The calendar has turned to March which means we are just a few weeks away from Opening Day.  We are hot and heavy in the midst of draft season and already we are seeing interesting trends with players who are injured no matter how minor the malady appears to be.  Remember, spring training injuries are handled quite differently than in the regular season but that does not mean you shouldn’t take them into account when evaluating your own draft strategy.  So without further ado, here is the first edition of the fantasy baseball emergency room for the 2019 season.

Clayton Kershaw (SP-LAD)

Fantasy GMs are facing quite the dilemma when it comes to Clayton Kershaw .  He has been a perennial top draft pick for many years, but injuries have taken their toll on him recently.  GMs are not feeling any more secure about Kershaw thus far this spring as he continues dealing with discomfort in his left shoulder and has been shut down on multiple occasions.  His usual first round status has been severely downgraded and at this point he can be drafted at a significant discount which is enticing.  Bear in mind that Kershaw will turn 31-years old in a couple weeks and has only reached 30 starts in a season once since 2014.  He provides incredible statistics when healthy, but along with him comes a giant red flag.  At this point, we do not know whether he will be ready for Opening Day so there is still much to learn about his physical progress over the next few weeks.  He threw from 60-foot distance on Thursday so now we must wait and see how his body reacts.  Drafting Kershaw has a lot of upside but it is really all about how much risk you are willing to take. 

Francisco Lindor (SS-CLE)

Lindor sent the fantasy baseball community in hysteria in early February when he sustained a strained calf muscle while working out prior to reporting to spring training.  The initial diagnosis was that he would miss seven to nine weeks which put Opening Day in serious jeopardy.  Nothing much has changed in terms of that time line, but the good news is that he is doing some baseball activities and is increasing his workload every day.  Lindor is coming off of an elite season in which he hit .277 with 38 home runs, 92 RBI, 129 runs scored and 25 stolen bases.  This injury has unquestionably affected his ADP, but he is still well worth a late first round or early second round pick given he is only expected to miss a short period of time when the season starts.

Carlos Martínez (SP-STL)

The troubles continue for Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martínez who has been marred by injuries throughout his young career.  He has still been experiencing pain in his right shoulder and underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection earlier this week.  Martinez had his arm in a sling after the procedure and the team has shut him down for the next couple weeks.  This won’t leave much time for Martinez to get ready for the season assuming he is pain-free after the shutdown, so his status for Opening Day is very much in jeopardy.  The Cardinals used him out of the bullpen at the end of 2018 so it is quite possible he ends up back there when or if he is healthy enough to pitch.

Mike Foltynewicz (SP-ATL)

Fantasy GMs are getting a little nervous after hearing that Mike Foltynewicz is dealing with some soreness in his right elbow following his initial spring outing last weekend.  This is cause for concern because of the obvious fear of a UCL tear and inevitable Tommy John surgery, but we have not heard anything like that just yet.  The Braves have not provided much in terms of an update but it is expected we will know more in the coming days.  Foltynewicz has become a solid fantasy target coming off a 2018 season in which he went 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 183 innings pitched.  Follow this situation closely because an update on him could drastically affect where he should be drafted.

Jake Arrieta (SP-PHI)

Arrieta underwent surgery on his left knee in January to repair a torn meniscus which he claims to have injured last summer.  The good news is that he has already began throwing and is expected to be ready by Opening Day as of now.  He struggled last year in his inaugural season in Philadelphia posting a 10-11 record with a 3.96 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.  Now that he has fixed his knee issue, we could see a nice rebound from Arrieta who is surrounded by a vastly improved roster heading into 2019.

Josh James (SP-HOU)

James made a big splash with the Astros after getting called up late in 2018 and won two of his three starts while also compiling a 2.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 23 innings.  He was in line for a spot in Houston’s starting rotation this year, but unfortunately he sustained a strained right quadriceps earlier this week.  The bad news is that Houston’s manager indicated that this injury will likely remove him from contention for a rotation spot to begin the season.  He could eventually work his way back into the mix later on, but this injury certainly deflates his draft appeal.

Miguel Sano (3B-MIN)

Sano remains in a walking boot to protect the wound on his heel from re-opening.  The Twins believe he has made significant progress and plan on keeping him in the boot to ensure the wound heals fully.  He will likely get examined again in the near future so it is possible he could be out of the boot by next week.  Sano will have to play catch up in terms of getting prepared for the season, but if all goes well he could be in the lineup on Opening Day.  Sano is looking to rebound from an utterly disastrous 2018 season in which he hit .199 with 13 home runs and 41 RBI while also being demoted to the minor leagues and was involved in some legal trouble.  He could provide great value in drafts if he can regain his form from 2017.

Jed Lowrie (3B-NYM)

The Mets doled out a two year/$20,000,000 contract to Lowrie to be a jack-of-all-trades this season and play almost every day all around the diamond.  It did not take very long for those plans to be put on hold as Lowrie experienced soreness behind his left knee and was diagnosed with a capsule sprain.  There is no time frame for how long Lowrie might be out, but his status for Opening Day does not look optimistic.  Lowrie had draft appeal thanks in large part to his eligibility at multiple positions.  Now he continues to slide down draft boards since we do not know when he might be able to return to action.  Jeff McNeil would make sense as a viable replacement for Lowrie at third base so he becomes a more intriguing fantasy option heading into the season.

Todd Frazier (3B-NYM)

The Mets thought they had an overabundance of depth in the infield with all of the moves they made this winter, and it has not taken long for that depth to be tested.  After Jed Lowrie went down with a knee injury, Todd Frazier has been diagnosed with an oblique strain and has also been shut down.  He will get a cortisone shot and be given enough rest to ensure that he does not exacerbate the problem.  With Lowrie and Frazier sidelined, Jeff McNeil could find himself back in the infield to start the season.  Frazier’s best fantasy days are long behind him as he is only a part-time player even when at full strength.

Kevin Gausman (SP-ATL)

Not only are the Braves dealing with an injury to Mike Foltynewicz , but fellow starter Kevin Gausman is also on the shelf at the moment.  He is dealing with discomfort in his shoulder and has yet to make his debut in a spring training game.  Gausman was a solid acquisition by the Braves at the trade deadline last year and was projected to be a viable fantasy option at the back end of GMs’ pitching staffs.  There is no time table on when Gausman might take the mound, but his status for Opening Day could be in question if he misses any significant time.

Sonny Gray (SP-CIN)

Few other pitchers have seen their fantasy value plummet in a quicker time frame than Sonny Gray .  While it was a good thing he got out of the Bronx, he still carries minimal fantasy value now that he will be pitching in the band box known as Great American Ballpark.  Gray signed an extension with the Reds and is aiming to turn his career around, but first he will have to overcome some soreness in his right elbow.  He was scratched from his scheduled start last weekend but has progressed to throwing off a mound.  He indicated that he will be ready for Opening Day and begin his path to redemption after finishing last year with an 11-9 record along with a 4.90 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 130.1 innings.

Collin McHugh (SP-HOU)

Houston has indicated that Collin McHugh is suffering from some soreness in his lower back.  He made his spring debut earlier this week and struggled with his control and fielding, and he was pulled after just one inning.  McHugh is not making a big deal out of this injury and is in line to be part of the Astros’ starting rotation.  He is a viable late round fantasy option thanks in large part to the great team he plays for and returning to the rotation after spending the 2018 season successfully coming out of the bullpen.  He has the potential to carry solid fantasy value if he can replicate his 2015-2016 seasons.