The Texas Rangers have placed ace Yu Darvish on the disabled list with inflammation in his pitching elbow. An MRI is scheduled for later today. Darvish reported some soreness while playing catch on Monday.
Obviously, the Rangers want to protect their investment, and know the full extent of his injury. Since they are out of contention anyway, there is no reason to have Darvish pitch at anything less that 100% health.
Where does that leave his fantasy owners? Scrambling to replace his 10 wins, 3.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 182 strikeouts, that’s where. How do you replace those numbers? You don’t. At least not without making a trade.
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That does not mean that I will give up and leave you hanging though. I will give you some players available on waivers 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.
Tillman has 13 straight starts of allowing three runs or less. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
Standard Leagues:
Alex Wood, Braves: He is still prone to the occassional blow up, but he has been dominant of late. In his last three starts, he has struck out 25 batters in 20.1 innings pitched, and allowed just three earned runs over that span. His 8-9 record is nothing to write home about, but the strikeout potential with a good ERA is hard to find for free.
Francisco Liriano, Pirates: He is a bit of a risky proposition still, especially to replace a star such as Darvish, but his stats over his last few starts don’t lie. In his last five starts, he has 33 strikeouts in 32 innings, and has not given up more than two runs in any of those starts. It might be prudent to wait until his date with Detroit later today is over though.
Chris Tillman, Orioles: He has erased his dreadful start to the season with 13 straight starts of allowing three earned runs or less. He played the Yankees three times during the streak and managed to keep it intact. He is about as trustworthy as anyone right now.
Hughes has managed to put a terrible July behind him. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Moderate Leagues:
Brandon McCarthy, Yankees: He is 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 36.2 innings since coming to the Bronx. His overall numbers still aren’t great, but he seems to be inspired by playing for a contender, and is worth taking a chance on. We know the ability is there.
Collin McHugh, Astros: McWho? He has allowed more than three runs only four times in 18 starts this year. He has been particularly brilliant so far in August with a 1.40 ERA. He has only allowed 15 baserunners in 19.1 innings with 16 strikeouts over that span. He is far from a sure thing, but he is worth taking a shot on.
Phil Hughes, Twins: After a rough patch in July, he has righted the ship in August. He has a 2.37 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and two wins in his last three starts. He has also racked up 21 strikeouts in 19 innings. It is looking safe to roll with him again.
Deep Leagues:
Tommy Milone, Twins: He is picking up where he left off in Oakland. He went six innings, giving up two runs and striking out five in his Minnesota debut. He is as safe an option of anyone on the Twins’ staff right now.
Chase Anderson, Diamondbacks: He has a string of five straight quality starts in which he has allowed only six runs in 31 innings. He also has 30 strikeouts in that span, and is facing Brad Penny and the Marlins today. He is a safe option in all leagues for that one!
Bud Norris, Orioles: He has problems going deep into games, but when he is in there, he usually averages around a strikeout per inning. The downside is that you may have to deal with an occassional stinker here or there.