Nolan Arenado breaks middle finger, how do you replace him?

The Colorado Rockies were hit with a bit of bad news last night.  3B Nolan Arenado broke the middle finger on his left hand while sliding into second base.   Arenado becomes the latest victim of a headfirst slide.

Arenado will undergo an MRI today to see how extensive the damage is.  He will likely be out much longer than 15 days, but just how long should be determined once the results of the MRI are revealed.

Arenado was .302 with six homers and 28 RBI on the season.

Josh Rutledge was pulled from the game at AAA Colorado Springs tonight, so he will likely be called up to take Arenado’s place on the major league squad.  Rutledge is hitting .327 with a homer and three steals for the Sky Sox.

Rutledge hit .318 when he was up earlier this season, so he is worth adding for those of you in moderate to deep leagues.

Arenado was a great surprise for fantasy owners this year.  Now that he will be out for an extended period, who can you pick up to help you out?  Here are a few options:

May 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval (48) smiles in the dugout before the game against the Atlanta Braves at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Standard Leagues:

Juan Francisco, Blue Jays: Again, you ask?  Yep.  He is still available in 15 percent of leagues, and is the best option out there aside from trading for an elite third baseman.

Pablo Sandoval, Giants: Sandoval has had a miserable season, hitting just .225 with four homers.  That said, he is hitting .333 over the last two weeks, and he has three homers in the last five games.  He seems to be getting back on track.  If you are in one of the 15 percent of leagues that has seen him land on waivers, go get him!

Moderate Leagues:

Matt Dominguez, Astros: Dominguez is hitting .309 with three homers and nine RBI over the last two weeks.  That is close to Arenado’s production totals!

Trevor Plouffe, Twins: Plouffe struggled at the end of April and beginning of May, but he seems to be getting back on track.  He has two homers and seven RBI in his last nine games.  He is worth picking up while he is hitting.

Deep Leagues:

Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians: Chisenhall was on the wrong end of a third base platoon.  Until lately.  Chisenhall has a six game hitting streak going in which he has two homers, four RBI, and five runs scored.  His hot hitting should keep him in the lineup, at least for the near future.

Conor Gillaspie, White Sox: Gillaspie has a hit in ten of the twelve games he has played since his return from the DL, compiling a .370 average over that span.  He won’t really hit for power, but he will help ease the pain to your batting average with Arenado out.

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