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Josh's top 25 injured players to stash for fantasy baseball as of Week 17 (2025). His top fantasy baseball injury stashes for IL spots and redraft leagues.
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another week of the Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Baseball series as we head into Week 17 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 Dylan Crews, Spencer Arrighetti, Ryan Mountcastle, and more.
As we head into the back half of the year, it is more important than ever to make the right roster moves. Savvy moves now can secure your spot in the playoffs and set you up for success later on.
I've compiled a list of the top 25 injured players to stash below, and highlighted five players that deserve your attention. Now without further ado, 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 |
| Bryce Miller | Seattle Mariners | IL15 (Elbow) | 63% | Early August |
| Anthony Santander | Toronto Blue Jays | IL60 (Shoulder) | 57% | Late August |
| Kerry Carpenter | Detroit Tigers | IL10 (Hamstring) | 54% | Late July |
| Dylan Crews | Washington Nationals | IL10 (Oblique) | 50% | Late July/Early August |
| Tyler Mahle | Texas Rangers | IL60 (Shoulder) | 47% | Mid-August |
| Zach Eflin | Baltimore Orioles | IL15 (Back) | 45% | July 23 |
| Luis Gil | New York Yankees | IL60 (Lat) | 45% | Late July |
| Sal Frelick | Milwaukee Brewers | IL10 (Hamstring) | 38% | TBD |
| Shane Bieber | Cleveland Guardians | IL60 (Elbow) | 37% | Mid-August |
| Jake Burger | Texas Rangers | IL10 (Quadriceps) | 36% | TBD |
| Andres Gimenez | Toronto Blue Jays | IL10 (Ankle) | 33% | Early August |
| Spencer Arrighetti | Houston Astros | IL60 (Thumb) | 31% | Early August |
| Tylor Megill | New York Mets | IL60 (Elbow) | 31% | TBD |
| Rhys Hoskins | Milwaukee Brewers | IL10 (Thumb) | 28% | TBD |
| Lars Nootbaar | St. Louis Cardinals | IL10 (Ribs) | 28% | TBD |
| Luke Keaschall | Minnesota Twins | IL60 (Forearm) | 26% | TBD |
| Ryan Mountcastle | Baltimore Orioles | IL60 (Hamstring) | 23% | Late July |
| Gabriel Moreno | Arizona Diamondbacks | IL60 (Finger) | 23% | TBD |
| Keibert Ruiz | Washington Nationals | IL7 (Concussion) | 12% | TBD |
| Nestor Cortes | Milwaukee Brewers | IL60 (Elbow) | 12% | Late July |
| Blake Treinen | Los Angeles Dodgers | IL60 (Forearm) | 11% | Late July |
| Kyle Bradish | Baltimore Orioles | IL60 (Elbow) | 10% | August |
| Jake Meyers | Houston Astros | IL10 (Calf) | 10% | Late July/Early August |
| Cristian Javier | Houston Astros | IL60 (Elbow) | 6% | August |
| Luis Garcia | Houston Astros | IL60 (Elbow) | 3% | TBD |
Fantasy Baseball Players To Monitor Closely
Dylan Crews, OF - Washington Nationals
Rostered: 50% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Late July/Early August
Crews has been sidelined since the middle of May with an oblique injury, but he is slowly progressing towards a rehab assignment.
The 23-year-old was a popular breakout candidate this past draft season, but has lost multiple months due to this nagging soft tissue injury. Despite having his season derailed, there are still reasons to believe in his rest-of-season value.
Crews demonstrated his plus bat throughout his minor league journey, culminating in a 2024 minor league season where he hit 13 home runs and stole 25 bases across 100 games in Double-A and Triple-A. His impressive performance that year led to his promotion towards the end of the 2024 MLB season.
Despite hitting .218 during his 31-game stint last year, Crews had an xBA of .253 and a manageable 19.7% strikeout rate. Crews' batting average is even less impressive this season, dropping to .196 through 45 games, but his underlying metrics tell a different story.
The former 2nd-overall pick owns a .258 xBA along with a .469 xSLG and 14.5% Barrel rate. To put that last stat in perspective, budding superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong owns a 14.% Barrel rate this season as well.
The good news surrounding Crews is that he was recently able to participate in all baseball activities required of him, and a rehab assignment appears on the horizon. Crews is only rostered in half of Yahoo! leagues and could provide an offensive boost for teams in the second half of the season. Crews is a legit power-speed threat and should be rostered ahead of his return.
Spencer Arrighetti, SP - Houston Astros
Rostered: 31% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Early August
Arrighetti is dealing with a thumb injury, but completed a rehab assignment on Saturday, July 19, and could be returning by August.
Spencer Arrighetti today in his rehab start for the Hooks:
3 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 4 K
He threw 43 pitches, 29 for strikes. #Astros pic.twitter.com/Y2bQFKyrrz
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) July 20, 2025
Arrighetti's 5.59 ERA is an eyesore, but it should not deter you from stashing him, as he had one bad start and then went on the injured list. The Astros hurler owns a 3.79 xERA, .206 xBA against, and a 36.2% whiff rate, which should tell you that he is in for a much better second half despite pitching less than 10 innings this season.
Despite his high whiff rate, Arrighetti only has a 7.45 K/9 through his two starts. His K/9 will certainly increase upon his return, given that he's never had a K/9 under 10 at any stage of his professional career.
The 25-year-old finished the 2024 season with a 4.53 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 145 innings. If the young right-hander can improve his run prevention while maintaining his strikeout prowess, he should be a valuable pitcher to roster in fantasy.
Arrighetti is available in nearly 70% of Yahoo! leagues and will only need a couple more rehab starts before rejoining the Astros rotation. Now is the time to stash him.
Ryan Mountcastle, 1B - Baltimore Orioles
Rostered: 23% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Late July
A hamstring injury abruptly halted Mountcastle's season before the calendar reached June, but he's progressing towards a return.
Mountcastle has been a consistent hitter since the 2022 season. The 28-year-old has hit at least .250 every year, accompanied by plus-quality contact metrics. Mountcastle hit over .270 in 2023 and 2024 with his xBA falling right in line with that production.
The Orioles slugger had a standout 2021 season with 33 home runs in the year of the juiced ball, but it would be more accurate to say that he's a consistent 20-homer and 30-double type of hitter. Those numbers are certainly playable in fantasy, given that his strikeout rate should hover around a manageable 22%.
Mountcastle hit just .246 through 52 games this season, but his xBA of .270 suggests some positive regression should come his way once he returns. With the summer months heating up and the change to the left field wall at Camden Yards, Mountcastle could sneak some out of the park.
#Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (oblique) is on track to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday.
Ryan Mountcastle (hamstring) expected to be there that day for rehab assignment as well.
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) July 18, 2025
Mountcastle can return from the injured list on July 30, and his rehab assignment is set to begin today, July 22. If all goes well, he could return as soon as he is first eligible.
The veteran first baseman is only rostered in 23% of Yahoo! leagues, and that number should skyrocket if he comes back and produces the way he always has when healthy. Find a spot for Mountcastle on your roster.
Kyle Bradish, SP - Baltimore Orioles
Rostered: 10% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: August
Bradish is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this week, July 22-27, which would be the first big step towards returning to a big league mound. The Orioles pitcher has not thrown a major league pitch since June 2024, but he was a budding ace before his injury.
The 28-year-old had a breakout 2023 season, finishing with a 2.83 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 168 2/3 innings. While the underlying metrics showed Bradish had been overperforming that year, he built on that success during the 2024 season.
Through eight starts in 2024, Bradish had a 2.75 ERA, which was backed up by a 2.72 xERA, 2.92 xFIP, and 3.09 SIERA. Bradish was well on his way to another breakout season when he suffered his elbow injury.
It has been a long journey back to the majors for Bradish, but he appears to be approaching the final hurdles in his recovery. The beginning of his rehab assignment would likely mark a month-long buildup before his return, but if he can return as the same pitcher, then he is going to dominate.
Bradish is only 10% rostered on Yahoo!, making him widely available and easily stashable. Bradish can be a difference-maker down the stretch, and that is difficult to find on the waiver wire this late into the season.
Cristian Javier, SP - Houston Astros
Rostered: 6% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: August
Javier is one of the least rostered players on the list today, but he has arguably the highest ceiling. Javier is returning from Tommy John, but has already pitched in two rehab games and could return next month.
Cristian Javier in his first rehab assignment with Corpus Christi:
3.0 IP
2 H
1 R
1 ER
2 BB
3 K pic.twitter.com/Sv9RzdFN3b— SleeperAstros (@SleeperAstros) July 19, 2025
The Astros pitcher had a down season in 2023 with a 4.56 ERA in 162 innings, but he was dominant in the two seasons before that. Javier had a 3.55 ERA and 11.55 K/9 in 2021, then followed that up with a 2.54 ERA and 11.74 K/9 in 2022.
Javier's peak seasons made him one of the most valuable pitchers in baseball, and fantasy owners should try to stash Javier before word gets out that he'll be back soon. Javier is just 6% rostered in Yahoo! leagues, which feels like a mistake given the state of waiver wire pitchers these days. I am stashing Javier in multiple leagues, and you should too.
