels CF
torn meniscus - working out, but no baseball activities yet; return seems a ways off still
9	Michael Harris Atlanta Braves CF
strained hamstring - Grade 2 injury, so likely to miss at least 3-4 weeks
10	Bobby Miller Los Angeles Dodgers SP
shoulder inflammation - set to return Wednesday, seemed to fix velocity issues on rehab assignment
11	Jordan Romano Toronto Blue Jays RP
elbow inflammation - expected to throw off a mound Wednesday, likely a quick buildup from there
12	Josh Jung Texas Rangers 3B
fractured wrist - began minor-league rehab assignment Sunday, may spend a couple weeks there
13	Triston Casas Boston Red Sox 1B
cartilage tear in rib - doing light swings off a tee, but still weeks of progression ahead of him
14	Blake Snell San Francisco Giants SP
strained groin - recurrence of earlier injury; will throw sim game Tuesday and could return this weekend
15	J.T. Realmuto Philadelphia Phillies C
torn meniscus - opted for surgery with shorter timetable, so could return right after All-Star break

Also really difficult to drop

16	Yu Darvish San Diego Padres SP
strained groin - will make rehab start Saturday, putting him on track to return next week
17	Willson Contreras St. Louis Cardinals C
fractured forearm - beginning rehab assignment Tuesday, could be activated next Monday
18	Max Muncy Los Angeles Dodgers 3B
strained oblique - injury has been slow to heal, has yet to begin swinging a bat
19	Justin Verlander Houston Astros SP
neck discomfort - looked like he might avoid IL stint, so should be a short stay
20	Merrill Kelly Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained shoulder - throwing again but being brought along slowly, won't return until second half
21	Jeffrey Springs Tampa Bay Rays SP
Tommy John surgery - only built up to two innings but velocity good, should return in second half
22	Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers SP
shoulder surgery - set to make first rehab start Wednesday, should return for start of second half
23	Kodai Senga New York Mets SP
strained shoulder/triceps - throwing bullpen sessions, hoping to return early in second half
24	Devin Williams Milwaukee Brewers RP
fractures in back - expected to throw off mound soon, still on track for start of second half

Still a priority on some level

25	Gavin Williams Cleveland Guardians SP
elbow inflammation - four starts into rehab assignment but still has yet to go beyond three innings
26	Ryan Weathers Miami Marlins SP
strained finger - no longer has symptoms but has yet to resume throwing, likely a couple weeks away
27	Kyle Bradish Baltimore Orioles SP
UCL sprain - recurrence of injury that sidelined him from February to May, renewing surgery concerns
28	Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP
bone spur in elbow - expected to play catch this week, working on delivery to reduce stress
29	Evan Carter Texas Rangers LF
stress reaction in back - about three weeks into month-long timetable, but no talk of rehab assignment
30	Lars Nootbaar St. Louis Cardinals RF
strained oblique - was reportedly going to begin swinging a bat this weekend; couple weeks away still
31	Wilyer Abreu Boston Red Sox RF
sprained ankle - should begin rehab assignment in coming days
32	Eloy Jimenez Chicago White Sox DH
strained hamstring - set to begin rehab assignment Thursday, should return sometime next week
33	Xander Bogaerts San Diego Padres 2B
fractured shoulder - not a clear timetable but almost certainly out for the rest of the first half
34	Matt McLain Cincinnati Reds SS
shoulder surgery - has been running and throwing, but no word on swinging yet
35	Jacob deGrom Texas Rangers SP
Tommy John surgery - threw first bullpen session Monday; ways to go but on track to return in August

Stashing is purely a luxury

36	Robbie Ray San Francisco Giants SP
Tommy John surgery - three starts into rehab assignment, but likely another 3-4 to go
37	Tommy Edman St. Louis Cardinals 2B
wrist surgery - finally ready for live at-bats, but likely just at spring training complex for now
38	Eduardo Rodriguez Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained lat - one month into throwing program, but no talk of rehab assignment yet
39	Kerry Carpenter Detroit Tigers RF
stress fracture in back - timetable unclear, but not guaranteed to return in first half
40	Michael Wacha Kansas City Royals SP
fractured foot - successful rehab start Monday, could return this weekend
41	Dean Kremer Baltimore Orioles SP
strained triceps - made rehab start Sunday, could make another or be activated this weekend
42	Clarke Schmidt New York Yankees SP
strained lat - roughly halfway into 4-to-6-week shutdown, probably won't return until August
43	Christian Encarnacion-Strand Cincinnati Reds 1B
fractured wrist - ligament damage discovered; surgery being considered
44	Jorge Polanco Seattle Mariners 2B
strained hamstring - on rehab assignment, could return as soon as this weekend
45	Ben Brown Chicago Cubs RP
stress reaction in neck - no timetable given, but good chance we don't see him again in first half
46	Anthony Rizzo New York Yankees 1B
fractured arm - expected to miss eight weeks
47	Vaughn Grissom Boston Red Sox 2B
strained hamstring - taking part in baseball activities, but return isn't imminent
48	Elias Diaz Colorado Rockies C
strained calf - limp is gone but hasn't started running yet; next week seems like a possibility
49	Michael Massey Kansas City Royals 2B
sprained back - set to begin rehab assignment Tuesday, could return next week
50	Kris Bryant Colorado Rockies 1B
strained oblique - likely a multi-week absence, putting first-half return in doubt
51	Kyle Harrison San Francisco Giants SP
sprained ankle - severity not revealed yet but likely a short-term absence