Meanwhile, Jeffrey Springs and Devin Williams are inching closer to a return
By Scott White
• 5 min read
Here we go again with Blake Snell. Before the reigning NL Cy Young winner has even had the chance to get comfortable in a Giants uniform, he's back on the IL with the same groin injury that already sidelined him for a month.
Between the two IL stints, he's made six starts for his new team, but chances are you haven't gotten credit for anything he's done yet. Or I should hope not, anyway. His late signing and hurried buildup seemed like a disaster in the making, given his well-documented volatility, and all the interruptions certainly haven't helped to stabilize things. In the face of another IL stint, it's easy to look at his 9.51 ERA and 1.94 WHIP and declare him dead weight.
But of course, you should know better than to prejudge Snell after only six starts. Through nine starts last year, he had a 5.40 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. Through 10 starts in 2022, he had a 5.22 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. Through 19 starts in 2021, he had a 5.44 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. In each of those instances, without any forewarning, he flipped a switch that made him indispensable in Fantasy the rest of the way, going so far as to earn him a Cy Young award last year.
There's of course no guarantee that his 2024 follows the same pattern, but a three-year trend is one you have to see through to the bitter end. You knew what you were getting into when you drafted Snell. Allow him to fall into the wrong hands, and you'll feel the pain twice over. The good news is that, at least for the time being, you don't have to use up a bench spot to keep him around.
In other IL developments ... welcome back, Royce Lewis. The oft-injured third baseman had been shelved since straining his quadriceps on opening day but was activated Tuesday. So was White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, who had been out since April 5 with a strained hip flexor. Seeing as both were selected in the first five rounds of Fantasy drafts, they would have placed near the top of these IL stash rankings if they were still injured.
Too valuable to drop, period
| 1 | Trea Turner Philadelphia Phillies SS |
| strained hamstring - just resumed baseball activities after a setback two weeks ago | |
| 2 | Zac Gallen Arizona Diamondbacks SP |
| strained hamstring - will begin throwing progression Tuesday, may only miss the minimum | |
| 3 | Edwin Diaz New York Mets RP |
| shoulder impingement - quick turnaround expected; could begin rehab assignment Thursday | |
| 4 | Gerrit Cole New York Yankees SP |
| pinched nerve in elbow - cleared to begin rehab assignment Tuesday, but still weeks from returning | |
| 5 | Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels CF |
| torn meniscus - no baseball activities yet, but hitters of his ilk are a prized asset | |
| 6 | Bobby Miller Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| shoulder inflammation - working to regain velocity on rehab assignment, needs another 1-2 starts | |
| 7 | Max Scherzer Texas Rangers SP |
| back surgery - throwing bullpen sessions; close to resuming rehab assignment after thumb shut it down | |
| 8 | Jordan Romano Toronto Blue Jays RP |
| elbow inflammation - recurrence of injury that cost him three weeks; has received anti-inflammatories | |
| 9 | Triston Casas Boston Red Sox 1B |
| cartilage tear in rib - doing everything but swinging a bat, hoping to return in late June | |
| 10 | Blake Snell San Francisco Giants SP |
| strained groin - recurrence of an injury that already cost him a month; timetable undetermined | |
Also really difficult to drop
| 11 | Yu Darvish San Diego Padres SP |
| strained groin - originally reported as hamstring issue; sounds like it could be short absence | |
| 12 | Zach Eflin Tampa Bay Rays SP |
| back inflammation - Sunday bullpen session went well, could be activated as early as Wednesday | |
| 13 | Nolan Jones Colorado Rockies LF |
| strained back - resumed rehab assignment Sunday after dealing with knee soreness | |
| 14 | Max Muncy Los Angeles Dodgers 3B |
| strained oblique - already missed two weeks, shut down for another week after feeling "twinge" in rib cage | |
| 15 | Merrill Kelly Arizona Diamondbacks SP |
| strained shoulder - beginning throwing program Tuesday, putting him on track to return in July | |
| 16 | Francisco Alvarez New York Mets C |
| thumb surgery - could be activated when team returns from London, beating timetable by two weeks | |
| 17 | Tyler O'Neill Boston Red Sox LF |
| knee inflammation - has received cortisone shot, likely back when first eligible | |
| 18 | Josh Jung Texas Rangers 3B |
| fractured wrist - has resumed swinging bat and "looks great," says manager Bruce Bochy; still weeks away | |
| 19 | Jon Gray Texas Rangers SP |
| strained groin - threw 40-50 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, could return at the end of the week | |
| 20 | Gavin Williams Cleveland Guardians SP |
| elbow inflammation - one start into rehab assignment, which could last a couple weeks | |
| 21 | Joe Musgrove San Diego Padres SP |
| elbow inflammation - recurrence of an injury that cost him two weeks, could need longer this time | |
| 22 | Jeffrey Springs Tampa Bay Rays SP |
| Tommy John surgery - close to resuming rehab assignment, which was halted for minor lat issue | |
| 23 | Kodai Senga New York Mets SP |
| strained shoulder - also recovering from triceps inflammation, just doing light throwing for now | |
| 24 | Devin Williams Milwaukee Brewers RP |
| fractures in back - playing catch, still on track for start of second half | |
Still a priority on some level
| 25 | Willson Contreras St. Louis Cardinals C |
| fractured forearm - about four weeks into 10-week timetable, likely back after All-Star break | |
| 26 | Xander Bogaerts San Diego Padres 2B |
| fractured shoulder - not a clear timetable but almost certainly out for the rest of the first half | |
| 27 | Christian Encarnacion-Strand Cincinnati Reds 1B |
| fractured wrist - will have follow-up exam this week, which could clear him for hitting | |
| 28 | Evan Carter Texas Rangers LF |
| stress reaction in back - expected to miss at least a month | |
| 29 | Lars Nootbaar St. Louis Cardinals RF |
| strained oblique - could sideline him for all of June | |
| 30 | Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| shoulder surgery - throwing bullpen sessions, suggesting he could be ready for start of second half | |
| 31 | Eduardo Rodriguez Arizona Diamondbacks SP |
| strained lat - about a month into throwing program; rehab assignment likely not far off | |
Stashing is purely a luxury
| 32 | Matt McLain Cincinnati Reds SS |
| shoulder surgery - has been running and throwing already, likely just a couple weeks from swinging bat | |
| 33 | Tommy Edman St. Louis Cardinals 2B |
| wrist surgery - taking batting practice from both sides, but no word of rehab assignment yet | |
| 34 | Wilyer Abreu Boston Red Sox RF |
| sprained ankle - likely a short-term absence | |
| 35 | Kerry Carpenter Detroit Tigers RF |
| stress fracture in back - timetable unclear, but no guarantee to return in first half | |
| 36 | Eloy Jimenez Chicago White Sox DH |
| strained hamstring - expected to miss another 3-4 weeks | |
| 37 | Brandon Marsh Philadelphia Phillies LF |
| strained hamstring - injury considered "very mild," so he may be looking at a minimum stay | |
| 38 | Masataka Yoshida Boston Red Sox DH |
| strained thumb - reported no issues after batting practice, could begin rehab assignment this week | |
| 39 | Jasson Dominguez New York Yankees CF |
| Tommy John surgery - rehab assignment going well, but more likely to be optioned than activated | |
| 40 | Jacob deGrom Texas Rangers SP |
| Tommy John surgery - no updates since April, so it's safe to assume he'll return late, if at all | |
| 41 | Michael Wacha Kansas City Royals SP |
| fractured foot - can play catch from a knee, could return in 3-4 weeks | |
| 42 | Tommy Pham Chicago White Sox CF |
| sprained ankle - likely a short-term absence | |
| 43 | Jorge Polanco Seattle Mariners 2B |
| strained hamstring - not expected to be a lengthy absence, so could return this week or next | |
| 44 | Vaughn Grissom Boston Red Sox 2B |
| strained hamstring - still awaiting MRI but doesn't think it's as bad as the one that cost him six weeks | |
| 45 | Dean Kremer Baltimore Orioles SP |
| strained triceps - threw a bullpen session Monday, suggesting he's close to beginning rehab assignment | |
| 46 | Clarke Schmidt New York Yankees SP |
| strained lat - will be shut down 4-6 weeks, putting him out until the second half | |
| 47 | Robbie Ray San Francisco Giants SP |
| Tommy John surgery - has been throwing live batting practice for a couple weeks; rehab assignment close | |
| 48 | Luis Garcia Houston Astros SP |
| Tommy John surgery - has been throwing bullpen sessions for a month; rehab assignment close | |
| 49 | Tyler Mahle Texas Rangers SP |
| Tommy John surgery - back to facing live hitters after weeks of bullpen sessions; aiming for second half | |
| 50 | Dustin May Los Angeles Dodgers SP |
| flexor tendon surgery - throwing bullpen sessions; aiming to return some point in second half | |
| 51 | Kris Bubic Kansas City Royals SP |
| Tommy John surgery - looked strong in latest rehab start, but may be optioned when activated | |
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