Ryan Zimmerman back on the DL, who should you pick up?
By Mike Marteny
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been placed on the disabled list. Again.
This time, he has a “pretty substantial” hamstring strain according to manager Matt Williams.
This is not good news for Zimmerman owners. He missed the end of April and all of May with an injury as well.
The Nationals will go with the same setup as earlier this year. Anthony Rendon will move to third, and Danny Espinosa will take over second base.
The bad news for you is that Rendon is owned in all leagues. So how can you replace Zimmerman’s .282 average, five homers, and 36 RBI?
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Here are a few replacements that you can try to go with until he comes back. I will try to provide players that are close to his specific stats.
The standard league replacements are available in 15-50 percent of leagues. The moderates are available in 51-90 percent of leagues. The deep league replacements are available in 90 percent of more of leagues.
Standard Leagues:
Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians: No, he is not just a one game wonder. He is hitting .320 on the year with nine homers and 41 RBI. All of those numbers top Zimmerman’s.
Josh Harrison, Pirates: He is Zimmerman with speed. At least that is what his .288 average, five homers, 29 RBI, and 11 steals say. And he is eligible at 3B and OF just like Zimm. Adding 2B to that is just icing on the cake.
It didn’t take Headley long to get his first Gatorade shower in the Bronx. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Moderate Leagues:
Chase Headley, Yankees: He struggled in San Diego, but the move to a contender could do wonders. Set aside the .233 average for a minute and focus on the seven homers and 33 RBI. I’m guessing he will get closer to Zimmerman’s numbers than you think.
Chris Johnson, Braves: Johnson is hitting .279 with seven homers and 40 RBI. That is right around Zimmerman range, and he is available in more than half of ESPN leagues.
Deep Leagues:
Matt Dominguez, Astros: Owners are turned off by the .239 average. His 12 homers and 43 RBI make him worth owning in far more than eight percent of leagues though. He will hurt your average some, but he will help your counting stats more than Zimmerman did.
David Freese, Angels: The .250 average is a little lower than you are used to, but he does have the five homers and 33 RBI, which is nearly identical to Zimmerman.