It is hard to believe we are already into Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.  Everyone has probably experienced the wrath of injuries thus far so tears will not be shed for anyone.  This edition of the injury report does not have too many players landing on the DL which is good news, but sometimes players being listed as day-to-day is even worse because it makes setting a lineup extremely difficult and risky.  So, without further ado, let’s delve into the next edition of the fantasy baseball emergency room.

 

Day to Day

Wade Davis (RP-CHC) – Davis is not injured but rather is on the paternity leave list which means he will be out for up to three days.  Mike Montgomery picked up the multi-inning save on Monday and the Cubs could use a variety of different options to close games out in the next day or two until Davis returns.  Carl Edwards and Koji Uehara are options for ninth inning duties as well, but this is merely a temporary arrangement.  Davis has been dominant racking up 12 saves with a microscopic 0.89 ERA and 0.74 WHIP to go along with 27 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.

Justin Verlander (SP-DET) – Mr. Kate Upton was removed from his last start over the weekend with a groin injury.  Let the speculation begin about how he sustained that injury (hey Kate Upton, how you doin?).  An MRI did not reveal any structural damage and Verlander has already indicated that he plans on making his next start this coming weekend.  He has been very pedestrian thus far compiling a 4-4 record to go along with a 4.63 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.  He should still be started every week but expectations should be lowered given how inconsistent he has been thus far.

Marwin Gonzalez (SS/3B-HOU) – The Astros’ jack-of-all-trades injured his hand sliding into a base on Monday and is expected to miss at least one game.  Gonzalez has been one of the most valuable fantasy players in the league thus far because he is eligible at almost every position on the diamond and has earned regular playing time all over the field thanks to his .314 batting average along with 12 home runs and 34 RBI.  He was arguably one of the best waiver wire acquisitions of the season and has been a big part of Houston’s early season domination.  All indications are that Gonzalez will be back in the lineup shortly so there is no need to panic about this injury.

Justin Bour (1B-MIA) – There could be some bad news for Justin Bour owners who have been riding his scorching hot bat over the past couple weeks.  He injured his right ankle after landing awkwardly on first base over the weekend and was in a walking boot over the weekend.  An MRI revealed a bone bruise but no structural damage.  However, the Marlins seem to think that Bour will require a trip to the disabled list.  He got off to a miserable start to the season but has raised his batting average to .295 to go along with his 16 home runs and 40 RBI which puts him on pace for a monster season.  He has reached the point where he should be stashed if he does end up on the disabled list.

Travis Shaw (3B-MIL) – Shaw has also been placed on the paternity leave list and will miss the next couple days to be with his family.  He has been a huge surprise in fantasy this season batting .292 with ten home runs and 40 RBI which is significant production for a third baseman that was likely taken towards the end of drafts or snatched off the waiver wire back in April.  He is a must-start at third base or corner infield and should be back in the lineup in the middle of Week 10.

Josh Harrison (2B-PIT) – Harrison seems to magnetically attract baseball as he was hit by a pitch for the 10th time already on Sunday.  However, this hit by pitch was in his calf and he was removed from the game against the Mets.  He is considered day-to-day and could very well be back in the lineup on Tuesday if the discomfort he was experiencing has subsided.  Either way, he should not miss much time, if any at all.  Harrison is a very useful fantasy player due to his eligibility at multiple positions and his .308 batting average to go along with seven home runs and five stolen bases.

Mike Napoli (1B-TEX) – Napoli is dealing with back spasms which have cost him several games over the past week.  It is quite possible that Texas could put him on the disabled list which means that Joey Gallo would get a majority of the playing time at first base.  Napoli has been putting up Rob Deer-like numbers this year mashing 11 home runs but hitting a paltry .192 with 65 strikeouts in 182 at bats.  He is coming off a great year with Cleveland and clearly still can provide power, but he is an all or nothing hitter who will bring you down in other peripheral Roto categories,

Devon Travis (2B-TOR) – Travis was hit by a pitch on his left wrist on Sunday and had to be taken out of the game.  X-rays did not reveal any fractures but he was held out of the lineup on Monday against Oakland.  He is expected back on the field within a day or two so just be patient and don’t bother replacing him with Darwin Barney.  Travis is currently batting .258 with five home runs and 24 RBI which makes him a serviceable middle infield option in mixed leagues.

 

On the DL

Jean Segura (SS-SEA) – The American League’s leading hitter is on the disabled list with a high right ankle sprain and will be out at least several weeks.  Segura claims that he can return within a month but the Mariners seemed to think it could be an even longer extended absence.  Either way, he will be on the shelf for a lengthy amount of time which means Taylor Motter will get plenty of playing time in his place.  You should stash Segura on your bench or in a DL slot because he is very productive in batting average, runs scored and stolen bases.  Motter is a suitable replacement due to the power he has exhibited thus far in 2017.

Jayson Werth (OF-WAS) – The Nationals placed Werth on the disabled list with a left foot injury.  He fouled a ball off of his foot over the weekend and hasn’t been able to play since.  The injury isn’t overly serious but Washington wanted to have a full roster of available players so they made the move to disable him.  This is a perfect example of how the new 10-day disabled list has come into play because an injury like this probably wouldn’t warrant a roster move if it was still 15 days on the sideline.  Look for Ryan Raburn to see at bats against left-handed pitchers after he was called up to replace Werth.

Eduardo Rodriguez (SP-BOS) – Rodriguez is facing a lengthy absence with a dislocated kneecap and will be shut down for up to four weeks.  It is possible that surgery will be an option if he does not show significant enough improvement by then.  Rodriguez has been a solid fantasy starter going 4-2 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 61 innings.  Brian Johnson is the leading candidate to replace Rodriguez in Boston’s rotation assuming his own injury issues are behind him.  Rodriguez is a candidate to be stashed if you have the roster flexibility, but if not then he should be cut because it is unknown how long he could be out.

 

On the Mend

Justin Turner (3B-LAD) – Turner began a rehab assignment earlier this week and is on track to be activated later in the week or over the weekend.  This is good news for fantasy GMs who have been lacking at third base or corner infield.  Turner

Steven Matz (SP-NYM) – Matz will be activated this week and make his season debut over the weekend against the Braves either on Saturday or Sunday.  He has been out all season with an elbow injury but will be a welcome addition back into the Mets rotation and on fantasy rosters.  Health has been the concern for Matz in his young career as he cannot be trusted with durability yet.  However, he should provide an immediate boost to fantasy rotations and provide great value at this point in the season if he can avoid any more injuries.

Seth Lugo (SP-NYM) – Lugo has been working his way back from an elbow injury and is set to rejoin the Mets rotation this coming weekend in Atlanta.  There are rumors the Mets may go to a six-man rotation now that he and Steven Matz will be back.  However, Lugo was not overly impressive in his rehab starts so the leash could be short for him as he will likely be competing with Robert Gsellman for the final spot in the Mets starting rotation.

 

Michael A. Stein, Esq. is the Chief Justice of Fantasy Judgment, the industry's premier dispute resolution service, and co-host of the Fantasy Alarm Podcast.  You can contact him at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@FantasyJudgment).