Royals: Danny Duffy out six to eight weeks
By Bill Pivetz
The Royals will be without their number one pitcher Danny Duffy for two months. With another pitcher down, fantasy owners need to find a solid replacement.
The Kansas City Royals are not off to the best start, currently at 21-28 last in the American League Central. They suffered a bigger loss than any game with the announcement that came Monday afternoon. The Royals will be without their top pitcher Danny Duffy for close to two months. Are there even any pitchers left to add as a replacement?
Duffy was placed on the 10-day DL with a grade one oblique strain, as first reported by Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.
Duffy was off to a solid start. He led in innings pitched and had the second-best ERA among starters. In 11 starts, he posted a 3.54 ERA, 1.369 WHIP a 4-4 record. Duffy also owns a 7.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. He currently ranks as the 32nd best pitcher.
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With hitters, oblique injuries tend to linger much later after returning from the DL. As for pitchers, pushing off the mound with one leg and stretching out while throwing the ball could result in a reaggravation of the injury.
While I’m not hoping for any setbacks with Duffy, I’m not expecting him to be 100 percent when he’s eligible to return.
Looking at the rest of the Royals rotation, they are going to need a lot of help and fantasy owners will too. With Nate Karns already on the DL, the Royals are down two starting pitchers.
As far as fantasy goes, the options for consistent pitching are rare. There are plenty of pitchers I like for a start or two, but not many I would throw out there on a weekly basis.
Some of the players worth a speculative add include German Marquez, who I wrote about here, JC Ramirez and Tyler Chatwood.
Next: What should you do with Brian Dozier?
If you own Duffy, he’s been good enough to keep on your roster. That may be different in 10-team leagues with a deeper waiver wire pool. However, the replacement-level skill is not the same. Expect to be without Duffy for eight weeks (including rehab starts). It’s been a tough season and there’s yet another injury that just got reported.