Jonathan Schoop Lands on DL: Fantasy impact

Orioles and fantasy owners will be without second baseman Jonathan Schoop for a couple of weeks with an oblique injury.

Tell me if you haven’t heard this before, but another star player is on the DL. This time, it is Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop. He played most of the game Friday but was removed with a side injury. Schoop then received an MRI before Saturday’s game. He was placed on the 10-day DL with a Grade 1 oblique strain, as tweeted by Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports.

While having a top-10 second baseman on the DL isn’t good news, the fact that it’s only a Grade 1 is. This means that he will likely miss just a couple of weeks of action. He should be back in early to mid-May.

In his spot, Tim Beckham will get more playing time at second base. He has experience playing there with the Tampa Bay Rays. This then moves Danny Valencia into a starting spot at third base. Neither player is hitting well enough to warrant a waiver add, even with the added playing time.

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Schoop was a seventh-round pick in 10-team ESPN leagues. He was the sixth second baseman drafted. In 14 games so far, he is hitting .230 with one home run, three RBI, seven runs, 19 strikeouts and one walk.

If you are a Schoop owner like myself, then you likely need a replacement second baseman.

A’s Jed Lowrie is hitting the ball well over the last week. He has three homers, nine RBI and a .394 batting average in his last eight games. Lowrie is owned in just 36.5 percent of ESPN leagues. That number went up over 30 percent over the last week so if you want him, you better get him soon.

Yolmer Sanchez of the White Sox has a .289 average with nine RBI and three runs. While the White Sox may not have the best offense, they have some batters that can make contact and drive in runs, like Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson. Sanchez is benefitting from that. He’s owned in just 16.0 percent of leagues.

Cesar Hernandez is a third replacement option. He has shown a good combination of contact, power and speed. With a .286 average, he has two homers, three RBI, eight runs and three steals. He’s available in 68 percent of leagues.

Next: Dinelson Lamet out with TJ surgery

This has been a rough month for all teams with the number of injuries. Hopefully, Schoop recovers nicely and doesn’t let the oblique bother him when he gets back in the batter’s box. With the lack of depth at the position, you can’t afford to drop Schoop. If you can trade for someone of equal value, and healthy, then go for it. If not, then stash him on the DL until he returns.