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Josh's top 25 injured players to stash for fantasy baseball as of Week 18 (2025). His top fantasy baseball injury stashes for IL spots and redraft leagues.
Welcome back to your weekly update of Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Baseball series as we head into Week 18 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 Luis Gil, Shelby Miller, Luke Keaschall, and more.
We're heading into the home stretch of the fantasy season, when playoffs are made or lost based on your roster decisions. To set yourself up for success, I recommend considering some of the players listed below.
I've compiled a list of the top 25 injured players to stash, and mentioned five players that deserve a spotlight this week. Now, without further ado, let's get into the list.
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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% | Mid-August |
| Anthony Santander | Toronto Blue Jays | IL60 (Shoulder) | 54% | Late August |
| Dylan Crews | Washington Nationals | IL60 (Oblique) | 48% | Mid-August |
| Luis Gil | New York Yankees | IL60 (Lat) | 46% | Early August |
| Tyler Mahle | Texas Rangers | IL60 (Shoulder) | 47% | Mid-August |
| Alejandro Kirk | Toronto Blue Jays | IL7 (Concussion) | 44% | TBD |
| Jake Burger | Texas Rangers | IL10 (Quadriceps) | 35% | Mid-August |
| Andres Gimenez | Toronto Blue Jays | IL10 (Ankle) | 33% | Mid-August |
| Spencer Arrighetti | Houston Astros | IL60 (Thumb) | 32% | Early August |
| Jameson Taillon | Texas Rangers | IL15 (Calf) | 32% | Mid-August |
| Shelby Miller | Arizona Diamondbacks | IL15 (Forearm) | 29% | Mid-August |
| Landen Roupp | San Francisco Giants | IL15 (Elbow) | 29% | August 7 |
| Tylor Megill | New York Mets | IL60 (Elbow) | 28% | TBD |
| Rhys Hoskins | Milwaukee Brewers | IL10 (Thumb) | 27% | TBD |
| Luke Keaschall | Minnesota Twins | IL60 (Forearm) | 26% | TBD |
| Lars Nootbaar | St. Louis Cardinals | IL10 (Ribs) | 26% | Early August |
| Ryan Mountcastle | Baltimore Orioles | IL60 (Hamstring) | 23% | Early August |
| Jac Caglianone | Kansas City Royals | IL10 (Hamstring) | 22% | TBD |
| Brandon Walter | Houston Astros | IL15 (Elbow) | 18% | TBD |
| Kyle Bradish | Baltimore Orioles | IL60 (Elbow) | 11% | Late August |
| Marcelo Mayer | Boston Red Sox | IL10 (Wrist) | 10% | TBD |
| Michael Lorenzen | Kansas City Royals | IL15 (Oblique) | 8% | Late August |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Houston Astros | IL15 (Finger) | 7% | TBD |
| Cristian Javier | Houston Astros | IL60 (Elbow) | 7% | Early August |
| Luis Garcia | Houston Astros | IL60 (Elbow) | 3% | Late August |
Fantasy Baseball Players To Monitor Closely
Luis Gil, SP - New York Yankees
Rostered: 46% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Early August
The reigning American League Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, will likely be making his final rehab start tonight, July 29, before joining the Yankees rotation for the first time in 2025.
Luis Gil is scheduled to make his 4th and likely final Minor League rehab start tomorrow for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 28, 2025
Gil finished the 2024 season with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 151 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old will be relied on down the stretch for a team that lost Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery this year.
Gil can be a good source of strikeouts, as shown by his career 10.41 K/9 and 214 strikeouts in 185 innings. Gil can also rack up wins pitching for a team scoring the third-most runs per game, 5.17, trailing only the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.
It has been reported that Gil could be joining the rotation following his minor league rehab start, making him a great stash option this week. He's available in over half of Yahoo! leagues, so pick him up as soon as you can.
Shelby Miller, RP - Arizona Diamondbacks
Rostered: 29% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Early August
Nearly every potential closer on the Diamondbacks has gone down with a season-ending injury, leaving Shelby Miller as the one to fill the role when healthy. Although he is not currently healthy, Miller recently threw a bullpen session and could return as soon as early August.
Miller is nearing the end of his 13th season in the majors, and this is his first real shot at handling the ninth inning, but he's been a productive pitcher when given the chance. Miller's 1.98 ERA is likely not sustainable given his 3.24 xERA, but his underlying stats still look excellent this season. The 34-year-old has a 35.8% chase rate this season, ranking in the 97th percentile.
While the Diamondbacks are likely to be major sellers at the deadline, already shipping out Josh Naylor, there is still an opportunity for Miller. If he stays with the team, they have a good enough lineup to still play in competitive games post-deadline.
The veteran right-hander already has a career-high 10 saves this season and could push closer to 20 in the team's final 60 games. Miller is rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo! leagues and could be back relatively soon to close games. Saves are difficult to find, and Miller could provide them shortly.
Luke Keaschall, 2B - Minnesota Twins
Rostered: 26% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: TBD
Keaschall made a great first impression, batting .368 with five walks and five steals in his first seven games with the Minnesota Twins. Unfortunately, the rookie suffered a forearm injury and has been working his way back since late April.
Keaschall's short stint in the majors was very impressive, but it was also reminiscent of his production in the minor leagues. The 22-year-old has always displayed excellent contact skills and plate discipline, batting .303 with a 13.4% walk rate and 17.2% strikeout rate in 2024.
The second baseman is currently the third-ranked prospect in the Twins system and the 46th-ranked prospect overall, so he does have some prospect pedigree to back up his production. Keaschall does not have massive power yet, hitting just 15 home runs in 102 games across two minor league levels, but we can't rule out that being a part of his game in the future.
Keaschall should be counted on for a good batting average, high walk rate, and the ability to steal a few bags. Given the state of the second base position in fantasy this season, the young Twins hitter could be a valuable boost for teams struggling at that position. He's widely available in Yahoo! leagues and should be rostered in 12-team leagues or deeper, given his valuable skill set.
Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF - Kansas City Royals
Rostered: 22% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: TBD
Kansas City's top prospect, Jac Caglianone, has been disappointing so far in his short major league stint, but there are still reasons to be optimistic about this high-powered slugger.
Through his first 41 games, Caglianone is slashing .147/.205/.280 with five home runs and 10 RBI. The production has not come for him yet, but his expected stats are far better than his actual ones. The 22-year-old has a .147 BA and .260 xBA paired with a .280 SLG and .462 xSLG. These huge differences suggest that he's in for some major positive regression when he returns.
If the expected stats aren't enough to convince you, maybe his prospect pedigree can. Caglianone is currently the eighth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and one of only five hitters in the top 100 to earn a 70-grade power rating. The Royals slugger only lasted 12 games in Triple-A, but he hit .322 with six home runs and 13 RBI in that time.
Caglianone was drafted sixth in last year's draft, just two spots behind fellow slugger Nick Kurtz. I'm not saying Cags will reach the same heights as Kurtz, but Kurtz didn't get off to a great start either and came back swinging after an injury. All I'm saying is it's too early to write off such a highly-touted prospect.
Caglianone is only 22% rostered on Yahoo! and is capable of producing eye-popping power when healthy. His timeline to return has not been reported yet, but stash him now and wait for the production later.
Luis Garcia, SP - Houston Astros
Rostered: 3% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Late August
Garcia has been on the shelf for the Astros since the beginning of the 2023 season when he underwent Tommy John surgery, but he could be returning in a few weeks.
Astros Injury Update: pic.twitter.com/s8XpNXO470
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) July 28, 2025
The Houston Astros have no shortage of injured starting pitchers, including Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, and Brandon Walter, just to name a few, but Garcia is an interesting name to consider stashing.
Garcia's 2023 season was cut short due to injury, but he was a valuable pitcher across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The Astros pitcher eclipsed 155 innings and had an ERA below 3.75 each year. Garcia was a dependable rotation piece for the Astros during those seasons, and they will need him to be that again down the stretch.
The 28-year-old threw 46 pitches in his most recent rehab start at Double-A and will be joining the Triple-A squad this week to continue his rehab. Garcia is behind fellow starter Javier in his rehab process, but not very far behind, since they should both be joining the Astros in August.
Garcia is only 3% rostered in Yahoo! leagues, meaning he is available in nearly every league out there. Stash him since he should be a factor in the final weeks of the season.
