Fantasy Baseball 2018: Injuries, injuries and more injuries

Injuries have been the big news after the first few games of the season. Here is a list of the most recent injury reports.

Over the last couple of days, there have been six players added to the disabled list. This adds to the 50-plus players who started the season on the DL. While the player pool overall is deeper this season, the number of injuries will shrink the number of available players to pick up very quickly.

Between Opening Day and, um, second Opening Day, there were four important player injuries and two more deep-league names placed on the DL. Regardless of their skill level or name value, all of the players listed effect fantasy baseball in some way. It’s a lot to take in this early in the season, so let’s hope this is the end of it.

Mike Zunino was placed on the 10-day DL with a left oblique strain. He is already the fourth Mariners player on the DL. The move was retroactive to March 27, so Zunino will be able to return on April 7. While he will return soon, this is an injury to monitor for at least a few weeks after his return.

Him swinging the bat and attempting throw outs may aggravate it throughout the season. Zunino may land on the DL sometime later in the season, but again, we’re hoping he doesn’t. Catcher is already a thin position.

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Ian Kinsler finds himself on the 10-day disabled list with groin tightness. He did not play in the Angels’ first game but did play on Friday and batted leadoff. However, Kinsler didn’t play Saturday and was immediately placed on the DL.

There’s no timetable for his exact return date but his earliest return date is April 10. In the meantime, Zack Cozart moves over to second and Luis Valbuena takes over at third. Giants MVP Joe Panik is owned in just 26.3 percent of ESPN leagues. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .545 and owned in just 25.7 percent.

Aaron Hicks was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right intercostal muscle. The Yankees had an abundance of outfielders between the major and minor leagues but with Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clint Frazier and recently called up Billy McKinney on the DL, that may not be the case anymore

This forces the Yankees to make some changes to their defensive alignment. Brett Gardner will play center, Aaron Judge in right and Tyler Wade in left with Giancarlo Stanton as the DH. There are plenty of outfielders on the waiver wire to add in Hicks’ place. There is no timetable for his return. If you’re in a deep league, then you have to keep him. In 10-12 team leagues, you can drop him.

Delino DeShields has a broken hamate bone and will be out 4-6 weeks. DeShields was awarded the Rangers leadoff spot out of spring training. This hurts the Rangers lineup as it moves everyone up one spot and slots Drew Robinson as the center fielder. Elvis Andrus is now the leadoff man. That will get him a couple of extra at-bats over these next six weeks.

DeShields is owned in 64.8 percent of leagues. Like Hicks, there are a lot of outfielders available. With the projection of 35-plus steals, losing DeShields is a big blow to fantasy. Bradley Zimmer and Mallex Smith are two speedy guys that may be available.

Pat Neshek was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. He isn’t widely owned in leagues but he is valuable in NL-only or holds leagues. Teammate Tommy Hunter is also on the DL, so the Phillies bullpen is thin after Hector Neris.

Brett Cecil is another middle reliever placed on the 10-day DL. He has a left shoulder strain. The Cardinals have dealt with bullpen issues for over a year. Things will be settled once Greg Holland is on the team but without Cecil and Luke Gregerson, the team will rely on Dominic Leone and Tyler Lyons.

If you need a relief pitcher. Keone Kela and Hunter Strickland are owned in less than 40 percent of leagues. A deeper option is Nate Jones from the White Sox.

Troy Tulowitzki is slated to undergo surgery to remove bone spurs from both of his heels, already on 60-day DL. While this isn’t recent news, Tulo is a big-name player. This gives Aledmys Diaz more playing time at shortstop. Hitting between Kevin Pillar and Devon Travis will give Diaz some good opportunities.

Next: Is Mitch Haniger worth adding?

It’s been three days and there are already dozens of players on the DL. These injuries hurt fantasy teams but it also helps weed out the good and bad fantasy owners. Whether it’s finding the diamond on the waiver wire or making a couple of trades, overcoming these speed bumps will win you a fantasy championship.

Luckily, some of these injuries are short-term so you won’t be without that player for long.

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