Fantasy Baseball Injury Rankings: Top 50 IL stashes with Oneil Cruz and Jose Ramirez suffering a hand fracture

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

19	Brent Rooker Athletics DH
bone bruise in knee - cortisone shot will hopefully speed up recovery, allowing him to return when first eligible
20	Brandon Woodruff Milwaukee Brewers SP
shoulder inflammation - scheduled for another rehab start Tuesday after iffy showing in Complex League; Sunday return possible
21	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
22	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
23	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
24	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
25	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
26	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
27	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
28	Ryan Jeffers Minnesota Twins C
fractured hamate bone - began taking swings about a week ago, probably still a month away
29	Daniel Palencia Chicago Cubs RP
elbow inflammation - no timetable offered; just pitched Monday and showed usual velocity, so hopefully severity is low
30	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
31	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
32	Shane Bieber Toronto Blue Jays SP
forearm fatigue - latest rehab start was best one; one more to go
33	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

34	Logan Henderson Milwaukee Brewers SP
strained back - no updates since his injection two weeks ago, making a June return unlikely
35	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
36	Daulton Varsho Toronto Blue Jays CF
wrist inflammation - has received cortisone shot and is already back to hitting in the cages; doesn't seem like the sort of injury that will sideline him for long
37	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
38	Nick Pivetta San Diego Padres RP
flexor strain - increased throwing distance and intensity a week ago, still trending toward second-half return
39	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

40	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
41	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
42	Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP
Tommy John surgery - back to playing catch as of late May, still hopeful of returning in second half
43	Seth Lugo Kansas City Royals SP
concussion - expected back Friday; CT scan came back negative after he was hit in the head by a liner Wednesday, but he wound up on the IL anyway
44	Brendan Donovan Seattle Mariners 2B
strained groin - finally cleared to run Tuesday, likely to begin rehab assignment before the end of the month
45	Trent Grisham New York Yankees CF
strained hamstring - determined to be of moderate severity, which will likely sideline him through the All-Star break
46	Giancarlo Stanton New York Yankees DH
strained calf - tweaked injury soon after he resumed running, which could set back return by several weeks
47	Noah Schultz Chicago White Sox SP
patellar tendinitis - threw bullpen session Wednesday and beginning rehab assignment Tuesday, which should last multiple starts
48	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
49	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
50	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
51	Heliot Ramos San Francisco Giants LF
strained quadriceps - has been building up as a hitter and runner and is now about ready to begin rehab assignment Wednesday
52	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