For those who have the luxury of fluid roster options in fantasy baseball, it’s never a bad idea to look for IL stashes. Because injured players can pay off dividends later. Here’s a look at 10 players to consider stashing during the first half of the 2026 season.
Pitchers
- SP Shane Bieber (Blue Jays)
- SP Corbin Burnes (Diamondbacks)
- SP Jared Jones (Pirates)
- SP Joe Musgrove (Padres)
- SP Justin Steele (Cubs)
- SP Hurston Waldrep (Braves)
- RP Edwin Uceta (Rays)
We’re not going to put pitchers like Zack Wheeler, Trey Yesavage, Carlos Rodon, Blake Snell, or even Gerrit Cole here, because A) those pitchers are owned in significantly more leagues and B) many of those names have more defined return timelines.
The seven pitchers listed above don’t have those exact luxuries.
We’ll start with Burnes, a former Cy Young winner who is currently recovering from UCL reconstruction surgery. He’s not the only one from Arizona recovering from elbow surgery, as A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez are recovering from their own operations.
Back in February, Burnes stated that he planned to come back in mid-July, around the All-Star break. As with injuries, it may not mean that Burnes can do that. But if that were to be the case, fantasy owners could receive two months of one of baseball’s best when healthy.
Another Cy Young winner, Shane Bieber, could return within the next few weeks as he deals with rehab from elbow inflammation.
Moving on to others, Jared Jones is a high-upside arm who pitched well in his rookie season with the Pirates in 2024. Pittsburgh’s training staff indicated in the spring that a late-May return from his internal brace is the target.
Justin Steele, who had reconstructive elbow surgery last year, was facing hitters in mid-March.
Hurston Waldrep had a great stretch late last year after leaning on the cutter to be his primary fastball. However, he needed surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow this past spring and will be out until at least the summer.
Waldrep’s timeline is clearer than Spencer Schwellenbach‘s, as the latter had bone spurs removed and is facing a lengthier timetable.
Lastly, don’t sleep on Edwin Uceta. Uceta struck out 103 batters last season out of the Tampa Bay bullpen and could be in the save situation picture once he returns.
Hitters
- INF/OF Tommy Edman (Dodgers)
- C Kyle Teel (White Sox)
- 3B Jordan Westburg (Orioles)
With hitters, injury timelines are generally not as fluid. Meaning, stashing IL position players isn’t a common occurrence, unless some fantasy owners become impatient and drop injured players who can come back (believe me, this happens).
So, we can only circle potential fantasy hitters who are widely available and presently on the IL.
Jordan Westburg is the riskiest of the bunch — but also the one with the highest upside. Westburg hit 17 home runs for the O’s in 85 games last season, showcasing the kind of damage he can do for fantasy owners. However, a partially torn UCL in his right elbow is a major problem. And, there’s no timeline for his return.
Kyle Teel and Tommy Edman have clearer timelines, with Teel likely being closer to a return as of this writing. Both have mixed league upside.
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