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Josh's top 25 injured players to stash for fantasy baseball as of Week 22 (2025). His top fantasy baseball injury stashes for IL spots and redraft leagues.
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another entry in the Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Baseball series as we enter Week 22 of the 2025 MLB season. Today, we provide you with the top 25 high-profile injured MLB players rostered in less than 65% of leagues worth stashing in your leagues, including names like Roki Sasaki, Chase Burns, Tommy Edman, and more.
Most options left on the waiver wire this time of year are either out for the season or unlikely to move the needle for you. It's a bleak outlook if you're looking for value, but I'll help you out by pointing out some players that could provide a boost.
Adding one of the players listed below could mean the difference between a win and a loss down the line, so it's important to seize the opportunity. I'll also highlight a few players that deserve some extra analysis below. Now, let's get into it!
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Top 25 Stash-Worthy Injured Players For Fantasy Baseball
| Player | Team | IL Type | Roster % | Estimated Return |
| Roki Sasaki | Los Angeles Dodgers | IL60 (Shoulder) | 65% | September |
| Jonathan Aranda | Tampa Bay Rays | IL10 (Wrist) | 50% | September |
| Chase Burns | Cincinnati Reds | IL15 (Elbow) | 50% | Early September |
| Anthony Santander | Toronto Blue Jays | IL60 (Shoulder) | 47% | September |
| Tommy Edman | Los Angeles Dodgers | IL10 (Ankle) | 46% | Early September |
| Wilyer Abreu | Boston Red Sox | IL10 (Calf) | 46% | September |
| Tyler Mahle | Texas Rangers | IL60 (Shoulder) | 33% | Late September |
| Tyler O'Neill | Baltimore Orioles | IL10 (Wrist) | 33% | September |
| Tylor Megill | New York Mets | IL60 (Elbow) | 27% | September |
| Rhys Hoskins | Milwaukee Brewers | IL10 (Thumb) | 24% | Early September |
| Kyle Bradish | Baltimore Orioles | IL60 (Elbow) | 22% | August 26 |
| Jac Caglianone | Kansas City Royals | IL10 (Hamstring) | 20% | Early September |
| Jorge Soler | Los Angeles Angels | IL10 (Back) | 15% | Late September |
| Francisco Alvarez | New York Mets | IL10 (Thumb) | 15% | Early September |
| Joey Ortiz | Milwaukee Brewers | IL10 (Hamstring) | 9% | September 1 |
| Ryan Yarbrough | New York Yankees | IL15 (Oblique) | 8% | Early September |
| Fernando Cruz | New York Yankees | IL15 (Oblique) | 8% | August 26 |
| Luis Garcia | Houston Astros | IL60 (Elbow) | 7% | Early September |
| Hyeseong Kim | Los Angeles Dodgers | IL10 (Shoulder) | 7% | Late August/Early September |
| Connor Norby | Miami Marlins | IL10 (Wrist) | 6% | August 26-31 |
| Ryan Weathers | Miami Marlins | IL60 (Lat) | 5% | September 16 |
| Michael Kopech | Los Angeles Dodgers | IL60 (Knee) | 4% | Late August |
| Simeon Woods Richardson | Minnesota Twins | IL15 (Illness) | 4% | September |
| David Festa | Minnesota Twins | IL15 (Shoulder) | 3% | September |
| Max Muncy | Athletics | IL10 (Hand) | 2% | September |
Fantasy Baseball Players To Monitor Closely
Roki Sasaki, SP - Los Angeles Dodgers
Rostered: 65% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: September
Sasaki has been sidelined since the middle of May with a shoulder injury, but his recent rehab start yielded some encouraging signs.
Sasaki had an unappealing 4.72 ERA through his first eight starts in the majors, but his numbers in Japan were jaw-dropping. The 23-year-old phenom racked up 505 strikeouts in 394 2/3 innings across four NPB seasons. Sasaki also never had an ERA above 2.35 in those four years.
Despite his gaudy stats overseas, Sasaki has struggled to adjust to MLB play. Sasaki's teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, also made the transition from NPB to MLB and struggled with a 4.50 ERA through his first five starts. That said, Yamamoto was a more polished product with more professional experience under his belt before coming to Los Angeles. If Sasaki can follow in Yamamoto's footsteps, the turnaround could be on the horizon.
Sasaki's velocity was down around 93 miles per hour in his first rehab start, but that number jumped back up to 96 in his more recent start. If Sasaki can return to NPB form down the stretch, he could be a force in the fantasy playoffs. Sasaki is rostered in 65% of Yahoo! leagues, so he could be available in some shallower leagues.
Chase Burns, SP - Cincinnati Reds
Rostered: 50% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Early September
Burns got off to a rough start against the Boston Red Sox back in June, surrendering seven runs in 1/3 of an inning, but that outing was the only truly bad one of his career so far.
Since that awful outing, Burns became the first pitcher in history to record four 10-strikeout games in their first eight career starts. Among pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched since Burns' debut, the Reds rookie leads them all with a 14.94 K/9. The next closest pitcher in that span is Dylan Cease with 12.34 K/9. Burns possesses the upside to be the best strikeout pitcher in baseball, and he's demonstrated that.
The 22-year-old is currently dealing with an elbow injury, but has a bullpen session scheduled for August 26, which could provide some more insight into his exact return date. Burns also has an innings limit this season, so the Reds could manage that by implementing him in the bullpen or spacing out his starts.
Whatever way the Reds chose to use him, Burns is a player that you want to have on your roster because he can pile up the strikeouts. Burns is rostered in 50% of Yahoo! leagues, so there's a chance he's available in your league.
Tommy Edman, 2B/3B/SS/OF - Los Angeles Dodgers
Rostered: 46% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Early September
Edman has dealt with ankle injuries three times this season, with the latest landing him on the injured list in early August.
Edman does not project to be the greatest hitter, but there are reasons to still believe in him. Edman's contact skills are above-average, and his .272 xBA is much higher than his actual .228 batting average. He's an excellent candidate for some positive regression.
Edman's defensive versatility is also more reason for the Dodgers to make him a near-everyday starter when he's healthy. Los Angeles has dealt with some recent defensive woes, and Edman could be the answer. He's also a switch-hitter, which makes him a good fit in any lineup.
The 30-year-old is on one of the best teams in baseball, which gives him ample opportunities to score and drive in runs. Edman is rostered in only 46% of Yahoo! leagues, so stash him while you can.
Francisco Alvarez, C - New York Mets
Rostered: 15% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Early September
David Festa, SP - Minnesota Twins
Rostered: 3% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: September
Festa is another injured pitcher with an ugly ERA, but he's basically available everywhere and has some real upside.
The Twins pitcher owns a 5.40 ERA with 32 earned runs in 53 1/3 innings of work. On the surface, that looks bad, but there's a bit more to unpack. In his 11 appearances this season, Festa has allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven games. The majority of the damage came in just two of his starts.
If we do a little thought exercise and remove those two blowup starts from his ledger, Festa's ERA would be 3.20 in 45 innings of work. Festa also had a decent 2.83 ERA across six minor league starts this season.
Festa could end up being a sneaky fantasy contributor, and he's only rostered in 3% of Yahoo! leagues.
