As the 2015 MLB playoff picture comes into focus, let’s take a moment to identify several injured stars whose health will be determining factors in October.

Over the next few slides, we’ll rank various postseason injury comebacks around the league in order of importance. What makes a player’s return more important than another? Talent is an obvious factor, but aspects like position depth, leadership and production prior to injury will all be taken into account. 

There is no shortage of compelling injury storylines to follow with just under a week left to play. Adam Wainwright, Yasiel Puig, Masahiro Tanaka, Troy Tulowitzki and a handful of other well-known players have various ailments to deal with in order to suit up when the postseason begins next week.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below. Which player on the list is the most important to his team? Which injured star is expendable in October? How effective can these players be coming off of extended time on the disabled list?

When players return from injury, there is often a bigger impact than on-the-field production. Let’s dive into eight names that could potentially alter October’s landscape.

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