Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 50 IL Stashes, Including O’Neil Cruz and Jose Ramirez

There can be no silver lining for those who lost Jose Ramirez to a fractured hamate bone over the weekend. Their first-round pick is now out for more than a month, and no matter how shallow the league, there's no accounting for that loss.

Worse yet, the injury comes only two weeks after consensus best player in Fantasy,  Aaron Judge , was lost to a stress fracture in his rib and a week after Ronald Acuna's hamstring put him out of commission again. Between those three and Oneil Cruz (fractured hand), the IL is as abounding in star power as it's been all year.

Those of us who've managed to dodge those bullets can indeed see a silver lining, though, and it's that Hunter Brown is at long last set to return from a shoulder strain Tuesday. The undisputed Fantasy ace made only two starts before landing on the IL in early April.

Cal Raleigh (strained oblique), meanwhile, is also expected back Tuesday, as are Yainer Diaz (strained oblique), J.P. Crawford (bruised hand) and Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation). Those players obviously command varying degrees of interest, with only Raleigh being an absolute must across the board, but my point in mentioning them is that it doesn't make sense to rank them here since they'll be active by the time you can actually do anything about it. I'm going to put Casey Mize (strained adductor) in the same category even though he's not being activated until Wednesday. He would have already come off the IL Sunday if not for a rainout, so the chances of the Tigers pulling back on him seem remote.

I'll remind you once again that the order here is more about how impactful the player will be when healthy than how close he is to returning, though both factors carry some weight.

Too valuable to drop, period 1

Elly De La Cruz Cincinnati Reds SS strained hamstring - testing himself on the bases early this week to determine if he's ready for a rehab assignment 2

Ronald Acuna Jr. Atlanta Braves RF strained hamstring - has already missed about a week with an injury that cost him two weeks earlier this year; should return in late June 3

Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF stress fracture in rib - about two weeks into an injury that will be reassessed in 4-6 weeks 4

Jose Ramirez Cleveland Guardians 3B fractured hamate bone - expected to miss 5-7 weeks, which puts him out until the second half 5

Francisco Lindor New York Mets SS strained calf - has been playing in simulated games as he nears a rehab assignment, could return before the end of June 6

Oneil Cruz Pittsburgh Pirates CF fractured hand - fractures are non-displaced, which will hopefully put him on the closer end of the 4-to-6 week timetable 7

Max Fried New York Yankees SP bone bruise in elbow - ready to resume throwing off a mound; first session will be "touch and feel" as he progresses toward rehab assignment 8

Hunter Greene Cincinnati Reds SP bone spurs in elbow - will begin rehab assignment Thursday, may need a month to build up but should return before All-Star break 9

Tyler Glasnow Los Angeles Dodgers SP back spasms - still no word on when he'll resume throwing following an injury that seemed minor at first; out until the All-Star break at least 10

Garrett Crochet Boston Red Sox RP strained lat - mixed messages about injury, from it being "a lot worse" than first reported to it being asymptomatic; should return in second half 11

Munetaka Murakami Chicago White Sox 1B strained hamstring - about three weeks into 4-to-6-week timetable, so we should hear talk of him resuming running soon 12

Corey Seager Texas Rangers SS concussion - generally banged up after home plate collision, seemed like he might avoid the IL at first, so may require only the minimum seven days 13

Konnor Griffin Pittsburgh Pirates SS flexor strain - has been throwing at team's spring training complex, could return before the end of the month 14

Ryan Helsley Baltimore Orioles RP elbow inflammation - has looked good in two rehab appearances, so you can expect him back at some point this week 15

Edwin Diaz Los Angeles Dodgers RP loose bodies in elbow - will throw first bullpen session this week, trending toward returning right around the All-Star break 16

Blake Snell Los Angeles Dodgers SP loose bodies in elbow - began playing catch over a week ago; had same less-invasive procedure as Tarik Skubal and now nearly a month into recovery 17

Teoscar Hernandez Los Angeles Dodgers LF strained hamstring - resuming baseball activities this week and could go on rehab assignment this weekend, expected to beat initial one-month timetable 18

Eury Perez Miami Marlins SP adductor strain - initial timetable was eight weeks, but he's set to begin rehab assignment Thursday after missing only three Also really difficult to drop 1

Brent Rooker Athletics DH bone bruise in knee - cortisone shot will hopefully speed up recovery, allowing him to return when first eligible 2

Brandon Woodruff Milwaukee Brewers SP shoulder inflammation - scheduled for another rehab start Tuesday after iffy showing in Complex League; Sunday return possible 3

Kris Bubic Kansas City Royals SP elbow soreness - felt something in shoulder in rehab start, but resumed throwing Sunday when no structural damage was found 4

Spencer Strider Atlanta Braves SP elbow inflammation - confirmed to have no structural damage; will be reevaluated after four weeks, which likely puts him out until at least August 5

Cole Ragans Kansas City Royals RP elbow impingement - latest setback Friday has him slated for more testing; return is entirely up in the air but likely won't be in the first half 6

Roman Anthony Boston Red Sox OF sprained wrist and finger - still hurts to swing, but he feels like he's making progress; hard to imagine he'll return before the All-Star break 7

Vinnie Pasquantino Kansas City Royals 1B fractured hamate bone - has already undergone surgery; 4-to-6-week timetable will put him out until second half 8

Will Smith Los Angeles Dodgers C neck inflammation - not expected to be a long-term absence, but he's lost an increasing number of at-bats to Dalton Rushing as the year has progressed 9

Mickey Moniak Colorado Rockies LF ankle tendinitis - doing most baseball activities but still not changing directions while running; likely still has a few weeks of recovery ahead 10

Emilio Pagan Cincinnati Reds RP strained hamstring - has been throwing bullpen sessions and should begin facing hitters this week, with an eye on returning before the end of June 11

Mick Abel Minnesota Twins P elbow inflammation - looked good in first rehab outing with five strikeouts in three scoreless innings; likely to need at least two more 12

Shane Bieber Toronto Blue Jays SP forearm fatigue - latest rehab start was best one; one more to go 13

Matthew Boyd Chicago Cubs SP torn meniscus - shoulder soreness canceled weekend return, but he's ready for another bullpen session Tuesday and should return by the end of June Still a priority on some level 1

Logan Henderson Milwaukee Brewers SP strained back - no updates since his injection two weeks ago, making a June return unlikely 2

Kyle Teel Chicago White Sox C sprained knee - set to begin rehab assignment Tuesday; suffered the knee injury in an earlier one in which he was rehabbing a hamstring strain 3

Daulton Varsho Toronto Blue Jays CF wrist inflammation - has received cortisone shot; doesn't seem like the sort of injury that will sideline him for long 4

Trent Grisham New York Yankees CF strained hamstring - doing light exercises but won't know severity until imaging results come in 5

Spencer Schwellenbach Atlanta Braves P bone spurs in elbow - has begun throwing program; no word on rehab assignment yet, so likely out until August, at least 6

Nick Pivetta San Diego Padres RP flexor strain - increased throwing distance and intensity a week ago, still trending toward second-half return 7

Justin Steele Chicago Cubs SP UCL revision surgery - scheduled to throw weighted balls this week and then will progress to actual ones, could potentially return in August Stashing is purely a luxury 1

Luis Robert New York Mets CF herniated disc - back has been responding to treatment, and he's been doing some hitting and running; sounds like he could return in second half 2

Trevor Story Boston Red Sox SS sports hernia - was expected to miss 2-3 months as of May 21 surgery, so looking to return at some point in the second half 3

Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP Tommy John surgery - back to playing catch as of late May, still hopeful of returning in second half 4

Seth Lugo Kansas City Royals SP concussion - CT scan came back negative after he was hit in the head by a liner Wednesday, but he wound up on the IL anyway; should be a short absence 5

Brendan Donovan Seattle Mariners 2B strained groin - no status updates in June; at least report, he hadn't been cleared to run yet 6

Giancarlo Stanton New York Yankees DH strained calf - tweaked injury soon after he resumed running, which could set back return by several weeks 7

Noah Schultz Chicago White Sox SP patellar tendinitis - threw bullpen session Wednesday and beginning rehab assignment Tuesday, which should last multiple starts 8

Bailey Ober Minnesota Twins SP flexor strain - began playing catch last week, should resume throwing off mound this week, and go on rehab assignment soon thereafter 9

Jorge Polanco New York Mets 1B Achilles bursitis - earlier rehab assignment was cut short due to continued soreness, but he's expected to resume it this week 10

Addison Barger Toronto Blue Jays 3B elbow inflammation - on verge of a rehab assignment, which could be a lengthy one given that he's appeared in one game since early April 11

Heliot Ramos San Francisco Giants LF strained quadriceps - has been building up as a hitter and runner, and is now about ready for a rehab assignment 12

Grayson Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels SP back inflammation - injury isn't considered serious, but he wasn't providing much reason for optimism even before it

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/fantasy-baseball-injury-rankings-top-50-il-stashes-with-oneil-cruz/)._