Five Injured Players to Stash in Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1 (2026)

March 30, 2026

Dan highlights five injured fantasy baseball players worth stashing in redraft leagues, as of March 30, 2026 (Week 1). His waiver wire pickups for IL players.

Well, RotoBallers, it’s finally here. The 2026 Major League Baseball season is officially underway, bringing with it another year of the joys and frustrations of managing a fantasy baseball team (or teams). Now that drafts have come and gone, it is time to move to the next phase of roster management -- shopping the waiver wire.

While most of the waiver moves you make during a season will be made to address the week ahead of you, it is important to maintain a long view of the season as well. Keeping injured players on your radar and getting an early jump on them will keep you ahead of the pack and out of a bidding war once they are healthy and ready to contribute to your squad.

This weekly column will take a specific look at injured players to stash in fantasy baseball. Since they can’t offer immediate returns, most of the players featured will have slipped through the cracks of your draft. This week, I’ll also include a special section for late drafters out there that highlights injured players with more star power who are slipping down the board.

Corbin Burnes, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Rostered: 45% Yahoo

Estimated Return: All-Star break

2025 Stats: 11 G, 64.1 IP, 3-2, 63 K, 2.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP

Corbin Burnes’ (elbow) tenure with the Arizona Diamondbacks got off to a rough start. Burnes started six games in April last year, and by the end of the month, he had been tagged for 17 runs (13 earned), was saddled with a 1.38 WHIP, had 28 strikeouts to 17 walks, and logged a single win.

The ace got back on track in May, adding another 29 strikeouts and two wins to his totals, slashing his walk rate, and allowing just five earned runs.

Unfortunately, Burnes experienced elbow discomfort during his June 1 start against the Washington Nationals, and he was removed from the game. Days later, it was reported that Burnes was diagnosed with a torn UCL and would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season 11 games into his new six-year, $210 million contract with the D-backs.

Tommy John surgery usually keeps pitchers out of action for 12 to 18 months. Burnes is pursuing the shorter end of that spectrum. The timing of his injury gives Burnes a chance to return around mid-July, just in time to help fantasy baseball teams down the stretch.

“We’re still shooting right around the All-Star break… if it was my timeline it would be the end of March.”

Corbin Burnes has been at the facility 3-4 days a week all offseason trying to get back on the mound.

He’s scheduled to get on a mound near the end of Spring Training. pic.twitter.com/3SqceNNTwh

— Jordan Spurgeon (@spurge_) February 10, 2026

Jordan Westburg, 2B/3B, Baltimore Orioles

Rostered: 37% Yahoo

Estimated Return: Late May

2025 Stats: 352 PA, .265/.313/.457, 17 HR, 41 RBI, 59 R, 1 SB

Last season was a rough one for Jordan Westburg (elbow). An early slump made him seem like one of the worst investments in fantasy baseball.

Two separate IL stints and a smattering of minor injuries limited the Orioles standout to just 85 games. Once his bat warmed up, he looked much closer to the hitter he was in 2024 when he turned in a .264-18-63-57-6 line in 107 games. Stretched out to a full season, Westburg would have flirted with 30 home runs in 2025.

In 2026, the injury bug bit again before the season could get started. Westburg suffered an oblique strain during the offseason, which was expected to delay his participation in spring training. Once camp opened, however, it was discovered that the oblique was not the only thing bothering Westburg, and an MRI revealed a partially torn UCL in his right elbow.

Westburg received a PRP injection on February 20 and is hoping to avoid surgery. Not much is known about the 27-year-old’s timeline for recovery beyond the expectation that his IL stay will last into May. The vagueness of his condition is frustrating, but he is a key component to Baltimore’s lineup and has the potential to be a solid contributor in multiple categories.

When asked if Jordan Westburg will be ready May 1, Mike Elias said no. He expects the IL stint to go into May at least.

“Things are going fine so far, but we still have a lot of time ahead of us.”

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 21, 2026

Tommy Edman, 2B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Rostered: 10% Yahoo

Estimated Return: Late May

2025 Stats: 377 PA, .225/.274/.382, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 49 R, 3 SB

Tommy Edman’s (ankle) hot start to 2025 had the fantasy baseball world buzzing. Through the Dodgers’ first 30 games, Edman had eight home runs, 19 runs, 24 RBI, and carried a .252 batting average.

That production came to a screeching halt at the end of April when an ankle injury landed him on the IL. Nagging ankle and toe injuries limited Edman’s availability after his return until an ankle sprain in August sent him to the IL for the second time, costing him five weeks.

Edman underwent surgery in November to repair a damaged ligament and remove some bone spurs. The utility man had been dealing with pain in the ankle going back at least as far as 2024, which may be the reason behind his decline in stolen bases since being traded to Los Angeles that season.

Edman is expected to return to action in May. He will be relegated to the back third of the Dodgers lineup once activated, but could still put up numbers.

With his ankle cleaned up, Edman could return to being the base stealer he was as a Cardinal, when he averaged almost 30 steals a year from 2021 to 2023, and get himself in position to score runs. An afterthought in fantasy drafts, he represents a cheap avenue into the league’s most dynamic lineup.

Edwin Uceta, RP, Tampa Bay Rays

Rostered: 10% Yahoo

Estimated Return: Mid-April

2025 Stats: 70 G, 76.0 IP, 10-3, 103 K, 1 SV, 21 HLD, 3.79 ERA, 1.17 WHIP

When Edwin Uceta (shoulder) reported to spring training, he notified the team of discomfort in his shoulder. Team doctors diagnosed him with a minor impingement, though they were unconcerned about the extent of the injury and treated him with a cortisone injection and rest.

The injury forced Uceta to opt out of participating in the World Baseball Classic, but by mid-March, he was back to throwing bullpen sessions.

Uceta should be a target to stash for all those teams that forwent reaching for closers during their drafts. With Pete Fairbanks having departed for Miami via free agency, the closer role in Tampa is up for grabs. The job won’t be Uceta’s outright, but he will be in the mix for saves along with Griffin Jax and Garrett Cleavinger.

Uceta will be a valuable addition even without a guaranteed spot in the ninth inning. He should be a reliable source for holds for leagues that use that statistic in their scoring.

Uceta’s 33.3% strikeout rate (and a 26.0 K-BB%!) in his two years since joining the Rays and frequent use out of the pen make him a solid strikeout contributor without putting ratios at risk. Uceta will need just a couple more weeks to build up after missing most of spring training.

With Jax blowing both of his first two save opportunities and Cleavinger stumbling on Opening Day, Uceta could immediately carry fantasy value as soon as he returns.

Ben Joyce, RP, Los Angeles Angels

Rostered: 1% Yahoo

Estimated Return: Unknown

2023-2025 Stats: 48 G, 49.0 IP, 4-1, 4 SV, 14 HLD, 3.12 ERA, 1.31 WHIP

If the name “Ben Joyce” (shoulder) isn’t ringing any bells, that’s ok. Joyce has dealt with several long-term injuries in college and in his last few years as an Angels prospect, limiting him to just 48 appearances since his 2023 debut. You might remember him, though, from the time he popped 105.5 on the radar back in 2024:

BEN JOYCE JUST THREW 105.5 MPH 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3BNim2It0P

— MLB (@MLB) September 4, 2024

The closest we have seen to a full season out of Joyce came during 2024, when he threw 34.2 innings in 31 appearances, logging a 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts.

Joyce was seen as a potential heir to Kenley Jansen at the start of the 2025 season. Sadly, the fireballer only logged 4.1 IP before succumbing to a torn labrum that ended his season. Joyce underwent surgery last May to repair the damage to his shoulder.

Given the state of the Angels bullpen, Joyce could be a closer candidate once healthy. The man signed for the job, Kirby Yates (knee), is also starting the year on the IL, putting ninth-inning work in the hands of Jordan Romano, who has been unsteady over the last two years, to say the least.

Joyce is something of a speculative stash since his timetable for return is up in the air. While he never pitched in any spring training games, he was able to throw bullpen sessions, which is a sign that he is progressing through his recovery.

Other Injury Stashes

There is no shortage of talent starting the season on the injured list. It is unlikely that these players will be available to your wire, but do your due diligence!

The players listed below are popular, but none are rostered in 100% of leagues. Those of you who are drafting even after the MLB season gets started should keep tabs on these guys, as you might find them at a significant discount compared to their preseason ranking and ADP.

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