Five Injured Players to Stash in Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 18 (2025)

July 28, 2025

Kipp highlights five injured fantasy baseball players worth stashing in redraft leagues, as of July 25, 2025 (Week 18). His waiver wire pickups for IL players.

We've got another edition of the Injured Players to Stash in Fantasy Baseball series for Week 18 as we continue the 2025 season into the summer months. Today's article examines injured players, including Shane Smith, Jake Meyers, and Pavin Smith, 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 18 of the fantasy baseball season has to offer.

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Jameson Taillon, SP, Chicago Cubs

Rostered: 32% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Mid-August

2025 Stats: 4.44 ERA/74 K/20 BB/95 1/3 IP

We are going to start this week's article with a fairly well-known pitcher, Chicago Cubs' right-hander, Jameson Taillon. Taillon has had some ups and downs this season, and he is currently on the IL with a calf injury and should be cleared for mound work in the near future. Taillon has put up a rough 4.44 ERA this season, but he has been marred by a couple of bad starts. Otherwise, he has been relatively solid.

Taillon has been known to be an innings eater, as he has averaged nearly 5 2/3 innings pitched per start this season. He has also managed to keep his walks down and currently boasts a very respectable 1.11 WHIP. Taillon will not blow you away with his stuff, as he has posted a SwStr% of just 9.6% this season, but he does not have to in order to provide value to fantasy managers.

He is backed by a superb Chicago Cubs offense that has posted the second-best wRC+ mark in all of baseball. As long as he is able to keep eating innings upon his return, he will be in position to rack up plenty of wins for fantasy managers. Thus far in 2025, he has racked up seven wins across 17 starts, so a few more can feasibly be penciled in down the stretch. Add him in any format that rewards steady pitching production, which, of course, is all of them.

Jameson Taillon Nearing Mound Work https://t.co/t8Y69Rpwwt

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) July 21, 2025

Shane Smith, SP, Chicago White Sox

Rostered: 9% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Early August

2025 Stats: 4.26 ERA/81 K/37 BB/86 2/3 IP

Shane Smith started the season hot by giving up three earned runs or fewer in every start he made until June 17. Since then, he has allowed fewer than three runs just once. He is currently on the IL with an ankle sprain and is expected to miss a limited amount of time and return to the White Sox rotation at the beginning of August. This is a guy who could turn the corner again and provide solid returns for fantasy managers willing to take the gamble.

I can attest that Shane was on my roster for much of the first half of the season, and then I cut bait. But given that pitching is so hard to come by on the wire, he could certainly be worth adding again. The metrics tell us that he posted a very respectable SwStr% of 11.8%, which ranked him in the top 37% of the league. This translates to 81 strikeouts across 86 3/2 innings pitched.

Shane has also done a solid job of limiting the long ball, as he has posted just a 0.9 HR/9, ranking him in the top 25% of the league. He is by no means going to return a plethora of wins like Taillon above, given how poor the White Sox lineup is, but he can certainly post a reasonable line the rest of the way and give fantasy managers consistency.

Jake Meyers, OF, Houston Astros

Rostered: 10% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Early August

2025 Stats: .308/.369/.405/3 HRs/21 RBI/27 BB

I have not had an additional need for outfielders in fantasy baseball this season, but if I did, Jake Meyers might be one of the first places I look for production. I was shocked to see how respectable he was hitting thus far in 2025. Unfortunately, he landed on the IL with a calf injury and is looking at least another week before he makes his anticipated return. That being said, he could be someone to add for depth entering the playoff push.

Meyers posted a solid .308 AVG while stealing 14 bases and scoring 47 runs. He has been especially productive against right-handed pitching, as noted by his .786 OPS. He also plays in a potent Astros lineup that ranks inside the top 10 on the season in terms of wRC+. The ability to provide fantasy managers with a nice combination of AVG and speed cannot be understated, either.

Meyers boasts a sprint speed of 24.7 ft/sec, which ranks him in the top 15% of the league. This, along with the fact that he stole 14 bases across 89 games, tells us that the speed is real. As aforementioned, he will be on the shelf for at least another week, but look to add him once he is inserted back into the Astros' lineup.

Andres Gimenez, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays

Rostered: 33% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Late July

2025 Stats: .218/.300/.322/5 HRs/23 RBI/16 BB/10 SBs

I have written about Andres Gimenez at least twice this season on different occasions, and he has found himself on the IL again, this time with an ankle injury. The good news is that he has resumed baseball activities and should be able to return near the end of this month or the beginning of next month. Fantasy managers will want to add Gimenez for a couple of reasons.

The first is that he plays a premium position at second base, which is extremely difficult to find production at this season. Next is that he plays in a Blue Jays lineup that has been on absolute fire lately. Over the previous month, the Blue Jays ranked fifth in terms of wRC+. Gimenez managed to score 26 runs and steal 10 bases across 61 games in an offense that was not firing on all cylinders. Imagine what he could do in a much-improved lineup.

Andres Gimenez Doing Baseball Activities https://t.co/6jJtY56ku7

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) July 19, 2025

Pavin Smith, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Rostered: 10% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Early-August

2025 Stats: .261/.371/.446/8 HRs/28 RBI/40 BB/2 SBs

Pavin Smith was having a very nice season, posting an OBP of .371, before going on the IL with a damaged oblique injury. He is currently projected to be out at least another week and a half, but he has started dry swings and appears to be on his road back.

Pavin managed to post a solid .838 OPS with eight home runs against right-handers this season. He also posted an overall 90.9 mph average exit velocity, which ranks him in the top 37% of the league. Additionally, he posted a 36.4% hard hit rate and a sprint speed of 23.6 ft/sec. These ranked him in the top 25% and 33%, respectively. When he returns, he will slot into a Diamondbacks' lineup that ranks fourth-best in the league in terms of wRC+ for the season.

Pavin makes for a great addition where outfield depth is needed. He is also a great platoon option when he squares up against right-handed pitching.

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