The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed center fielder Andrew McCutchen on the disabled list with a broken floating rib. The Pirates have resisted placing him on the DL because they had hoped that he would heal within 15 days. He has been out since August 3rd with the injury.
McCutchen owners feel his frustration. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Obviously, this leaves a huge hole in your fantasy lineup. And we know it will be at least a couple of weeks until he gets back. So how do you replace a .311 average, 17 homers, 17 steals, and 67 RBI? The short answer? You don’t.
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That does not mean that I will give up and leave you hanging though. I will give you some players that can help ease the loss.
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.
If you can deal with the subpar batting average, Granderson is a decent add. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Standard Leagues:
Curtis Granderson, Mets: Grandy’s .232 average leaves much to be desired, but he does have 15 home runs and eight stolen bases. That is about as close to McCutchen’s 17 and 17 as you can find for free.
Coco Crisp, Athletics: Yes, health is a concern with Coco as well, but as long as he is in the lineup, he can help. He has seven homers and 16 steals, but won’t help you out much in the RBI department. The .266 average also won’t hurt you much.
Khris Davis, Brewers: His 19 homers and 53 RBI are close to McCutchen’s numbers, but he has little speed (three steals) and is only hitting .253.
Dear Walt Weiss: please play this man every day. Signed: fantasy owners. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Moderate Leagues:
B.J. Upton, Braves: He has some power (eight homers) and some speed (18 steals), but is atrocious at the plate. Only you can decide if taking on his .209 average at the plate is really worth it.
Chris Coghlan, Cubs: Forget McCutchen lite, he is fat-free. That said, he is a solid contributor with a .288 average, six homers and five steals. Super prospect Jorge Soler shouldn’t be up before McCutchen comes off the DL, so Coghlan seems like a safe play in the interim.
Drew Stubbs, Rockies: If roulette is your thing, I present Stubbs. He has a new lease on life in Colorado with an impressive .298 batting average to go with 11 homers and 13 steals. The only bad thing is he does not get consistent playing time, so it can be frustrating to own him.
The trade of Parra has Peralta playing every day. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Deep Leagues:
David Peralta, Diamondbacks: You can partially disregard the season numbers here since Gerardo Parra and A.J. Pollock were stealing his at bats for a while. What you can clearly see is that he can help you out. He is hitting .313 with five homers and four stolen bases.
Jarrod Dyson, Royals: Look, this far down in the barrel, you just are not going to find guys with both power and speed. Dyson can replace McCutchen’s speed, and then some. He has swiped 26 bags on the year, and is hitting a solid .286. The bad news? He has only one home run on the year, and is hitting ninth in the Royals order, so RBI opportunities can be hard to come by.
Junior Lake, Cubs: Lake is another one of those guys with sporadic playing time. His .219 average likely has something to do with that, but he does have nine homers and seven steals. That is the best you are going to do in deep leagues.