Ouch! That broken pinkie is gonna hurt...your fantasy team!
With the length of the baseball season, it is inevitable that you’re going to see players from your fantasy baseball team show up in this column. It’s not something any of us like, but it’s something we all have to accept. MLB injuries are all over the place and how you roll with the punches reflects in your place in the standings of your fantasy baseball leagues. You have to always be prepared as one slip up could put a player you need in the hands of a rival GM. Here’s the most recently updated list of MLB injuries and some fantasy baseball tips on who you might be using as a replacement.
Arizona Diamondbacks
No new injuries to report, but to update previous injuries, it looks like Miguel Montero is getting close to a rehab assignment but still seems atleast a few weeks away from returning and if you were hoping to see Brandon Webb anytime soon, good luck with that. Apparently Webb’s throwing program isn’t going well, 5 months into rehab, and it now appears that he is going to be retraining himself to throw from a different arm slot. There’s a strong chance that we won’t see him at all in 2010.
Atlanta Braves
Matt Diaz, OF — From a splinter to an infection to thumb surgery…that’s the path Diaz has recently taken. He’ll be out for atleast a month, so it looks like either Melky Cabrera will start getting plenty more ABs or the Braves are going to give Eric Hinske some more time. My guess is the former rather than the latter.
Baltimore Orioles
No new injuries to report
Boston Red Sox
Josh Beckett, SP — The Sox are being extra careful with their rotation these days, so it was no surprise to see Beckett land on the DL with a lower back strain. No one expects him to miss more than the minimum 15 days, but you just never know. Keep checking his status, but right now it looks like just two weeks. This means Daisuke Matsuzaka gets a stay of execution and Tim Wakefield still gets his rotation spot back.
Just to update from previous posts, it appears the Sox will try again with Mike Cameron who was unable to make it back last weekend as they had hoped. He’s on a Double-A rehab asssignment right now and the team is hoping to have him back for interleague play this weekend. As for Jacoby Ellsbury, it looks like he will start his rehab assignment in Double-A this weekend and could return in about a week or so.
Chicago Cubs
No new injuries to report
Chicago White Sox
No new injuries to report
Cincinnati Reds
No new injuries to report
Cleveland Indians
Grady Sizemore, OF — From bad to worse for the former all star as his deep bone bruise in his knee is apparently worse than they thought and the possibility of surgery again looms. Nothing is set, but the Tribe will definitely be careful here. If no surgery is required then it could just be 2 weeks, but obviously Sizemore’s issues run deeper than just a quick DL stint. He’s a great buy low candidate, in my mind, so if you want to take a chance on him, now would be the time. He could have a big second half. In the meantime, Trevor Crowe will see the bulk of time in center which could make him worth a look in AL only leagues.
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS — When a guy immediately goes on the 60 day DL, it’s obviously never good. Cabrera just underwent surgery to repair a displaced fracture in the ulna of his left forearm and should be out for a minimum of 8-10 weeks. The team says Jason Donald could be the replacement, but I see Luis Valbuena playing his way back into the lineup. Neither is worth owning without regular ABs, so keep a watch here.
Andy Marte, 1B — An interesting injury as Marte went on the DL after surgery to fix an infected ingrown hair on his stomach. It’s non-baseball related….pretty much like Marte’s fantasy value, so I wouldn’t worry about losing him here. Must be some hair though, huh?
Colorado Rockies
Eric Young, 2B — A fractured tibia will keep Young sidelined until atleast late July. Tough break (no pun intended) as he could have been headed for a nice increase in playing time at the time. But now with the return of Brad Hawpe and Carlos Gonzalez along with Clint Barmes finally breaking out of his slump, Young was likely headed for more bench duty anyway. Keep him on your second half radar though. You never know.
Detroit Tigers
Magglio Ordonez, OF — He’s being condsidered day to day with a heel issue, but it doesn’t appear serious enough to land him on the DL. Daily leaguers should just check his status over the weekend to make sure he’s in the lineup.
And to update a previous injury, it looks like Carlos Guillen is starting his rehab assignment on Sunday and hopes to be back with the team by the end of next week. Guillen shoudl be scooped up in all leagues as it looks like he’ll take over second base for the recently demoted Scott Sizemore. His position flexibility and the regular playing time will certainly boost his value.
Florida Marlins
John Baker, C –On the 15 day DL with an apparent muscular issue in his forearm. The team was very non-specific but didn’t seem too alarmed either, so it could just be the 2 week minimum. Ronny Paulino should get some nice extra work and could even supplant Baker as the top guy so if you need a catcher in an NL only league, he might be worth a look.
Houston Astros
No new injuries to report
Kansas City Royals
No new injuries to report, but it’s worth noting that Rick Ankiel should be starting his rehab assignment very soon and could be back shortly.
Los Angeles Angels
No new injuries to report
Los Angeles Dodgers
Andre Ethier, OF — A broken pinkie takes down one of the Dodgers best hitters for atleast 2 weeks. There’s no timetable set, but because this pinkie is the one that sits against the knob of the bat, it could be a little longer than we would like. Look for Xavier Paul to get the bulk of the work with a splash of Reed Johnson in there.
Aside from the usual Manny Ramirez day to day because he’s banged up, the only other update worth noting is that Rafael Furcal should hopefully be starting his rehab assignment over the weekend and could be back as early as the end of next week.
Milwaukee Brewers
Doug Davis, SP — The Brewers were quick to put Davis onthe DL after he was diagnosed with tissue inflammation around his heart. The condition is apparently treatable, but if he rushes it and comes back too soon, the problem could get progressively worse. Some much needed rest and relaxation is warranted and there is obviously no real timetable for his return. I don’t see anyone on the Brewers’ staff worth picking up as a replacement.
Jim Edmonds, OF — The old-timer apparently hurt his side trying to check his swing last week and is now on the 15 day DL. If you thought you wouldn’t see him on the injured list, then you’re obviously new to this game. Expect to see plenty of Jody Gerut a little more until Carlos Gomez works his way back which could be early next week, possibly sooner.
Minnesota Twins
J.J. Hardy, SS — The actual placement onto the DL happened just after the last edition came out, so the news is a bit old. Hardy’s deep bone bruise on the wrist not only landed him on the DL, but it also looks like he won’t come off right when he is eligible. He needs a little more healing time, as we all know wrist injuries can be treacherous, so I wouldn’t expect him back until the end of the month. Alexei Casilla and Brendan Harris should continue to split time.
New York Mets
No new injuries to report and no, I still don’t know when stupid Carlos Beltran is coming back — mid June at the earliest it seems.
New York Yankees
Jorge Posada, C — Tough one for Jorge and the Yanks as a fractured foot will keep Posada sidelined for about a month, so we’re talking mid to late June here. Francisco Cervelli, who has been hitting like a champ, will take over primary duties and is definitely worth a look in most leagues. In that lineup and the fact that he’s hitting somewhere around .740 with runners in scoring position, makes him a worthwhile waiver claim. Either veteran Chad Moeller or prospect Jesus Montero could get the call for back up duty.
Still no word on Curtis Granderson’s return, but it seems atleast another 2 weeks away.
Oakland A’s
No new injuries to report
Philadelphia Phillies
No new injuries to report
Pittsburgh Pirates
No new injuries to report
San Diego Padres
Kyle Blanks, OF — He was diagnosed with a mild elbow strain, but the club hasn’t said anything about a trip to the disabled list. Consider him day to day and have a little chuckle with me as Blanks is channelling his inner Oscar Gamble here. I might have to trade for him just based on this…
San Francisco Giants
Mark DeRosa, OF — Looks like the wrist is still giving DeRosa problems as he’s now hanging out on the DL. The team doesn’t seemed too concerned and the move was retroactive to aroudn the 9th of May, so he coul dbe back sometime by the middle of next week. The downside is that it’s the wrist and we all know how that affects the offensive production.
On a good note for the Giants, it appears that Edgar Renteria could be back as early as Sunday and also just got back Freddy Sanchez. That does, however mean bad news for Juan Uribe owners.
Seattle Mariners
Jack Wilson, SS — More of an update here as Wilson had a setback in his rehab and is now being sent back to Seattle for further evaluation. This could push his return back even further, not that you ever wanted to use him on your roster anyways.
St. Louis Cardinals
No new injuries to report
Tampa Bay Rays
No new injuries to report
Texas Rangers
No new injuries to report
Toronto Blue Jays
No new injuries to report
Washington Nationals
No new injuries to report
See that? Not too bad, was it? The Posada and Ethier injuries seem to be the worst of it all right now, so hopefully you don’t have to do too much roster juggling this week. That’s not to say there aren’t a few names out there that you might want to scoop up off the free agent waiver wire, but we’ll leave that for tomorrow’s edition of 3 Up, 3 Down. It’s a travel day for me tomorrow so the column will likely be out a little later than usual, but I’ll do my best to take care of you heading into the weekend.
Looking for injury updates on players you don’t see listed? They’re probably in one of the older editions of this column, so check with last week’s Bumps and Bruises and when you get to the bottom of each page, you’ll be able to easily click to the week before that as well.
Remember, for the best in free fantasy baseball advice, insights and analysis, stick with The Fantasy Baseball Buzz and I’ll have you at the top of your standings in no time. And, as always, for all questions, thoughts and/or comments related to the baseball fantasy world or not, you can reach me through the comments section below or at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.
Good luck and I’ll see you all in the money this year!
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