Fantasy baseball 2020 Week 1 injuries and Week 2 advice

How should fantasy baseball owners proceed with injuries, opt-outs and postponed games this early in the season?

The first weekend of the 2020 season is in the books. To say things went smoothly would make you completely wrong. Before the season even started, there were plenty of players opting out due to COVID concerns, some quarantined and others dealing with injuries. Fantasy baseball owners had to navigate this before a game was even played.

Now, after the Marlins announced four more players tested positive for COVID after their series against the Phillies, bringing their total up to 11 players, this week’s schedule is all sorts of messed up. MLB announced the Marlins’ season is paused as a result of the outbreak. The current plan is to have them resume next Monday.

The Phillies also had their schedule changed. They were supposed to host the Yankees. Instead, the Yankees and Orioles will face each other Wednesday and Thursday. The Nationals won’t play at all this weekend because they were supposed to face Miami.

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What this means for fantasy baseball is a lot of roster changes. If you own any Marlins player, I would consider dropping them. They don’t have a star player that I would risk holding onto. Even if they all come back healthy, how do you know this won’t happen again?

As for the Phillies, they have a three-game schedule against the Blue Jays this weekend before being scheduled to face the Marlins in Miami. I’m not worried about the

Toronto

Buffalo series; it’s the Marlins series that could also be postponed.

The Yankees face the Orioles in Baltimore before having their home opener against the Red Sox. Looking ahead to August, their schedule shouldn’t be affected much after this. It’s all systems go for the Bronx Bombers.

It’s only been four games and things are already flipped upside down. This is going to be talked about all season as states continue to see increases in new cases.

To continue with the bad news, there were a few players that found themselves on the IL for COVID and other injuries. The biggest name on the list is Justin Verlander. At first, it was reported that he was done for the season with an arm injury.

But, after Verlander himself even tweeted that he’s not done, he will be shut down for a couple of weeks before being reevaluated. In a shortened season, losing him for close to a month changes the fantasy baseball landscape. If you need a replacement arm, Jon Lester is someone to add. He’s available in 70 percent of ESPN leagues.

Corey Kluber was diagnosed with a grade 2 tear of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder. He’ll be out a month before attempting to resume throwing. If I owned Kluber, I’d cut him. He’s out until August and will need at least a week before getting back into game shape, that is if he’s 100 percent.

Miles Mikolas is out for the year as he will undergo surgery to repair his right flexor tendon. If he’s available, I’d look at stashing Nate Pearson. He’s owned in just 30.9 percent of leagues and is confirmed to start against the Nationals on Wednesday. Depending on how he pitches, he’ll be a hot free agent next week.

Mike Moustakas also landed on the IL after waking up not feeling well. With the current climate, that’s not a good sign. There isn’t much else known about his status but it worrisome for himself and his teammates.

After a handful of games, we’ve seen how managers are using their starting pitchers. Only four pitchers have at least seven innings pitched this season. Kyle Kendrick leads with nine after his complete-game shutout. The majority have either five or six innings.

Whether that’s due to them not being loosened up or not is another story but that makes relievers much more valuable. If there are good middle relievers or set-up men available, I’d add them. They are a good source of ratios and could sneak out a win or two throughout the year.

This has been a crazy baseball season and it’s been just a few games. Hopefully, everyone stays healthy and safe so we can continue to watch. This fantasy baseball season is uncharted territory for all involved but it’s still fun. Good luck this week!