Fantasy Baseball IL Stash Rankings Amid Star Injury
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- Jose Ramirez fractured his hamate bone over the weekend, sidelining him for more than a month with no silver lining for his first-round fantasy owners
- Aaron Judge went down two weeks ago with a rib stress fracture, Ronald Acuna went out a week ago with another hamstring injury, and Oneil Cruz is sidelined with a fractured hand — making the IL as loaded with star power as it's been all season
- Hunter Brown, called the "undisputed Fantasy ace," is set to return Tuesday from a shoulder strain after making just two starts before landing on the IL in early April
- Cal Raleigh, Yainer Diaz, J.P. Crawford, and Kodai Senga are all expected back Tuesday, with only Raleigh graded as a must-add across all formats
- Casey Mize (strained adductor) will be activated Wednesday after a rainout pushed back his original Sunday return, making him effectively a non-stash
- The writer notes the ranking order prioritizes impact-when-healthy over return proximity, and excludes players who'll be active before fantasy managers can act
Why it matters: Fantasy managers who lost first-round picks like Jose Ramirez to multi-month injuries have no replacement options, but the simultaneous return of Hunter Brown and other stars creates a rare buy-low opportunity for managers who dodged this week's injury wave — while IL-stash hunters must focus on long-term targets since near-term returnees won't be available to claim.
