When assessing the future stats of a player, it’s imperative to consider player health and injury risk when speculating on playing time. After all, getting onto the field and being given a chance to succeed only happens if the player is healthy enough. That’s why looking at a player’s track record of health gives credence to whether someone is worth drafting. A fantasy team could have all the talent in the world, but if they’re on your Injured List or bench, they lose a ton of value.
We are moving toward draft season, and all eyes will be on the top players at each position. Knowing of any inherent risk to drafting someone can help teams in the long run. That’s why going through the examinations of injury risk is important for roster construction. The following will be the Injury History of the top players at every position with special notes on their healthy or troubled pasts. Seeing trends in their health could help determine any future problems.
The players listed below will be separated into one of three categories: red light, yellow light, green light. The timeframe that will be examined will primarily be from 2021 to 2023, though looking into the distant past might also take place.
Red Light: any players listed here have an extensive and/or concerning injury history that seems likely to come into play in the future. The potential for injury outweighs their production on the field and their selection could lead to roster problems down the line. The reoccurrence of a particular injury or multiple injuries also creates the need for a red light. Fantasy owners should be wary of drafting these players because the risk of injury is high.
Yellow Light: any players listed here have had their injury problems before, but they’re not necessarily prone to injury. These players here have situations to monitor, especially during the off-season and Spring Training, but it’s not necessarily as bleak as it could be. The types of injuries could also be freakish or due to bad luck with events leading to it being out of the ordinary. Fantasy owners should be aware of the injury history, but know the possibility for health is there too.
Green Light: any players listed here have had minimal problems and their future doesn’t appear to be in any jeopardy. There is nothing from their past that would indicate an injury-prone future. While injuries could happen at any time, there are no red flags in this player’s history to suggest it will lead to another one. Fantasy owners can feel safe in drafting these players.
Things to remember:
- The players listed are in the general order from which they are being drafted.
- The level of confidence has to do with their health and nothing to do with their abilities on the field.
- A player’s injured past is not a direct indication that they will get injured in the future.
- Pitchers tend to be more prone to getting injured as opposed to hitters, especially with long-term injuries.
- The minimum time away on the Injured List is ten days for hitters and fifteen days for pitchers.
MLB Catcher Injury Risk for 2025
1. William Contreras – Milwaukee Brewers
2024: 155 games played, 595 at-bats, 679 plate appearances
Williams Contreras is about as steady as they come, with a pretty clean track record to show for it. He has provided durability, and stability and has been an anchor for the Brewers at a position of need. He finished the 2024 season with 120 appearances as a catcher and 35 appearances as the team’s designated hitter. In short, he is good, his bat plays well, and the team is looking for ways to insert him into their lineup. Draft with confidence.
2. Cal Raleigh – Seattle Mariners
2024: 153 games played, 546 at-bats, 628 plate appearances
Cal Raleigh played through many injuries this year, with reports being that he was battered and bruised. Still, he managed to finish first on the Mariners in games played and second in plate appearances, which is impressive. Even more, he leads all catchers in games played over the past three seasons with 417. While his batting average leaves a lot to be desired, he feels like a discounted version of Kyle Schwarber from years past. Draft with confidence.
3. Salvador Perez – Seattle Mariners
2024: 158 games played, 590 at-bats, 652 plate appearances
Salvador Perez had himself a resurgent season last year, finishing with the durability reminiscent of his breakout 2021 campaign. While he was rock solid both behind the plate and at first base, one has to imagine if this was more of a delay of the inevitable. He will be 35 years old next year, and it’s worth noting that his body has had many bumps and bruises over the years that have caused him to miss small bouts of time. His 2023 season saw him finish the year with complications up and down his body, yet he somehow avoided the Injured List outside of a concussion. Will “Father Time” finally catch up to him in 2025? Draft with attention.
4. Yainer Diaz – Houston Astros
2024: 148 games played, 585 at-bats, 619 plate appearances
Yainer Diaz has had a pretty clean history concerning injuries over his short Major League career. The Astros feel confident in playing him, as he received eleven appearances at first base last season. Draft with confidence.
5. Will Smith – Los Angeles Dodgers
2024: 128 games played, 476 at-bats, 544 plate appearances
Will Smith has had a pretty steady career concerning his health, and some of that could be attributed to his team. The Dodgers are very strategic and cautious when they play him, which could limit his growth as a batter at the plate. Still, he has had a relatively healthy career, outside of a concussion in 2023. He feels like a steady presence behind the plate, though it is worth noting that the Dodgers do have a good catching prospect within their Minor League system. Still, they signed him long-term, so they’re likely to keep him behind the plate and in the lineup. Draft with confidence.
6. Shea Langeliers – Oakland Athletics
2024: 137 games played, 482 at-bats, 534 plate appearances
Shea Langeliers has had a pretty clear history concerning injuries over his short Major League career. He has been the team’s primary catcher over the past two seasons and will likely continue to be in 2025. Draft with confidence.
7. Adley Rutschman – Baltimore Orioles
2024: 148 games played, 571 at-bats, 638 plate appearances
Adley Rutschman has been the leading force behind the recent success of the Orioles. Since his arrival to the team, he has missed a handful of games due to bumps and bruises, but nothing wound up being a significant injury. As a reminder, he missed time in the Minor Leagues with a triceps strain that delayed the start of his Major League career in 2022. Since then, it’s been a pretty steady dose of playing time with his bat being inserted into the lineup as the designated hitter 114 times over his three-year career. Draft with confidence.
8. Tyler Stephenson – Cincinnati Reds
2024: 138 games played, 457 at-bats, 515 plate appearances
Tyler Stephenson has overcome difficult injuries from earlier in his career to give back two consecutive steady years of playing time. His 280 games played over the past two seasons rank fifth out of all catchers, making him someone to consider drafting. He is the Reds’ everyday catcher and can provide some power behind the plate. While fantasy owners should not ignore his early career struggles altogether, it is worth noting that most of his injuries were fractures of various body parts. The hope here is that he can continue along this surge of health and bring to fruition the potential that both the Reds and fantasy owners have wanted to see for years. Draft with attention.
9. Logan O’Hoppe – Los Angeles Angels
2024: 136 games played, 479 at-bats, 522 plate appearances
Logan O’Hoppe had a difficult start to his career when he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder, causing him to miss most of the 2023 season. He was able to bounce back in 2024 by staying relatively healthy and missing just 26 of the Angels’ team games. He is the team’s catcher of the future and should continue to play every day. Draft with confidence.
10. Connor Wong – Boston Red Sox
2024: 126 games played, 447 at-bats, 487 plate appearances
Connor Wong has had a very clean Major League history with absences related only to rest and paternity. Of note, he has had some hamstring difficulties in both the Minor Leagues and during Spring Training over the years, but nothing of which to be overly concerned about. It remains to be seen if he remains a starting catcher in 2025, but he’s provided a sense of durability over his career. Draft with confidence.
11. Ryan Jeffers – Minnesota Twins
2024: 122 games played, 412 at-bats, 465 plate appearances
Ryan Jeffers saw his most productive season at the plate last year, as he set career highs in games played, at-bats, and plate appearances. His career is littered with small injuries and a major fracture of his right thumb in 2022, which caused him to miss significant time. He’s been productive when he is on the field, but one has to wonder if he finally figured out how to take care of his body this year as he was finally healthy throughout the year. Still, his past is significant to consider when drafting. Draft with attention.
12. J.T. Realmuto – Philadelphia Phillies
2024: 99 games played, 380 at-bats, 413 plate appearances
J.T. Realmuto will be 33 years old when the season begins, and one has to wonder how many more years of productivity we will see from him. Last season he suffered (and played through) a knee injury that required surgery on his meniscus, resulting in his lowest number of games played since his pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Can he remain durable behind the plate? Time will tell, but the team may want to look ahead and build toward the future in case his body starts to give way to the bumps and bruises accumulated over the years. Draft with attention.
13. David Fry – Cleveland Guardians
2024: 122 games played, 355 at-bats, 392 plate appearances
David Fry had himself a breakout season due to the hard work he put in during the offseason last year. Unfortunately for him, his health gave way not only due to hamstring problems but also a nagging elbow that was examined immediately after the season. The team has said that being a catcher (alongside other positions) is the plan for his future, but that he won’t play catcher this season. The hope is that his body can withstand another season of doing all that he does and that he can take another step forward. For now, not knowing the extent of his elbow injury, there is some concern, but he likely won’t be ready for Opening Day. Draft with caution.
14. Willson Contreras – St. Louis Cardinals
2024: 84 games played, 301 at-bats, 358 plate appearances
Willson Contreras is a talented baseball player. The unfortunate part of his game is that his body hasn’t allowed him to stay on the field with any sort of consistency or stability. Since the start of the 2022 season, Contreras has missed time in the lineup due to injuries on ten different body parts, with four of them resulting in him being placed on the Injured List. He has played in 322 games over that timeframe and produced at the plate. He also leads all catchers by beating hit-by-a-pitch 25 times over the past two seasons. Still, while he is worth drafting and using, even in one-catcher leagues, fantasy owners should be prepared to be without his services. Draft with caution.
15. Keibert Ruiz – Washington Nationals
2024: 127 games played, 459 at-bats, 485 plate appearances
Keibert Ruiz has been a steady source of gameplay for fantasy owners, though his injury categorization could be classified as fluky. Since the start of the 2022 season, he has missed time due to lightheadedness, illnesses, and testicular contusions. Those are not the types of injuries that fantasy owners should worry about for long-term problems, but instead, look past when analyzing one’s future. Whether or not Ruiz produces on the field is one thing, but the question of him remaining healthy isn’t necessarily a question at all. Draft with confidence.
16. Travis d’Arnaud – Los Angeles Angels
2024: 99 games played, 307 at-bats, 341 plate appearances
Travis d’Arnaud has seen his days of consistent play put behind him as he is in the twilight of his career. He will be 36 years old next season and will be at best in an even-split platoon. Most of his major injury history comes from earlier in his career when he suffered long-standing injuries that took a while to heal. Now, his playing time seems embedded with some form of load management to help him stay healthy. Health-wise, the only major concern is age, leading to longer injuries if and when they happen. That being said, if you’re drafting d’Arnaud it comes with an understanding that he likely won’t be playing consistently because of his talent. Draft with confidence.
17. Austin Wells – New York Yankees
2024: 115 games played, 354 at-bats, 414 plate appearances
Austin Wells broke out at the plate this past season, partly due to his ability to remain healthy. This is of note because his eventual Major League debut was delayed by significant injuries in the Minor Leagues. During the 2023 Minor League season, he suffered a groin injury and a fractured rib which caused significant time from which to recuperate. While there is no guarantee that this will contribute to future injuries, it’s worth noting that the wear and tear of being a catcher did cause him to miss some time in the past. His injury risk won’t change from anything but positive because he hasn’t been injured yet, but fantasy owners should keep this in the back of their minds when drafting. Draft with attention.
18. Joey Bart – Pittsburgh Pirates
2024: 80 games played, 253 at-bats, 282 plate appearances
Joey Bart had himself a resurgent year at the plate, after years of disappointment and physical agony. While his numbers proved him to be a productive player, there is some risk involved in his profile. Over the past three seasons, Bart has been placed on the Injured List five times and each injury was for a different body part. Additionally, he has yet to surpass 300 player appearances in his brief career, partly due to performance and also because of his inability to remain on the field. He will be 28 years old next season, so there is time for him to turn things around, but based on his injury history it’s fair to question if he will ever be able to live up to the hype. Draft with caution.
19. Jonah Heim – Texas Rangers
2024: 131 games played, 459 at-bats, 491 games played
Jonah Heim has been a steady force for the Rangers behind the plate. He spent a small amount of time on the Injured List in the summer of 2023 when he took a swing and strained a tendon in his wrist. Since then, he has been the team’s primary catcher despite periods where he didn’t perform at the plate. He should find himself entrenched as a starter yet again in 2025 and receive everyday at-bats and playing time. Draft with confidence.
20. Patrick Bailey – San Francisco Giants
2024: 121 games played, 401 at-bats, 448 plate appearances
Patrick Bailey looks to be the starting catcher for the Giants, though there is some risk involved here. Since the beginning of his Major League career, he has missed time on the Injured List for three concussions, which brings about some fear. He plays in a position where physical contact can happen most, and concussions can have lingering effects. It is encouraging that he was able to go concussion-free for the final four months of the season, but that history is still worth mentioning. Draft with attention.
21. Francisco Alvarez – New York Mets
2024: 100 games played, 308 at-bats, 342 plate appearances
Francisco Alvarez has made an impact on New York and their fans in his short time as a member of the Mets. After a successful 2023 season, the hope was that he could take that step forward and become one of baseball’s best catchers. What happened instead was a flurry of injuries that prevented that progression from ever happening. He suffered a torn ligament in his thumb early in the season and missed months after having surgery. As the year wore on, he missed games here and there due to a nagging shoulder and back, causing his momentum to be halted. He is still quite young with a brought future ahead of him, so this past season could be seen as a one-off, but it’s worth mentioning that he missed time in the Minor Leagues due to bumps and bruises, one of which resulted in ankle surgery. Draft with attetnion.
22. Kyle Higashioka – Texas Rangers
2024: 84 games played, 246 at-bats, 263 plate appearances
Kyle Higashioka has had a pretty clean history concerning injuries over his short Major League career. Entering his age-35 season, he will likely continue to be a backup catcher in 2025 with sporadic bouts of above-average performance. Draft with confidence.
23. Hunter Goodman – Colorado Rockies
2024: 70 games played, 211 at-bats, 224 plate appearances
Hunter Goodman has had a pretty clean history concerning injuries over his short Major League career. It remains to be seen how much playing time he will receive. Draft with confidence.
24. Bo Naylor – Cleveland Guardians
2024: 123 games played, 354 at-bats, 389 plate appearances
Bo Naylor has had a pretty clean history concerning injuries over his short Major League career. He did miss some time with a bruised thumb and some back spasms, but those seemed to be minor inconveniences and part of the job of being a catcher. Draft with confidence.
25. Ivan Herrera – St. Louis Cardinals
2024: 72 games played, 229 at-bats, 259 plate appearances
Ivan Herrera missed some time on the Injured List in 2024 with back issues that originated in Spring Training. It remains to be seen if those are an ongoing issue or if they were just isolated at the time. He looks to be in a platoon for catching duties in 2025. Draft with confidence.
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.
