Justin Verlander and James Loney to DL: Who To Pick Up?

The 2015 baseball season began with more players on the disabled list than ever before (115). It hasn’t got any better over the first three days of the season. In that span, Drew Smyly, Matt Cain, Justin Verlander, Joe Nathan, and James Loney have joined the ranks.

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The Cain one came as little surprise. Honestly, Verlander shouldn’t surprise us either. But the Nathan and Loney ones came out of nowhere. That will leave fantasy owners scrambling to the wire to find a suitable replacement.

Smyly and Verlander were the most widely owned of the newly disabled. Both of them should only miss two starts, so streaming pitchers is the best option for those of you that owned him. This early in the season, you could elect not to play roulette with starters and just save the innings against the cap in roto leagues for later, but those of you in head to head leagues will be looking for replacements. All of these pitchers are owned in 50% or less of ESPN leagues:

Trevor Bauer, Indians: Bauer gave up a ton of gopher balls in the spring, but his command was really good. The Astros are about as free swinging as any team in the league. Sure, they may tag him for a homer or two, but I would bet that you still get a quailty start out of him, and at least six strikeouts. That is comparable to what you would get from Smyly.

Danny Duffy, Royals: His next start will come Monday against the Twins. You know, those guys that haven’t scored a run yet this season. He is a great streaming option in any league.

Henderson Alvarez, Marlins: Alvarez looked sharp on Opening Day against the Braves. He gets another offensively challenged team in the Rays on Sunday, making him a really good option as well.

James Paxton, Mariners: His matchup against the Dodgers on Monday is not a great one, but he handled the Angels nicely on Tuesday. You can’t argue with his track record in the majors. He is a quality start machine, and is likely worth a look, even against the Dodgers.

Bartolo Colon, Mets: The ageless wonder keeps chugging along. He had a nice start on Opening Day against the Nationals, and has an great matchup against the Braves on Sunday. He is worth a look if you want the innings.

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Nathan was used in all leagues just because he was the Tigers closer. His numbers were awful last year, and most people had already stashed Joakim Soria since Nathan was the closer most likely to lose his job. Therefore, you likely can’t find anything on the wire to help you out. That said, Buddy Carlyle of the Mets and Chris Hatcher of the Dodgers may still be available. They won’t get all of their team’s save opportunities, but could still get you some. That said, Hatcher’s meltdown on Tuesday shows that you are likely playing with fire.

Loney was only used in deep leagues to begin with, but those of you who had him are looking to replace his average. The following players are for you deep leaguers, and are owned in 10% or less of ESPN leagues:

Stephen Vogt, Athletics: Vogt is 3-7 on the young season, and will only face right handed pitching, but he has hit it well so far. He hit .279 last year while catching, so he will likely help you keep the average up.

Kendrys Morales, Royals: He is 2-7 with two runs scored and an RBI on the young season. His power potential alone makes him worth a look, but he used to hit for average back in the day as well.

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