I’m sure this question is posited each and every year, but doesn’t it seem like we’re dealing with a lot more injuries at this time than usual? Spring training was brutal as I personally lost Ian Desmond, Jason Kipnis, Tom Murphy and Sonny Gray in one league while J.D. Martinez, Adrian Beltre, Drew Smyly, Roberto Osuna and Huston Street litter my fantasy baseball DL across a few other squads. But the hits just keep on coming whether it’s blisters for Corey Kluber and Noah Syndergaard, a knee contusion for Justin Upton or a calf injury for Anthony Rendon. It’s relentless. It’s like stepping into the ring with Andre Ward and having him trap you in a corner.

Yesterday’s action was no different as Stephen Piscotty showed fantasy owners just how unlucky we can be. Fresh off a new six-year contract signing, the right fielder stepped to the plate in the fifth inning only to get hit on the right elbow by Cubs hurler Jake Arrieta. He appeared to be just fine, took his base and fantasy owners breathed a sigh of relief. When Arrieta threw a wild pitch, Piscotty took off for second and as he was sliding in, the throw from catcher Willson Contreras plunked him on the right elbow. Ouch. Come on, man. Really?

But another bullet was dodged as Piscotty was just fine. Well, he was at the moment, but apparently the baseball gods were really looking to do him in. Him and his fantasy owners, that is, because when Javier Baez mishandled a Kolten Wong grounder, Piscotty took off for home and as he was sliding into the plate, Baez’ throw hit him right on the ear flap of his helmet. Piscotty laid there, face down for a moment as trainers ran to his side. He was able to walk off under his own power, but the dazed look on his face told the story of a potential concussion.

The initial diagnosis was a head contusion and Piscotty was going to go for tests. Reports after the game from manager Mike Matheny seemed promising, but it doesn’t sound like we’re going to hear anything until after the early games today begin. The Cardinals play at 1:45pm ET, so don’t expect Piscotty to be in the lineup and wait to see if he lands on the 7-day DL for concussions.

Brutal, right? Well, just add it to the list here and make sure you have your daily roster lineups set properly. And, of course, be sure to catch James Grande’s waiver wire article today, as well as Michael Stein’s injury report which came out yesterday. Good luck out there, people. Stay safe. If the baseball gods are up to these antics, imagine what the fantasy baseball gods have in store for us?

UPDATE: Piscotty passed all of his concussion tests this morning and would have been cleared to play today had the Cubs/Cards game not been rained out. Bullet dodged again.

Today’s Action

First Pitch – 1:10pm ET (Royals/Twins)

We’ve got a full slate of games today with three starting up in the early afternoon. If you’re making daily roster moves, you better get them in soon.

I’m obviously still of the mindset that you leave everyone you drafted for your starting lineup in your active roster, but there are certainly a few pitching match-ups that I don’t love. Number one is James Shields against the Tigers. You’ve got to be in a pretty deep AL-only league to have even drafted him, but I don’t think I can trust him in my active lineup until I see a start or two from him this year. First off, that glance at his totals last year can burn a hole in your retina if you’re not careful. His strikeout rate was down, his walk rate was up, his fastball velocity diminished and he was allowing nearly two home runs per nine innings. Atrocious. Not to mention, if you look at the BvP data, both Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler own him while he’s sporting a 5.04 ERA with seven homers allowed in his last nine starts against the Tigers. I know it’s a new season and all, but do you really want to risk getting Tanaka’d by Shields today?

UPDATE: Oh, the cruelty of the gods rears its ugly head again! A rain-out?!?! Bummer. Adjust your lineups accordingly and look to exploit Shields another day!

This is actually a great day to watch the starting pitchers as there are a number of those third and fourth-tier guys I liked this spring throwing today. Yes, I know the old adage that spring numbers don’t count, but I can’t help but get a little jazzed about watching guys like Taijuan Walker, Matt Moore, James Paxton, Michael Pineda and Danny Salazar. You’ve also got some real dynamic young arms to check out like Jameson Taillon and Jharel Cotton. Just keep in mind that you’re watching for things like command, mound poise and how they look when they’re dealing with baserunners. None of them are going to go out there and throw nine innings of shutout ball with 12 strikeouts, so how they react in the face of adversity can be a very telling thing for what may lie ahead.

As far as the hitting goes, swing away, baby!! Let those big bats fly!

The A’s are currently leading the league with five home runs while the Dodgers, Rangers and Astros all have four. Oddly enough, there are still seven clubs – Mets, Pirates, Braves, Blue Jays, White Sox, Marlins and Mariners – who have yet to take a pitcher deep. Not that there’s anything wrong with it!

As expected, the base-running hasn’t been all that aggressive as seven teams are tied for the league lead at two while 14 teams have yet to make a successful swipe. Of those 14 teams, 11 have yet to even make an attempt.

Who’s striking out the most? That would be the Brewers with 28 in 65 total at-bats. The Diamondbacks are a close second at 23 in 72, followed by the Rangers and the Cubs. Jake Lamb and Jonathan Villar both currently lead this dubious category with five whiffs apiece. Neither should surprise you too much as both had a strikeout rate just above 25-percent last year. What should be interesting is to see what happens with Villar. After a career year last season, will he press at the plate with the pressure on him to repeat? Fantasy owners were drafting him in the third round of standard 12-teamers, so expectations are high. Will he live up to it or will he be found in the 2017 Busts category by midseason?

It’s still too early to really look into trends, but a few of the non-marquee players who have certainly gotten off on the right foot include Mark Reynolds, Gerardo Parra, Jed Lowrie (he’ll be hurt soon though), Rougned Odor, Travis Shaw and Yasmani Grandal. Just keep in mind, especially when you’re sitting there looking at some hot starts on your waiver wire, adding and dropping habitually at this time of year can be very dangerous. You don’t want to drop proven talent for a hot start and serve up someone good for your opposition to take him from you.

Check out yesterday’s Daily Bender as I discussed trends and what stats I usually look for when I am deciding between players, whether it’s for my starting lineup or for waiver wire pick-ups. You hardcore stat junkies may already know most of the information there, but if you’re new to fantasy baseball or even just a casual fan/player, it should prove to be helpful when judging player talent.

Enjoy the games today and I’ll see you all in the money this year!