Fantasy Baseball 2018: 6 Replacements for Lorenzo Cain

The Brewers and fantasy baseball owners will be without outfielder Lorenzo Cain for at least two weeks. Here are some replacements for Cain’s owners.

The Milwaukee Brewers placed outfielder Lorenzo Cain on the 10-day DL on Tuesday while he deals with a groin strain. Cain has been a productive member of the Brewers since he signed in the offseason. Fantasy baseball owners have benefitted from his production too, but will miss it while he’s out.

Cain is one of the few hitters that can contribute in all of the offensive stats. In 72 games, he has eight home runs, 26 RBIs, 48 runs, 16 steals and a .291 batting average. Cain is primarily the Brewers leadoff hitter, though he’s hit third 10 times this season, he has plenty of chances to get on base, move into scoring position and score.

There has been no timetable for Cain’s return, so it is unsure if he will be back after the 10 days or will need longer to recover. Regardless, his absence will have a heavy impact. I will list some outfielders that can help you with contact, power and speed while you wait for Cain’s return.

Contact

Derek Dietrich – The Miami Marlins may not be competing for much this season, but the offense can still put up numbers. Dietrich is one of those contributors. He has a .360 average and 18 hits in his last 15 games, including a six-game hitting streak and six multi-hit games in that span. Dietrich also had eligibility at third base. He’s owned in 30 percent of ESPN leagues.

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Manuel Margot – The young Padres outfielder is also on his own six-game hit streak with six multi-hit games. He has a .370 batting average in his last 15 games. If you don’t have a big lead in power, I would look elsewhere. However, if you need just batting average, then Margot is someone to target. He’s available in 82 percent of leagues.

Power

Mark Trumbo – Trumbo missed the first month of the season, so he’s playing behind the eight ball. He started slowly in May, hitting two home runs and eight RBIs. He started to heat up in June as he has six homers and 14 RBIs so far, including five in his last eight games. Trumbo may not be an obvious choice for contact, but he also has a hit in 10 straight appearances.

However, he’s had some flare-ups in his knee so keep an eye on the injury report. He’s owned in just 20.5 percent of leagues.

Stephen Piscotty – Piscotty’s season-long numbers aren’t impressive, but he’s looked a lot better over the last couple of weeks. He has four home runs, 10 RBIs and 10 runs in his last 15 games. There are other batters with more home runs but not as many RBIs, which is included in my power description. The A’s are hitting well this month, sitting at sixth in batting average and RBIs.

Piscotty is available in 83 percent of leagues, up 2.3 percent over the last week.

Speed

Michael Taylor – Despite hitting in the bottom half of the Nationals lineup, Taylor has been hitting and especially running well over the last couple of weeks. He has 10 steals in 13 attempts in June. The Nationals are surging as they move their way up the National League East standings. His speed will help you in a stat with not a lot of production. Taylor is owned in 33.4 percent of leagues.

Rajai Davis – The veteran outfielder has played more frequently, playing in six of the last seven games before sitting on Monday. He has eight steals without being caught in his 12 June games. Davis is also hitting well, making him a good candidate for batting average as well. He’s owned in just 2.0 percent of leagues.

Next: Replacements for Gary Sanchez

If you own Cain, you have to keep him on your roster whether it’s in a bench or a DL spot. He has a good offense around him and can help in all five categories. These six players will provide a stop-gap based on your team’s needs.

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