Draft 'n stash: 5 injured players to consider

It’s easy to focus on your Week 1 matchup when drafting your roster, but don’t forget to keep the bigger picture in mind.

The Major League season is a long grind, and there could be plenty of time for guys who got banged up in Spring Training to make an impact down the road. Shohei Ohtani showed last year how a player can still be valuable, even if he’s not introduced to the crowd on Opening Day.

With that in mind, here are five players expected to miss the start of the season who could still make sense for a bench or injured-list spot on your fantasy squad. (Players’ preseason fantasy rankings, according to MLB.com, are listed in parentheses. Expected production is pulled from FanGraphs’ Steamer projections.)

Mike Clevinger, Indians (78)

Estimated return: Mid-April
Expected production: 167 IP, 12 W, 202 SO, 3.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP

Clevinger is already throwing bullpen sessions after undergoing surgery to repair his partially torn meniscus, and so he could end up returning at the early end of the six-to-eight week prognosis he received back on Feb. 14. That means you shouldn’t let this potential future Cy Young Award winner slip too far in your draft. Clevinger emerged as legitimate whiff master last year, placing fifth in strikeout rate among starters with at least 120 innings, and possesses no-hit stuff that can take him deep into ballgames. When healthy, Clevinger is one of the American League’s most promising starting pitchers.

Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (93)

Estimated return: Mid-April
Expected production: 470 AB, 89 R, 43 HR, 101 RBI, 2 SB, .268 BA

Steamer’s forecast for Stanton might seem a bit rosy (it had him for 49 homers before he suffered his Grade 1 right calf strain), but if he really is able to return within the season’s first month, his powerful track record obviously speaks for itself. He was barreling the ball as much as ever when he returned just before the postseason last year, and if you’re willing to live with his strikeouts, he’s as sure a bet as anyone to hit 30-40 homers when his body gives him enough rope to do so.

James Paxton, Yankees (172)

Estimated return: May-June
Expected production: 129 IP, 10 W, 151 SO, 3.84 ERA, 1.20 WHIP

Back ailments are always concerning, but the upside is that the Paxton who found his curveball and became the co-ace the Yankees wanted toward the end of last season comes back to boost your fantasy squad about two months in. The pinstripes’ explosive offense helped Paxton rack up 15 wins in an up-and-down year, and New York’s tremendous depth means the lefty could get plenty of run support again – even if Stanton or Aaron Judge are just getting back in the swing of things when Paxton returns.

Andrew McCutchen, Phillies (191)

Expected return: April-May
Expected production: 471 AB, 78 R, 25 HR, 69 RBI, 7 SB, .259 BA

It’s been so long since Cutch underwent his season-ending ACL surgery last June, and it might be easy to forget how the Phillies’ lineup was rolling with him atop the lineup at the start of 2019. He showed that he can still be an on-base machine, walking in 16.4% of his plate appearances and continuing to feature one of MLB’s lowest chase rates. While McCutchen might not be the all-around athlete he once was, he can still be a low-risk value pick in the later rounds.

Alex Verdugo, Red Sox (192)

Expected return: May
Expected production: 461 AB, 64 R, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 7 SB, .296 BA

No, Verdugo is not Mookie Betts, and his delayed start on account of lingering back issues from 2019 is concerning. But if Verdugo can come back to full strength, there’s a lot to like with this breakout candidate. The 23-year-old was a top-25 hitter in making contact last year, when he finished with a .294 average and a 114 OPS+. The Red Sox’s offense was elite last year, despite the club missing the postseason, and Verdugo’s penchant for putting the ball in play should fit right in with Boston’s relentless attack. Don’t underestimate his move from cavernous Dodger Stadium to a hitter’s paradise at Fenway Park.