Are you playing in a fantasy baseball league that offers IL spots on the roster? Given all the injuries out there, I really hope so. It sure saves managers from making the hard decisions about when to drop injured players during the season. And during draft day, it actually makes injured players targets unto themselves. Not only can you stash them on your roster and wait out their IL stints, you can also pick another intriguing name in the meantime. So with the height of draft season pretty much here, I wanted to provide a list of the best late-round IL stashes currently available. I wouldn’t recommend filling all your IL slots right away. We know you’re very likely to need them at some point during the season. But I do like targeting one or two of the following players.
One final note: I’ve divided the list into short-term and long-term IL stashes. And within the two sections, I’ve ranked them in priority order.
Short Term IL Stashes
Sean Manaea SP Mets ADP 263 (since injury)
2024: 181.2 IP 12-6 W-L 184 K 3.47 ERA 1.08 WHIP
Estimated return: Mid-April
Even with the abundance of intriguing starting pitchers available in the late rounds, Sean Manaea was one name that stood out to me. The lefty made some adjustments to his arm angle last season and it led to a career-best ERA and WHIP. And a roaring 12-start finish to his regular season that saw three 10+ strikeout performances. There were some caveats to the success. The most significant red flag was the .208 BABIP during that run. His early ADP of 190, though, seemed like a reasonable price for the gamble that the changes were here to stay.
Then, in late February, the 33-year-old strained his oblique. It sent his draft price to where we see it now, approximately to the 22nd round of a 12-teamer. This, even with the news that Manaea’s MRI is now clean and that he’s been throwing again since last week. Yes, it will take several weeks to get the veteran into game shape. But barring a setback, he shouldn’t miss more than a couple of starts. In the meantime, I say take the discount, stash him, and use the roster spot for one of the other intriguing names.
Royce Lewis 3B Twins ADP 197 (since injury)
2024: 82 G 40 R 16 HR 47 RBI 0 SB .233 AVG
Estimated return: Late April/Early May
This is a developing story. It was just on Sunday that Royce Lewis left his Grapefruit League game with a hamstring strain. And tests on Monday revealed that it was “moderate.” There’s no timetable yet, but the Twins have already ruled the 25-year-old out for Opening Day. Typically, this is a four-to-six-week sort of injury.
Not a major surprise. In his three big-league seasons, Lewis has only played 152 games. The results have been more than solid, though (.268/.327/.497 slash line with 33 home runs and 107 RBI). So if you have an available IL slot to start this season, this is a nice late-round stash. How late? There have been 36 drafts on NFBC since the injury. The third-baseman is barely inside the top 200 (197). This, is after typically going at pick 117 since the offseason. That’s a pretty nice discount considering we knew IL stints were already a likely scenario.
Grayson Rodriguez SP Orioles ADP 237 (since injury)
2024: 116.2 IP 13-4 W-4 130 K 3.86 ERA 1.24 WHIP
Estimated return: Sometime in April
Many analysts highlighted Grayson Rodriguez as a breakout pick during this offseason. That was mostly based on improvements the 25-year-old made in almost all underlying metrics in his second season. Specifically, his whiff rate which went from average (26.3% in 2023) to near-elite (30.0%) was most impressive.
But recently, the righty was diagnosed with elbow inflammation and will officially start the season on the IL. The good news: there’s no structural damage. Rodriguez received a cortisone shot on the outside of his elbow and will begin a throwing program this week. The timetable will likely get more specific once the Orioles see how the elbow responds to the shot. But at the moment, an April return still seems feasible. What also seems feasible is the new asking price. The ADP has fallen over 100 spots since the injury news (from 114 to 237). Missing a few starts in April with a top-100 upside the rest of the season seems like a worthy risk here.
Spencer Steer 1B/OF Reds ADP 170
2024: 158 G 74 R 20 HR 92 RBI 25 SB .225 AVG
Estimated return: Early April
Though his underlying stats aren’t likely to wow you, Spencer Steer is fresh off his first 20/20 season. And this was following a rookie campaign where he came close (25 home runs/15 steals in 2023). His advantage, of course, is playing half his games in the most homer-friendly ballpark in baseball and a pull-heavy fly-ball swing that fully utilizes it. This, all while possessing 77th-percentile foot speed. The 27-year-old also has multiple eligibility that could potentially expand during the season. All these factors contributed to an ADP of around 117 until March.
That’s when the righty received a cortisone shot after experiencing shoulder soreness, a condition he battled last season. Now his ADP is at 170 (OK, maybe more of a late mid-round pick), and in addition to taking swings in the batting cage on Wednesday, he’ll reportedly start a throwing program very soon. That sure is a good sign. So good that there’s even a long shot that he makes the Opening Day lineup. If he doesn’t, though, seems like a perfect short-term, value IL stash.
Brandon Woodruff SP Brewers ADP 242
Career: 7 Seasons 46-26 W-L 10.4 K/9 3.10 ERA 1.05 WHIP
Estimated return: Late-April
Sunday marked a return to major league action for Brandon Woodruff. The former ace didn’t pitch last season. He required anterior capsular surgery to repair his throwing shoulder. Few pitchers have returned to form after undergoing this procedure. So the results were especially encouraging. The 32-year-old threw 16 pitches in his one inning of work, walking one and striking out one. More importantly, two of his fastballs ticked up to 95 miles per hour. That’s not too far from his 96 MPH average velocity pre-injury.
Whether the righty will fully regain that velocity or will be effective in other ways (working on a sweeper), will likely become evident over the next few weeks. His next start is scheduled for the weekend and will likely be two innings. In the meantime, the former ace makes for a solid IL stash late in drafts. He’s scheduled to join the rotation towards the end of April.
Long Term IL Stashes
Eury Perez SP Marlins ADP 472
2023: 91.1 IP 5-6 W-L 108 K 3.15 ERA 1.13 WHIP
Estimated return: July
To much fanfare, Eury Perez made his debut for the Marlins early in 2023 at the age of just 20 years old. The then-top prospect proved he was ready for Major League hitters by posting solid overall numbers (above) and missing a ton of bats (93rd percentile whiff rate and 85th percentile K rate). This was the result of a high-octane fastball (ranked in the 94th percentile in velocity) and three deadly secondary pitches. His slider, curveball, and change all had a 46% or higher whiff rate! The impressive display was put on hold last season, as the fire-baller underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training. Fast forward to today: the righty is throwing regular bullpen sessions. He’s been recently working in changeups in addition to fastballs. And from all accounts, he’s still on track for a mid-season return. Given his very young age, and a late start to his innings count, this is likely the highest-upside late-round IL stash. You’ll just need to invest a roster spot for a few months. Be patient.
Shane Bieber SP Guardians ADP 388
Career (7 Seasons): 134 GS 62-32 W-L 10.2 K/9 3.09 ERA 1.12 WHIP
Estimated return: Mid-season
Can we assume that Shane Bieber was enduring elbow problems well before his Tommy John surgery last season? It would explain the diminished results (3.80 ERA) and expected results (xERA 4.83) in 2023. And all the loud contact (2nd percentile average exit velocity and 3rd in hard-hit rate). In that season, the righty did miss significant time with elbow inflammation. So it sure is plausible. Given that the righty has progressed to throwing five times a week, and that he’s “very confident” in his progression, the theory seems like enough for a very late-round IL stash. However, I would prioritize Perez, above.
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.
