Philadelphia Phillies Vincent Velasquez: Injury Scare

Vincent Velasquez figures to be a major piece in the Philadelphia Phillies’ rebuild. But, after leaving his start Wednesday due to injury, should fantasy owners panic?

Vincent Velasquez looks the part of the next up and coming ace both in fantasy and for the Phills. He has an electric arm and the arsenal to dominate as well, and we have witnessed the upside so far this season. He currently sits with a, 3.67 ERA/73 K/1.27 WHIP, season line.

Whether it be his 16 K performance against the Padres in April or the 10 K in only five innings against the Marlins in May, we have seen just how nasty his stuff plays. But, to see him leave Wednesday’s game with a bicep injury, it is easy to see why there is a black cloud hovering around the situation.

One of the major underlying concerns is that Velasquez has already had TJ surgery. He went under the knife in 2010 and missed all of 2011. Then there is also the prior concerns that the Phillies showed before acquiring from the Astros.

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The Phillies were concerned about his shoulder, which forced the Astros to sweeten the haul for Ken Giles last season. The Phillies say the injury popped up during warm-ups and Velasquez himself said that he is not worried about the injury.

However, when an injury causes a drop of 9 mph in velocity, as was the case Wednesday before he was pulled from the game, the issue can not be downplayed. There is also the fact that over his last handful of starts, he has been roughed up and seemingly can not get past the fifth inning.

His MRI tomorrow will predictably have a huge factor on his fantasy value. The hope is that it is just tendonitis or maybe just a strain, just as long as his elbow is still intact. It does appear though, that a DL stint is a certainty, so owners will be in search of a replacement.

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Pitchers such as Trevor Bauer, Zach Davies, Matt Shoemaker, and Doug Fister, have all been on a roll as of late and could be potential adds. There will not be any pitchers on the waiver that can match Velasquez’s upside, but short-term fill ins are out there. Let us just hope that Vincent Velasquez’s rookie campaign is not over.