Welcome to Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season as time just flies by since we are having so much fun.  One thing we have learned for sure this week is that Travis d’Arnaud gets injured more frequently than Troy Tulowitzki.  It’s still too early to make any concrete judgments or evaluations of players, but it isn’t a bad idea to start exploring potential trade opportunities to acquire upgrades and/or depth in areas of your roster which may be a little thin right now.  Without any further ado, here is the next edition of the walking wounded.

Cole Hamels (SP-TEX)

Hamels missed his last start on Monday with tightness in his groin but threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is scheduled to throw another on Wednesday.  If all goes well he should be in line to make his next start on Saturday.  Hamels has pitched like an ace so far in his first full season with the Rangers, compiling a 3-0 record with a 2.52 ERA and 23 strikeouts thus far.  Monitor his status throughout the week and hopefully you can plug him back in the lineup this weekend.

Brandon Phillips (2B-PHI)

Phillips is considered day-to-day after missing Tuesday’s game against the Mets while dealing with both an injured left shin and finger.  He fouled a ball off of his shin and then was hit in the finger by a pitch.  Phillips appears to have avoided any serious injuries so he should be back in the lineup in short order.  The veteran second baseman has gotten off to a hot start to the season, hitting .308 with three stolen bases, but his best days of power and run production are long behind him.

Alex Rodriguez (DH-NYY)

A-Rod missed his second straight game with a stiff oblique and is listed as day-to-day.  An MRI did not reveal any strains so he should be back in the lineup at some point later this week.  Rodriguez has shown his age thus far hitting just .145 with two home runs.  It seemed like a stretch to expect a replication of his comeback season in 2015 so he will need to step it up quickly to justify staying in fantasy lineups going forward.

Francisco Rodriguez (RP-DET)

K-Rod has been placed on the family medical emergency list so the length of his absence is unknown at this time.  Hopefully he didn’t punch out his father-in-law again as he did years ago when he was with the Mets.  Rodriguez has four saves thus far but it has not been pretty as he has a 7.11 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP.  Look for Justin Wilson and Mark Lowe to be the likely candidates to get save opportunities in K-Rod’s absence.

Matt Holliday (OF-STL)

Holliday left Monday’s game against Arizona with a cramp in his right leg and then was held out of the lineup on Tuesday.  He did some stretching and indoor hitting so it looks like he will be back very soon.  The concern for Holliday at his age is the recurring problems he had last year with his right quad.  He is no longer the fantasy contributor he once was but is a viable OF3 option in deep leagues.

Travis d’Arnaud (C-NYM)

We can now officially place d’Arnaud on the perpetually injured list because this is now five seasons in a row he has found his way onto the disabled list.  The Mets catcher felt pain in his shoulder on Monday night and was diagnosed with a strained right rotator cuff.  This is not good news for a catcher but the Mets are hopeful that rest and rehab will be sufficient for d’Arnaud to make a return in a few weeks.  Kevin Plawecki will see most of the playing time if you need a replacement.

Michael A. Stein, Esq. is the Chief Justice of Fantasy Judgment, the industry's premier dispute resolution service, and co-host of the Fantasy Alarm Podcast.  You can contact him at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@FantasyJudgment).