10 Top Prospects On 60-Day Minor League Injured List To Open 2025
Image credit: Tink Hence (Photo by Tom DiPace)
MLB organizations face a litany of personnel decisions on Opening Day. Finalizing rosters for the major league team and four full-season minor league affiliates requires a lot of maneuvering.
• See also: Complete end-of-spring training accounting in Minor League Transactions
Some players must be released and others must be placed on the injured list to comply with the in-season limit of 165 total domestic minor league players. The player limit expands to 175 in the offseason.
Most players who aren’t healthy on Opening Day are placed on the seven-day injured list. But the 60-day IL is available for players dealing with longer recovery timelines. Players on the 60-day IL do not count against an organization’s 165-player limit, but the catch is that the designation can be used for just 15 players at a time.
Any player who opens 2025 of on the 60-day injured list will essentially be out for the first half. He will miss all of April and May and is eligible to appear in official games in early June. For many players it won’t be until July that he will be in the full rhythm of the season.
MLB organizations also have access to a full-season injured list. Players on the full-season IL do not count against the 165-player limit and space is unlimited. The drawback is that they may not appear in a minor league game in 2025, not even on rehab.
In this post, we highlight notable Top 10 Prospects who open the season on the 60-day IL. Players are listed alphabetically.
Brandon Birdsell, RHP, Cubs
Tripe-A Iowa
Birdsell climbed to Triple-A last season using a wide repertoire and spotless control. He walked just 5.4% of batters, which ranked eighth-best in the minors among pitchers with at least 120 innings. Birdsell will begin this season on the sidelines with an injury to his right shoulder/lat area.
Cam Collier, 3B, Reds
High-A Dayton
Collier was one of four teenagers to hit at least 20 home runs last season. He was MVP of the Futures Game after belting a 409-foot home run. But the lefthanded-hitting Collier won’t make his Double-A debut until the second half after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.
Yoniel Curet, RHP, Rays
Double-A Montgomery
Few pitchers were more effective than Curet down the stretch last year. In his final 15 starts, he recorded a 1.10 ERA in 73.2 innings with 106 strikeouts and 29 walks. His 31.5% strikeout rate on the season was among the best in the minors. This spring, a right shoulder injury sidelined Curet.
Ryan Forcucci, RHP, Astros
Rookie-level Florida Complex League
Forcucci was beginning to pitch his way into first-round consideration last spring at UC San Diego before he had Tommy John surgery in June. The Astros drafted him in the third round and stand to benefit if he makes a full recovery. Forcucci likely will not pitch in official games this year.
Tink Hence, RHP, Cardinals
Triple-A Memphis
A right rib cage strain will keep Hence out of action for at least two months. He pitched to a 2.71 ERA at Double-A last season, striking out 109 and walking 26 in 79.2 innings. Hence made two short Grapefruit League appearances, allowing seven runs on seven hits and two walks in 3.1 innings.
Josh Kasevich, SS, Blue Jays
Triple-A Buffalo
Kasevich’s strong shortstop glove and plus bat-to-ball skills resulted in an eye-opening 2024 season in the upper minors. This spring he aggravated a stress reaction in his lower back that pushed him to the 60-day IL. Toronto would love to get a look at Kasevich in light of Bo Bichette’s impending free agency.
Owen Murphy, RHP, Braves
High-A Rome
Murphy had Tommy John surgery in early June last season, in the midst of a breakthrough season at High-A. In seven starts he had pitched a 1.54 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 12 walks in 41 innings. The Braves are targeting an August return to game action for Murphy, their first-round pick in 2022.
Luis Perales, RHP, Red Sox
Double-A Portland
Perales began drawing major prospect heat last season when he shredded High-A competition to earn his first promotion to Double-A. The joyride ended there when Perales had Tommy John surgery in June, following his Portland debut. He is likely out for the entire 2025 season.
Alejandro Rosario, RHP, Rangers
Double-A Frisco
Rosario was one of the earliest injury casualties this spring. He had Tommy John surgery not long after spring training camps opened. Rosario throttled Class A competition last year at two stops, striking out 36.9% of batters and walking 3.7%.
Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays
Triple-A Buffalo
Tiedemann has missed bats aplenty since turning pro as a 2021 third-rounder. He has big league-caliber stuff but just 61.1 total innings in 2023 and 2024. Tiedemann has Tommy John surgery last July and is sidelined for the entire 2025 season.
Other Top 10 Prospects Opening On The IL
A number of other top prospects have mid- to long-term injuries but were not placed on the 60-day injured list at the outset. Some were placed on the seven-day IL—they can be transferred to the 60-day IL, as necessary—while others are simply inactive while they recover in extended spring training.
• Charlie Condon, OF, Rockies: non-displaced fracture in left wrist
• Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians: left-side core muscle/sports hernia
• Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants: left wrist soreness
• Jonny Farmelo, OF, Mariners: recovering from ACL surgery in knee
• Angel Genao, SS, Guardians: right shoulder sprain
• Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays: left elbow injury
• Rhett Lowder, RHP, Reds: MLB injured list with elbow soreness
• Blake Mitchell, C, Royals: broken right hamate bone
• PJ Morlando, OF, Marlins: left elbow surgery
• Luis Perales, RHP, Red Sox: Tommy John surgery recovery
• Jefferson Rojas, SS, Cubs: hamstring injury
