It has been a relatively quiet past couple days as there were not any catastrophic injuries to elite players since the last injury report. While that is good news, GMs also have to contend with some key players having injuries which are undetermined in terms of roster moves and length of absence. Those in between injuries tend to be the most frustrating for GMs because it leaves them in limbo and short-handed. So without further ado, here is the next edition of the fantasy baseball emergency room.
Khris Davis (DH-OAK)
Davis suffered a hip contusion last week when he crashed into a wall in an interleague game and he is still feeling the effects from it. He missed a couple days with the injury but returned to the lineup on Wednesday only to be removed from the game halfway through due to ongoing discomfort. He was given off on Thursday and Oakland plans on re-evaluating him on Friday. Right now Davis should be considered day-to-day as a stint on the injured list could be in order. Irrespective of the injury, he has not hit a home run since April 12 which is a very long drought for one of the most prolific power hitters in the league. Keep him stashed on the bench until we have further clarity of when or if he will return to the lineup this weekend.
Juan Soto (OF-WAS)
Soto has been dealing with back spasms for a while now and was finally placed on the injured list last weekend retroactive to May 1. This means that he is eligible to be activated on Saturday and it is fully expected that he will be. This is good news for GMs who can confidently plug him back in the lineup and hope he can return to the form that he had in 2018 as a rookie. His return would follow Anthony Rendon ’s return and precedes the impending return of Trea Turner , so all Nationals hitters should see their value and production increase over the next couple weeks as they get healthier.
Buster Posey (C-SF)
Buster Posey sustained a concussion last weekend when he took a foul ball off of his mask. However, he did not know he suffered the concussion at the time as he played the next couple days but said he was not feeling right. The Giants placed him on the 7-day concussion injured list but the good news is that Posey fully expects that he will be back immediately once eligible. This appears to be a minor concussion and one that will not require an extended absence. While it is good news that he won’t miss much time, the fact is that he has very little fantasy value with his .245 batting average along with two home runs, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored. Look for Stephen Vogt and Aramis Garcia to share playing time in Posey’s absence.
Dee Gordon (2B-SEA)
Gordon was hit by a pitch on his right wrist on Thursday against the Yankees and removed from the game. He underwent x-rays which came back inconclusive, so he will undergo further testing in Boston this weekend. Coincidentally, Mariners prospect J.P. Crawford was scratched from Thursday’s game for Seattle’s Triple-A Tacoma team. This makes sense given the Mariners expect Gordon to miss some time regardless of how the tests come back. This would be a big loss for fantasy GMs as Gordon was batting .304 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored and ten stolen bases. Crawford becomes an intriguing option as a replacement although he has not had much success at the big league level yet in his career.
Austin Meadows (OF-TB)
Good news for GMs as Austin Meadows will likely be activated in time for Friday’s game. He has been on the injured list for the past couple weeks due to a thumb injury and the hope is that he can pick up right where he left off when he was batting .351 with six home runs, 19 RBI, 11 runs scored and three stolen bases. Meadows has shown he can be a valuable fantasy player during his time in the major leagues and is also proving that Tampa Bay heisted the Pirates in last year’s trade for Chris Archer .
Jesse Winker (OF-CIN)
Citi Field’s new favorite culprit missed the past couple games with tightness in his left quadriceps. However, he appears confident that he will be able to return to the starting lineup on Friday when the Reds play in San Francisco. Winker had a controversial series in New York last week but is firmly entrenched in the Reds outfield batting .237 with nine home runs, 15 RBI and 21 runs scored.
Steven Matz (SP-NYM)
It seems hard to believe it has been this long since Steven Matz was on the injured list, but he finds himself back on it with radial nerve discomfort in his left arm. The initial hope was that he would miss just one start and avoid the injured list. That ended up not being the case as the Mets made the roster move retroactive to May 5 with the hope that he can return next week against Washington. Matz has been solid all year despite that one hiccup against the Phillies compiling a 3-2 record with a 3.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 35 innings covering seven starts. Wilmer Font replaced Matz this week against San Diego and did not provide any reason for a fantasy GM to scoop him up off the waiver wire.
Pedro Strop (RP-CHC)
Strop has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 2 strained left hamstring. He got shelled in his last appearance against Miami so the injury could have been a factor in his performance. He is 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 11 strikeouts and four saves in 12 games acting as the Cubs closer while Brandon Morrow remains out. The fact this is a Grade 2 strain means he will be out for up to a month, so the Cubs will likely turn to multiple options in the bullpen to close games.
Mike Zunino (C-TB)
Zunino was taken out of Wednesday’s game with tightness in his quadriceps. He appears to have sustained the injury running to first base late in the game. This is unfortunate as he was heating up and saw his batting average rise to .220 along with three home runs, 17 RBI and 11 runs scored. He will undergo some additional testing to determine the extent of the injury, but it is more likely than not that he will land on the 10-day injury list.