Top 25 Injured Players to Stash: Fantasy Baseball Week 22

There continues to be no shortage of injuries across baseball. We saw yet another star go down over the weekend when Austin Riley was hit by a pitch. On Monday the Braves announced that Riley will miss six to eight weeks with a fractured hand.

With September approaching, we are running out of time for some notable fantasy options to return and help fantasy managers. If their return isn’t close and IL spots are dwindling on your roster, there comes a point in which players can’t be held much longer.

In our Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Baseball series this week, we’ll look at some big names who could be on the cusp of returning. Below is a list of 25 players who are injured and their injury status.

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Top 25 Injured Players for Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy Baseball Players to Monitor Closely

Justin Verlander, Houston Astros (SP)

Rostered: 84% Yahoo!

Estimated Return: August 21

Of all the players on this list, we have the most concrete news on Verlander (neck). He is slated to return for Wednesday’s matchup with the Red Sox. Prior to going down with his injury, Verlander had a respectable 3.95 ERA, but his 4.99 FIP was more of a concern. While he has only allowed 0.9 HR/9 for his career, he has given up 1.7 HR/9 this year.

Verlander has not appeared in the majors in over two months. In his last rehab outing, he only threw 57 pitches. Given his age, it could take him a couple of starts with the Astros to get back to his usual allotment of pitches.

It might be best to avoid starting him on a limited pitch count against a dangerous Red Sox lineup on Wednesday, but after that, fantasy managers who have held onto Verlander for this long should be ready to roll with him again.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (3B, OF)

Rostered: 97% Yahoo!

Estimated Return: late August

Chisholm was the Yankees’ big acquisition at the trade deadline. He immediately made an impact, hitting 18-for-57 (.316) with seven home runs over his first 14 games with the team. He then injured his elbow sliding head-first into home plate, which landed him on the injured list.

Chisholm was taking ground balls prior to Sunday’s game against the Tigers, which is a promising step in his recovery. He should begin to start swinging a bat again soon and has already stated his eagerness to rejoin the lineup shortly. If all goes well, the Yankees and fantasy managers could have him back in their lineups by the end of August.

Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks (1B)

Rostered: 96% Yahoo!

Estimated Return: late August, early September

Walker has continued to bring plenty of power to the plate, hitting 23 home runs on his way to a .222 ISO. He is on pace to have an ISO of at least .222 and a wOBA of at least .346 for the third straight season. However, he injured his oblique at the end of July, which forced the Diamondbacks to acquire Josh Bell from the Marlins.

Bell has played well in Walker’s absence, so there hasn’t been a huge rush to get Walker back into the lineup. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that Walker is swinging against soft-toss pitching and doing light running.

When Walker originally went down, the initial hope was to get him back in around three weeks. He likely won’t make it back that soon, but there is a chance that the Diamondbacks and fantasy managers could have him for most, if not all, of September.

Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies (SP)

Rostered: 92% Yahoo!

Estimated Return: August 24

Suarez (back) has been one of the biggest pleasant surprises on the pitching side of things this season. Across 20 starts, he has a 2.87 ERA that is supported by a 3.00 FIP. One of the keys to his success has been improved control. His career-low 5.6% walk rate has helped him record a 1.06 WHIP.

Suarez has been out for nearly a month with his back injury, dealing a significant blow to the Phillies’ starting rotation. He participated in a simulated game Saturday in which he threw 57 pitches, then followed it up by throwing another 20 pitches in the bullpen.

He is expected to rejoin the rotation as soon as this weekend, so fantasy managers who have been eagerly awaiting his return are about to get a boost for the stretch run.

Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates (SP)

Rostered: 75% Yahoo!

Estimated Return: late August, early September

With all of the excitement surrounding Paul Skenes, it can be easy to forget about Jones (lat). He comes with plenty of upside of his own after being selected in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Before landing on the injured list, Jones had recorded a 3.56 ERA that was backed by a 3.75 FIP.

Jones isn’t blowing away hitters like Skenes, but his 26.4% strikeout rate and 1.11 WHIP are still great for fantasy managers. He has made two rehab outings at Triple-A so far, but the results haven’t been great. In terms of his pitch count, he worked his way up to 67 pitches in his last outing.

Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Jones will make at least one more rehab start before returning to the majors. If he can work his way up to 75 pitches in his next outing, he likely wouldn’t be on a significant pitch limit when he first returns to the majors. That means that fantasy managers should feel comfortable putting him right back into their lineups.

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