Five Injured Players to Stash in Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 22 (2025)

August 24, 2025

Kipp highlights five injured fantasy baseball players worth stashing in redraft leagues, as of August 22, 2025 (Week 22). His waiver wire pickups for IL players.

We've got another edition of the Injured Players to Stash in Fantasy Baseball series for Week 22 as we continue the plunge into the dog days of summer. Today's article examines injured players, including Shane Bieber, Chase Burns, and Hyeseong Kim, 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 22 of the fantasy baseball season has to offer.

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Shane Bieber, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

Rostered: 55% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Late-August

2023 Stats: 3.80 ERA/107 K/10 BB/128 IP

We are going to start this week's article with a regular from this piece, and that is Bieber. Bieber was recently traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline and has been working his way back through several rehab assignments. The rehab assignments are over now, and he is scheduled to rejoin the Jays' rotation tonight.

Bieber is still just 55% rostered in Yahoo leagues as of this writing, but this number is sure to tick up into at least the 70% range come this evening. Bieber has looked good in his rehab starts over the previous month as he racked up 27 strikeouts across 24 2/3 innings pitched. He also posted a sterling 2.19 ERA across that timeframe.

He is a former Cy Young Award winner with a lot to prove coming off Tommy John surgery. He is set to become a free agent this offseason and will likely want to make the most of this short window he has with Toronto. It is not every day you get to claim someone of Bieber's caliber off the wire, so make it count if he is still available in your league. I have already added him to my roster and activated him in favor of our next target in this article.

Chase Burns, SP, Cincinnati Reds

Rostered: 50% rostered
Estimated Return: Late-August

2025 Stats: 5.24 ERA/57 K/13 BB/34 1/3 IP

Burns recently hit the IL with an elbow injury; however, he is set to resume a throwing program this week and could be back on the Reds by the end of this month or the beginning of September. He needs to be rostered in all leagues, as his potential is immense moving forward, especially in the fantasy baseball playoffs.

Burns has racked up a ridiculous 57 strikeouts across just 34 1/3 innings pitched. He has been able to do this by posting a SwrStr% of 15.8%, which ranks him in the top 1% of baseball. He has also racked up double-digit strikeouts in four of his most recent five starts, which is rather impressive.

Although his ERA leaves a bit to be desired, he has allowed three or fewer earned runs in four of his last six starts. He has also been able to limit hard contact, as noted by his average exit velocity allowed of 81.8 mph, ranking him in the top half of baseball. This guy needs to be added in any league where he was dropped, and given his current roster share of 50%, he will not last long once the rehab assignment is announced.

Chase Burns struck out all 3 Yankees he faced in his 1st Major League inning 😱 pic.twitter.com/t4N4Q1DrwG

— MLB (@MLB) June 24, 2025

Adolis Garcia, OF, Texas Rangers

Rostered: 57% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Early-September

2025 stats: .224/.266/.388/16 HR/64 RBI/10 SBs

I was a bit surprised to see that Adolis Garcia is only 57% rostered in Yahoo leagues, but here we are. Garcia is currently on the IL with a sprained ankle, but he should be able to return by the end of this month or the beginning of September. While Garcia has had a bit of a down year by his standards, he can still help fantasy managers out for the stretch run.

On the season, Garcia has crushed 16 home runs while driving in 64. While the home run total is down a bit for a guy who has hit 25+ home runs in each of the previous four seasons, the power metrics are still solid for him in 2025. Overall, he has posted a hard hit rate of 34.4%, ranking him in the top 39% of the league. He has also posted an average exit velocity of 92.3 mph, which ranks him in the top 8% of the league.

The Rangers are currently in the thick of the AL Wildcard hunt, so they are desperate to get his bat back into their lineup. Upon his return, he will slot into the middle of a lineup that has been struggling a bit in 2025, but seems to be turning the corner a bit in terms of wRC+. Look to add him in any league where he may be available, as he could provide an extremely potent bat off the bench for your roster.

How did Adolis García stick with this baseball?!?! pic.twitter.com/ksEc5eRWM7

— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2025

Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

Rostered: 50% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Early-September

2025 stats: .235/.294/.366/10 HR/34 RBI/22 BB/2 SBs

In our next featured player, we have a perennial all-star who is rapidly descending in terms of production. Nolan Arenado has seen a substantial decline in his production in 2025, but he could still be an outlet for teams desperate for third base help. While Arenado has hit just .235 this season, he has posted close to a .300 OBP and still has a little bit of pop in his bat, as noted by the 10 home runs he has hit thus far.

The one good thing about Arenado in terms of the metrics is the fact that he is still lifting the ball. Overall, he has posted a fly ball rate of 44.8%, which ranks him in the top 15% of the league. He is also still hitting left-handed pitching pretty well. This is noted by the fact that he is posting an OPS of .754 against them compared to a .625 against right-handed pitching.

Again, Arenado is by no means the Arenado of old, but he still has some tools in his toolbox that could help fantasy managers out for the remainder of the season. He makes the most sense on rosters that could use additional depth at third base or want to platoon him with another third baseman.

Hyeseong Kim, 2B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Rostered: 7% Yahoo
Estimated Return: Late-August

2025 Stats: .304/.338/.406/2 HR/15 RBI/6 BB/12 SBs

Kim was mentioned in this article last week and is going to remain in this spot for one more week, given the fact that he plays a valuable position at second base and is in a very potent lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kim is currently on the IL with a shoulder injury, but is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this week. He should be able to return to the Dodgers' lineup by the end of this month or the beginning of September. He has posted a superb AVG of .304 this season across a total of 146 PA and can provide value to fantasy managers in this category as well as in terms of runs scored.

The fact that Kim is also eligible at SS and the OF makes him quite valuable, as he can be shifted around your lineup.

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