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Frank's top 25 injured players to stash for fantasy baseball as of Week 5 (2026). His top fantasy baseball injury stashes for IL spots and redraft leagues.
Welcome back to the Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Baseball series as we continue Week 5 of the 2026 MLB season. Even though we're still extremely early in the season, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be stashing injured players. They can make a major impact on your roster down the road. If you have IL spots like most leagues, these players are worth stashing on your bench.
In this column, we'll include the top 25 injured MLB players rostered in less than 65% of Yahoo! leagues who are worth stashing, including names like Tatsuya Imai, Royce Lewis, and Addison Barger. The ranking will be by roster percentages, and then we'll dive into five players to highlight. Projected return dates are an estimate. Always assume they'll come back a bit later just to be safe.
I've dug through the waiver wire to find some potential values for you. You'll find projected timelines for when these players will return to the lineup. So, without further ado, let's find out my top-25 injured players to stash for Week 5 of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.
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Top Injured Players For Fantasy Baseball
| Player | Team | IL Type | Ros. % | Estimated Return |
| Hunter Greene | Reds | IL60 (Elbow) | 62% | Mid-July |
| Tatsuya Imai | Astros | IL15 (Arm) | 51% | Mid-May |
| Jackson Holliday | Orioles | IL10 (Elbow) | 48% | Late-May |
| Shane Bieber | Blue Jays | IL60 (Elbow) | 48% | Early June |
| Corbin Burnes | Diamondbacks | IL60 (Elbow) | 37% | Early-August |
| Spencer Schwellenbach | Braves | IL60 (Hand) | 36% | Early-August |
| Andrew Vaughn | Brewers | IL10 (Hand) | 34% | Mid-May |
| Jorge Polanco | Mets | IL10 (Wrist) | 31% | Mid-May |
| Alejandro Kirk | Blue Jays | IL10 (Thumb) | 30% | Late-May |
| Bryce Miller | Mariners | IL15 (Oblique) | 28% | Early-June |
| Addison Barger | Blue Jays | IL10 (Ankle) | 27% | Mid-May |
| Joe Musgrove | Padres | IL15 (Elbow) | 25% | Early-July |
| Quinn Priester | Brewers | IL15 (Wrist) | 23% | Mid-May |
| Jordan Westburg | Orioles | IL60 (Elbow) | 22% | Early-July |
| Mick Abel | Twins | IL15 (Elbow) | 20% | Mid-May |
| Jared Jones | Pirates | IL60 (Elbow) | 17% | Late-May |
| Justin Steele | Cubs | IL60 (Elbow) | 17% | Late-July |
| J.T. Realmuto | Phillies | IL10 (Back) | 15% | Late-May |
| Kirby Yates | Angels | IL15 (Knee) | 13% | Mid-May |
| Grayson Rodriguez | Angels | IL15 (Shoulder) | 12% | Late-May |
| Edwin Uceta | Rays | IL60 (Shoulder) | 11% | Late-June |
| Gabriel Moreno | Diamondbacks | IL10 (Oblique) | 11% | Early-May |
| Jeremiah Estrada | Padres | IL15 (Elbow) | 11% | Late-May |
| Kyle Teel | White Sox | IL10 (Hamstring) | 10% | Mid-May |
| Garrett Cleavinger | Rays | IL15 (Calf) | 9% | Early-May |
Fantasy Baseball Players To Monitor Closely
Tatsuya Imai, SP, Houston Astros
Rostered: 51% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Mid May
Tatsuya Imai will pitch Tuesday for Double-A Corpus Christi in first Minor League rehab outing.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 26, 2026
Tatsuya Imai's Wrong Way Slider release. pic.twitter.com/o29UFuwDvd
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 4, 2026
Imai had been off to a poor start to his big league career, putting up a 7.27 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP with a 29.5% strikeout rate and a 25.0% walk rate in 8.2 innings. But this was skewed by a brutal outing against the Mariners, where he was limited to only 0.1 innings, allowing three earned runs with four walks and zero strikeouts.
We saw what Imai can do back on April 4th, when he tossed 5.2 scoreless innings against the A's, issuing three walks and striking out nine. Perhaps when Imai returns from this elbow issue, he can start to show more of that potential.
The latest update states that Imai is set for a rehab assignment this week. This comes after the right-hander threw a 45-pitch bullpen session this past Friday.
Since the issue was only arm fatigue, we don't have to be that concerned that it's an elbow issue. With that said, we need to monitor the rehab starts closely. If he looks good, we can feel more confident in starting him when he returns to the big leagues.
There's still a high upside with Imai, so I suggest picking him up immediately if an impatient league mate dropped him.
Bryce Miller, SP, Seattle Mariners
Rostered: 28% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Early June
Final line for Bryce Miller in his 2nd rehab start: 3IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 6K, 47 pitches, 35 strikes, 7 whiffs. Fastball 96-98. pic.twitter.com/2CFp1cYQ7h
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) April 25, 2026
Bryce Miller is coming off an injury-plagued season, which suppressed his production, resulting in a 5.68 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP with an 18.9% strikeout rate and an 8.7% walk rate in 90.1 innings. The underlying metrics weren't good, either, as highlighted by a 4.68 SIERA. However, Miller showed signs of getting back on track with a rock-solid postseason.
Miller has yet to make his season debut because of an oblique issue, but he's on the mend. Miller has already completed two rehab starts, with an impressive most recent outing that included three scoreless innings with one hit, one walk, and six strikeouts. His fastball sat between 96 and 98 MPH in that start, which is very encouraging.
The one issue here is that in Miller's absence, Emerson Hancock has gotten off to a phenomenal start. Hancock legitimately looks like a completely different pitcher. It makes you wonder what the Mariners will do when Miller is ready to return. With that said, Luis Castillo is struggling mightily, so perhaps they make the move there. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
Addison Barger, 3B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Rostered: 27% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Mid-May
Barger had gotten off to a slow start to the season, slashing .053/.174/.105 with zero home runs in 23 plate appearances. However, that's an extremely small sample, especially with last year's breakout numbers, which included 21 home runs in 502 plate appearances. The Blue Jays desperately need Barger's bat in the lineup, so perhaps he'll get more at-bats when he returns.
The latest update states that Barger has been ramping up his baseball activities, running the bases and hitting live pitching, per Blue Jays beat writer Arden Zwelling. From there, Barger will move on to a rehab assignment. If all goes well there, he can rejoin the Blue Jays in a couple of weeks.
He can be a valuable bench bat, especially since he's eligible at both 3B and OF. You may want to give him some time to get back on track, so if you pick him up, leave him on your bench for at least a week. But once Barger gets going, he can provide value for you.
Jared Jones, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Rostered: 17% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Late May
Remember when Jared Jones was a hyped young pitcher who started on fire back in 2024? That wasn't too long ago, and he's almost ready to return to the Pirates. The latest update indicates that the flamethrowing righty is almost ready for a rehab assignment. While the Pirates will definitely take it slow with Jones, this is an encouraging development.
The 24-year-old has the upside to make a significant impact on your rotation. It might be a good idea to bench him in his first couple of starts once he's ready to return, just to see how he looks. There's a risk that his command will take some time to get back. But once he gets rolling, there's a lot of upside here.
Let's not forget that he put up an 18.5 K-BB% in his age-22 season. You have to like that kind of production at such a young age.
Grayson Rodriguez, SP, Los Angeles Angels
Rostered: 12% Yahoo!
Estimated Return: Late May
Grayson Rodriguez was acquired by the Angels in the Taylor Ward trade, but he's yet to debut with the team due to shoulder issues. The last time we saw Rodriguez was in 2024, where he put up an impressive 19.1% K-BB%.
While the upside is obviously there, we have to temper our expectations given the long layoff.
The latest update indicates that Rodriguez threw to live hitters in Arizona on Friday, which is encouraging development. From here, he can move on to a rehab assignment. If all goes well there, maybe he can join the Angels at the end of the month.
