Fantasy Baseball Week 3: Mid-Week Injury Update

By Bill Pivetz | Apr 19, 2017

Apr 4, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) at bat at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Just two and a half weeks in and there have been a lot of injuries. With teams using the 10-day DL like it’s going out of style, there is more to keep track of now.

The fantasy baseball season is still in its infancy. Teams are working out the kinks and fantasy owners are (hopefully) waiting until May before making any drastic moves. The negative so far is that there are more injuries now. Or so it seems. Teams are more likely to put a player on the 10-day than the former 15-day DL to rest their injury.

With that, if you play in a play in a one-DL spot league, you are forced to keep an injured player on the bench and wait for their return. Here are updates on the top players and what to do moving forward.

Zach Britton, RP (BAL) – After recording his fifth save, Britton was placed on the 10-day DL with a strained left forearm. The original thought was that he wouldn’t need to undergo an MRI and Britton said his forearm was feeling better on Tuesday. Now, he will get a precautionary MRI on Friday, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

If you own Britton, Brad Brach is the Orioles reliever to own. If you didn’t get him, Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover are set to split the closer duties in Washington.

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Jason Kipnis, 2B (CLE) – Kipnis has spent April rehabbing his shoulder injury. He has played in minor league games last week. In his most recent game, Kipnis went 1-for-4 with a double in Triple-A Columbus. If all goes well and he doesn’t suffer a setback, Kipnis could be set to join the Indians this weekend in their series against the White Sox.

Kipnis would have been my No. 3 second baseman if he started the season healthy. If you drafted him, it is going to pay off. Jose Ramirez will go back to third base and send Yandy Diaz back to the bench. Being in the American League can help as he can slot as the DH at times.

Carlos Correa, SS (HOU) – Correa will miss four straight games after being hit by a pitch on his hand. He hasn’t been put on the 10-day DL so his status is truly unknown but that may change.

Correa took swings in the batting cage on Wednesday. He said that he will be available to pinch hit and can play on Thursday. The lack of performing shortstops already hurts the position and Correa absence made it worse. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be out for much longer.

Gary Sanchez, C (NYY) – Sanchez suffered a biceps strain on a swing and was immediately placed on the DL. It was then reported last week that he would miss around four weeks. A week later, Sanchez is swinging a bat with his left hand and he took threw for the first time on Wednesday.

According to Bryan Hoch, Sanchez has been catching five and six-inning “games” with a pitching machine and threw from 60 feet. He will soon begin taking full swings, which is a good sign. I warned you about taking a catcher early in drafts. Sanchez looks to be progressing nicely and should be back in mid-May. His owners are hoping for something sooner because the replacement value is low.

Josh Donaldson, 3B (TOR) – Donaldson was dealing with calf issues all throughout Spring Training. Despite the lack of power, he was making good contact, .310 with two home runs and four RBI. He reinjured it in the April 13 game and was placed on the DL.

Things are worse than they appear because he is expected to me two to four weeks, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. As a top-20 pick, this is a big disappointment. However, this was something to monitor in March.

Trea Turner, 2B (WAS) – Turner has been out since April 9 with a strained hamstring. This could be a blessing in disguise as he is hitting .158 with three steals. He took batting practice and was seen running sprints over the weekend.

While things look ahead of schedule, Turner will continue to take part in some drills in the team’s Florida facility. The front office and management will then reevaluate Turner’s status after that. Once ready, he will be back at shortstop.

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Those are a lot of stars to be talking about at once. The thing is, the injuries will continue all season and affect fantasy lineups in all league types. It’s important to stay ahead of it and add the necessary backups before it’s too late.

Some of these players will be back soon while others won’t be back for another month. Lingering injuries are even worse, so keep tabs on ligaments as they tend to be the worst.

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