Things had been quiet on the injury front since the opening day reveal of Jackson Chourio’s fractured hand.
A little too quiet.
Just when you thought you had your preferred IL stashes stowed away for the long haul, in came a deluge of new talent over the weekend. The biggest blows were to Juan Soto (strained calf), Mookie Betts (strained oblique), and Hunter Brown (strained shoulder), who I’ve listed in reverse order of how much time they’re likely to miss. Other knocks included Cade Horton (strained forearm), Matthew Boyd (strained biceps), and Alejandro Kirk (fractured thumb).
The former three are obviously must-stash, and the latter three come pretty close, at least in certain formats. But again, you’ve likely already devoted IL space to other players. How do you make room?
That’s why these rankings exist: to help you prioritize. They’re not one-size-fits-all, because no rank list can be, but they can at least serve as a check for your assumptions. To be transparent about my own biases, I tend to prioritize the better player over the shorter timeline, not wanting to devote valuable IL space to a player who I’m liable to cut as soon as he’s active.
Too valuable to drop, period
Also really difficult to drop
Still a priority on some level
Stashing is purely a luxury
