Lately, the injuries dominating the headlines have been of the season-ending variety. That’s certainly the case for Eury Perez and Shane Bieber, who are both set to undergo Tommy John surgery, and it may also be the case for Spencer Strider, who has a UCL tear of his own.
But it’s still true that most players who get hurt will eventually come back, and most leagues offer specially designated roster spots to stash them in the meantime. You know the ones I’m talking about. They start with an “I” and end with an “L,” and if you’re lucky, they’re not totally full yet.
How best to fill them? Well, that’s what these rankings are for. Like every form of ranking, these aren’t one-size-fits-all. In deeper leagues, for instance, you may not be able sell out for the upside of a Jacob deGrom at the expense of a serviceable player like DJ LeMahieu. But weighing projected timeline against eventual impact, here’s how things shake out for me.
Note that I purposely excluded Sonny Gray (hamstring) from this list since he’s expected to be activated on the day it’s published.
Too valuable to drop, period
Also really difficult to drop
Still a priority on some level
Stashing is purely a luxury
