Good Morning! Today’s fantasy baseball injury report covers the entire weekend, 25 players in total. I could not post anything yesterday due to an internet issue, but that is now resolved. I go over what each team may do to replace the injured party and give you a vibe on their fantasy potential.
Hitters: Nelson Cruz, JD Martinez, Jazz Chisholm Jr, Wilson Contreras, Brandon Belt, Ramon Laureano, Ryan Mountcastle, Alex Verdugo, Dylan Carlson, Joey Gallo, Daniel Vogelbach, Josh Rojas, Miguel Rojas, Alcides Escobar, Abraham Toro, Yandy Diaz, Austin Slater, Kyle Higashioka, Curt Casali
Pitchers: Freddy Peralta, Aroldis Chapman, Frankie Montas, Spenser Watkins, Steven Matz, Connor Overton
Hitters
Arizona Diamondbacks: Josh Rojas (SS/2B/3B/RF) - The utility infielder was not in the lineup yesterday after following up his Friday performance on Saturday with an injury. During the tilt against the Cubs on Saturday he would be hit by a pitch on the hand and leave the game. Yonny Hernandez is the extra infielder who can cover 3B with Nick Ahmed also out of the lineup. Hernandez is only 2/24 this season, stealing two bases after getting on base only four times total. He’s hit .198 over his career.
Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle (1B/LF/DH) - Due to heat yesterday against the Rays, Mountcastle was pulled from the game as he began to develop cramps. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready to play the Yankees today or not. It’s all about whether he can become hydrated. Tyler Nevin is a utility option who can play at 1B if the team wants to replace Mountcastle in that way, or they could free up Ryan McKenna to play DH. Both hitters are going at a subpar rate of around .225.
Boston Red Sox: JD Martinez (LF/DH)/Alex Verdugo (LF/CF/RF) - Both players were held out of the lineup against the Mariners yesterday due to varying issues. Verdugo is dealing with an illness whereas Martinez has back spasms. Franchy Cordero and Christian Arroyo are the extra bodies on the team that usually see an increase in plate appearances when replacements are needed in Boston. They combined 2 for 9 yesterday, driving five runners across the plate. Cordero is outpacing Arroyo at the plate this season .234 vs .185, sitting on ten runs.
Chicago Cubs: Wilson Contreras (C/DH) - One of the few fantasy relevant catchers, Contreras was injured on Saturday and thus out of the lineup yesterday. Wilson is dealing with a hamstring issue. Yan Gomes is the backup backstop on the club, batting .261 through 69 at bats this season. Yan has hit .247 across over 900 MLB games in his career, hitting 119 homers in that span.
Miami Marlins: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B/SS)/Miguel Rojas (SS) - Both middle infielders are on the mend for the Marlins after this weekend's games against the Braves. Jazz suffered a hamstring issue on Saturday and tried to play through it yesterday, unable to get past the third inning. Rojas on the other hand is dealing with a similar injury just to his calf instead of hammy. The team is going to have to get creative, Erik Gonzalez is the only healthy natural middle infield option on the squad. Gonzalez is hitting under .200 through 26 at bats this season and has hit .243 over his career in nearly 350 games. Joe Dunand covered 2B and went out of his comfort zone, getting only 8 plate appearances thus far this season. He only hit .242 in AAA to start this season in 20 games.
New York Yankees: Joey Gallo (LF/RF/DH)/Kyle Higashioka (C) - Both players were placed on the COVID list yesterday prior to the game versus the Whie Sox. Marwin Gonzalez and Rob Brantly played in the place of the parties who were out, probably not the optimal move. Gonzalez has hit .255 in his career, spanning over 1000 games. But this season he’s only going at a .216 rate. Brantly is a journeyman sitting on only 135 games played at 32 years old. I believe starting Jose Trevino at C and Giancarlo Stanton at LF is probably the best move. That would allow DJ LeMahieu to get into the lineup as DH whilst still starting your best infield options. Trevino is actually probably the best catcher on the team, sitting at a .207 rate and is a career .241 hitter through nearly 200 games.
Oakland Athletics: Ramon Laureano (CF/RF) - Struggling mightily this season, Ramon’s campaign only became more frustrating over the weekend. Laureano suffered a hand injury after being hit by a pitch on Saturday and is experiencing some issues as a result. Luis Barrera is the top utility option in the outfield at the moment, crushing the ball at a .303 rate through 33 at bats with a home run and stolen base.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Daniel Vogelbach (1B/DH) - In and out of the lineup as of late, Vogelbach was held out of the order yesterday as he tends to a lower body injury. Michael Chavis is the top option to slot into the infield or DH for the club. Chavis has been great this season, crushing the ball at a .301 clip through over 100 at bats. I actually don’t know why he isn’t owned in my 16-team dynasty league right now as I see this average. What.
San Francisco Giants: Brandon Belt (1B/DH)/Austin Slater (CF/LF/RF)/Curt Casali (C) - The Giants faced another tough weekend when it comes to injuries, one of the more plagued teams this season. Casali was hit in the mask on Friday, and thus placed on the IL on Saturday. Belt would join him as he needed treatment on his knee, and Slater couldn’t make it through yesterday’s game against the Padres due to a wrist issue. Michael Papierski was recalled to backup Joey Bart at backstop. Neither Papierski nor Bart is hitting well this season, Michael hitting sub .200 at the AAA level this season and Bart only .162 in the majors. Luis Gonzalez has been dominant at the plate this season, going .324 through 74 at bats with three stolen bases. He should be owned in many more leagues. Wilmer Flores may end up playing for Belt, the utility man is hitting .260 with 24 RBIs.
Seattle Mariners: Abraham Toro (2B/3B/DH) - The struggling infielder was placed on the IL yesterday as he deals with a significant shoulder injury. This sprain will keep him out for a bit of time at the very least. Dylan Moore can play across the entire defense for the most part and becomes the next best utility option. Moore has only hit .171 this season with three stolen bases through 41 at bats.
St. Louis Cardinals: Dylan Carlson (CF/RF) - The young outfielder suffered a hamstring injury this past weekend, missing yesterday’s game as a result against the Pirates. Tommy Edman should be pushed to the outfield with Brendan Donovan starting in the infield. Donovan has hit .319 through 47 at bats, walking 11 times already.
Tampa Bay Rays: Yandy Diaz (1B/3B) - After being pulled on Saturday against the Orioles, Diaz was absent from the order with a shoulder injury yesterday. Isaac Paredes will receive daily at bats with all these injuries to the infield of the Rays. He can start at 3B with Walls at SS and Brujan at 2B. Paredes has three home runs already, sitting on a .242 through 33 at bats.
Washington Nationals: Nelson Cruz (DH)/Alcides Escobar (SS/2B) - During the weekend series against the Brewers, Escobar was unavailable due to an undisclosed situation. It’s unclear if this is personal, injury or illness related. Dee Strange-Gordon is starting at SS in the lace of Escobar, the veteran hitting only .216 in his limited looks this season. He’s a .285 hitter over his career, stealing 333 bases across 1017 MLB contests. As far as Cruz is concerned, he suffered a sprained ankle yesterday. The veteran will be hard to replace. Lane Thomas could see more at bats with Cruz out, only hitting .228 through 101 at bats.
Pitchers
Baltimore Orioles: Spenser Watkins (SP/RP) - What a rough day for Watkins yesterday against the Rays. He opened the game giving up three runs and not registering a single out before his departure. To make matters worse, he left the game due to being hit in the arm by a comebacker. Keegan Akin is the top available arm at the MLB level to fit into the rotation. Akin has an ERA under 1.5 and WHIP under one through 27 innings pitched as a middle reliever.
Cincinnati Reds: Connor Overton (SP/RP) - A surprise scratch this weekend; Overton was pulled from the rotation on Saturday due to a back issue. It’s unclear how much time he may miss and Graham Ashcraft made his MLB debut in his place. Ashcraft went 4.1 innings, giving up two runs and striking out three. He had started 7 games in AAA this season, putting out an ERA of 1.65 and K/9 of 8.3.
Milwaukee Brewers: Freddy Peralta (SP) - After struggling for a few innings yesterday against the Nationals, management pulled Freddy due to a shoulder injury. He got through three innings and gave up 5 runs. Aaron Ashby will return to the rotation after struggling a bit earlier in the season. Ashby has posted a 3.49 ERA and 10.8 K/9 through 28.1 innings pitched at the MLB level.
New York Yankees: Aroldis Chapman (RP) - The flame thrower was not available for the Yankees during the second half of the double header yesterday against the White Sox. Apparently, he is dealing with an Achilles injury after pitching to four batters in Game One. Michael King has been dominant along with Clay Holmes in the bullpen for New York. Both should be added in more leagues.
Oakland Athletics: Frankie Montas (SP) - After pitching 1.2 innings yesterday, Montas was pulled from his start against the Angels due to a hand injury. He was hit by a comebacker and says he should be alright, but we will see if there is any swelling today. AJ Puk is the top starting option for the club at the MLB level. He’s done in relief this season, giving up only one run through 17.1 innings. Adam Oller or Adrian Martinez is an option as well, both in the minors. Martinez made one start for Oakland this season, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings.
St. Louis Cardinals: Steven Matz (SP) - Not an often occurrence, Matz threw literally four pitches on Saturday before being pulled against the Pirates. Drew VerHagen is the next best option to fill in for the rotation at the MLB level. He’s sitting on a 2.70 ERA as a middle reliever for the squad, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings in relief on Saturday.