Five Injured Players to Stash in Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 17 (2025)

July 21, 2025

Kipp highlights five injured fantasy baseball players worth stashing in redraft leagues, as of July 18, 2025 (Week 17). His waiver wire pickups for IL players.

We've got another edition of the Injured Players to Stash in Fantasy Baseball series for Week 17 as we continue the 2025 season into the summer months. Today's article examines injured players, including Tyler Mahle, Anthony Santander, and Lars Nootbaar, among others.

With the 2025 fantasy baseball season starting to enter the dog days of summer, several injured players who are out there have low roster percentages and may be available on your league's waiver wires. These players can provide significant value to fantasy managers, especially if they have an IL spot available on their roster.

This article will be featured weekly with updated players for fantasy managers to consider picking up and stashing off the waiver wire. We will typically highlight two pitchers as well as three hitters who should be added with a sense of urgency before your league mates can scoop them up. Without further ado, let's look at what Week 17 of the fantasy baseball season has to offer.

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Tyler Mahle, SP, Texas Rangers

Rostered: 48% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Mid-August

2025 Stats: 2.34 ERA/56 K/27 BB/77 IP

We are going to start this week with a well-known name in Mahle. Mahle started his 2025 campaign in superb fashion, posting a 2.34 ERA across his first 77 IP, which came across 14 starts. He also posted a solid 6-3 record despite being backed by a Rangers offense that was struggling mightily until recently.

While Mahle struck out only 56 batters across 77 innings, he did post a SwStr% rate of 11%, which is more than respectable. In fact, he should probably be considered unlucky to have so few strikeouts given this metric.

Mahle is currently on the IL with a shoulder injury and is expected to begin throwing again this week. While his precise timetable for return is still a bit up in the air, it is likely we could see him around the middle of August if everything goes according to plan.

The Rangers are currently in the thick of the AL Wild Card hunt and could certainly use Mahle back in their rotation for the stretch run. Fantasy managers should look to add him now if they have available roster space, and should certainly look to add him regardless of roster construction once a rehab assignment is announced.

Tyler Mahle to Start Throwing Next Week https://t.co/xB6cQmVS9e

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) July 11, 2025

Bryce Miller, SP, Seattle Mariners

Rostered: 62% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Early August

2025 Stats: 5.73 ERA/39 K/23 BB/48 2/3 IP

I was hesitant to include Bryce Miller in this article for a couple of reasons. The first is that he is currently 62% rostered in Yahoo leagues, and the second is that he has not lived up to expectations this season. That being said, a case can still be made for picking him up.

While Miller has posted an abysmal 5.73 ERA this season, he is just one season removed from posting a 2.94 ERA with 171 strikeouts across 180 1/3 IP. In 2025, he has been penalized for some really bad starts, but he has also had some flashes of looking more than respectable.

He has had five starts allowing three earned runs or less while striking out 25 batters in those starts. He is also backed by one of the best offenses in baseball, as the Mariners currently rank fourth-best in the league in terms of wRC+.

While all of this may not sound like a ringing endorsement for adding Miller, he makes sense for teams who have a free IL space and can take a flier on his potential rebound down the stretch.

Anthony Santander, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

Rostered: 58% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Early August

2025 Stats: .179/.273/.304/6 HRs/18 RBI/24 BB

Up next, we have another player who had high expectations heading into 2025, yet has fallen flat in Santander. Santander signed with the Toronto Blue Jays after posting a 44-home run season in 2024.

While 2025 has not started as he had hoped, he has an opportunity to put together a solid second half in an extremely competitive Blue Jays' lineup. On the season, Toronto has posted a wRC+ mark of 106, which ranks them as the 10th-best offense in baseball.

Santander can certainly provide value in a lineup like this, especially given his walk rate of 11.5%, which ranks him in the top 14% of the league. When a player is struggling like Santander, it is always nice to know that he is seeing the ball somewhat well with a solid walk rate.

He is a solid rebound candidate for the stretch run and makes sense to add in several formats.

Lars Nootbaar, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Rostered: 30% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Late July

2025 Stats: .227/.332/.381/12 HRs/37 RBI/48 BB/4 SBs

Nootbaar has put together a very respectable first half with his 12 home runs, 37 RBI, and 48 walks. He is currently on the IL with a rib injury, but should be able to return in the early part of next month at the latest.

Nootbaar posted a 91.8 mph average exit velocity, 34.8% hard hit rate, and 12.4% walk rate. These ranked him in the top 13%, 36%, and 9% of the league, respectively. Quite frankly, he has shown a great mix of power and patience, which are two key ingredients for a successful hitter.

The offense surrounding him has been solid as well, as the Cardinals have posted a wRC+ mark of 103, which ranks them in the top half of baseball up to this point in the season. Once Nootbaar can return, he should further assist this offense's production. He makes for a solid addition in all formats and could be a tremendous asset down the stretch.

Six hitters in MLB have

- 100+ PA
- K% under 22%
- BB% over 10%
- Brl% over 10%

Usual suspects:
--> Juan Soto
--> Corey Seager
--> Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Not overly surprising
--> Lars Nootbaar (guy just doesn't swing)
--> Max Muncy

And then Roman Anthony pic.twitter.com/mICAEsgNjX

— Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) July 14, 2025

Gabriel Arias, 2B/3B/SS, Cleveland Guardians

Rostered: 3% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Mid-August

2025 Stats: .231/.293/.369/6 HRs/31 RBI/18 BB/3 SBs

Gabriel Arias is a player I have found myself frustrated with over the past couple of seasons as a Cleveland Guardians fan; however, he was beginning to show some serious signs of life this season and is worth adding for a number of reasons.

One big plus to having Arias on your roster is his position eligibility. He can play anywhere in the infield except catcher and first base, which is extremely valuable when players in your starting lineup have off days. Arias was also starting to hit the ball relatively well in 2025, as he posted 23 extra-base hits across his first 77 games.

What may not be surprising, given these extra-base hits, are the metrics that went along with them. Overall, Arias posted a hard hit rate of 34.1%, which ranked him in the top 40% of baseball. He also posted an average exit velocity of 89.6 mph, which ranked him in the top 43% of the league.

By most accounts, including mine, the Cleveland Guardians do not have the pieces to contend this season, which means that they will be looking to see what they have for the future down the stretch run. Arias will certainly see plenty of playing time once he is activated, and he is someone the front office will want to make a decision on for the future.

He is currently on the IL with an ankle injury and has started to take live batting practice. His current timetable for return is still a bit unclear, but it would not be too far-fetched to see him begin a rehab assignment within the next couple of weeks or so. Look to add him in leagues where you need depth, and with second base eligibility, who doesn't?

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