It’s starting to feel like it’s The Year of the injury.” Initial reports about Carlos Martínez suggested he would miss one start, then more news surfaced linking him to missing another with an MRI scheduled then general manager John Mozeliak dropped the bomb no one wanted to hear. Martinez will be shut down the rest of the season with a shoulder strain. Nothing scares fantasy owners more than a pitcher with shoulder issues. This will cause many fantasy owners to scramble to the waiver wire for a pitching replacement.

However, this also clears a path for Álex Reyes to step back into the Cardinals rotation along with keeping Jack Flaherty in the rotation going forward. Another name to potentially stash as an upside replacement, Luiz Gohara . Atlanta placed Mike Soroka on the disabled list and he’s scheduled to miss one start. Where have we heard this before? Regardless, the Braves may stretch him out for some starts with a chance for the strikeout upside he flashed last season.

Milwaukee placed Ryan Braun on the disabled list with back tightness. This seemed inevitable when he missed the last two games in Arizona. Owners will be keeping tabs on Starling Marte (oblique) who did not start again on Thursday. Plus, Cole Hamels has been scratched from his start and ruled out pitching on Friday as well.

That Just Happened

With the Dodgers reeling in the standings and trying to withstand injuries to the rotation, missing Justin Turner seems to go overlooked. His blend of patience and power could have a ripple effect on the offense going forward. He’s recorded at least one hit in each of his first three games off of the disabled list and in four at-bats on Thursday saw 18 pitches going 3-for-4 with two doubles and five RBI. Turner’s slashed .303/.378/.501 in over 500 games with Los Angeles and continues to produce during his tenure with the team. His transition to hitting more fly balls with great results provides a blueprint for other hitters in a hitter revolution seen throughout baseball.

Teammate Kenta Maeda pitched eight shutout innings allowing two hits and striking out eight. He generated 19 swings and misses of his 96 pitches (19.8 swinging strike percentage) and pounded the strike zone with 23 more called strikes. Also, Chris Taylor added two hits and scored two runs while Yasiel Puig homered for the third time over his last four games.

A wobbly outing for Caleb Smith of Miami. He entered his start on Thursday on an extra days rest but showed signs of rust walking four in only three innings of work. Smith entered the game on a streak of four consecutive starts with two walks or fewer which ended. He only lasted three innings throwing 77 pitches and only 43 strikes giving up four earned runs with four strikeouts. Days like this will happen with young pitchers. Expect volatility.

Not out of the woods, but Kenley Jansen did strikeout the side in the ninth in a non-save outing. Of course, he also yielded singles to J.B. Shuck and Cameron Maybin . During his last 11 innings, Jansen’s only allowed one earned run with 11 strikeouts while recording four saves. Perhaps he’s turning the corner, but his dominant past may not resurface until after the All Star break, if at all this year.

Night Moves

After the game, Miami designated Junichi Tazawa for assignment. He’s carrying a 9.00 ERA giving up 28 hits, six for home runs, in 20 innings this year. Rumors also believe Lewis Brinson could be optioned to Triple-A to try regain confidence at the plate. He looks lost right now.

If the Rangers need to add a pitcher for Friday, candidates could be Matt Moore or Austin Bibbens-Dirkx with an outside chance on Jesse Chávez . If Texas needs to promote Bibbens-Dirkx, they would need to make a roster move which could mean cutting Eliezer Alvarez .

Mark Melancon threw from the mound at AT&T Park today and could progress to a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend. Getting him and Madison Bumgarner back could further crowd the race in the National League West.

Potentially more bad news for Wil Myers owners. He could be out until June due to lingering injury issues. Can he return to first base? Asking for a friend.

Burning Questions

Can any pitcher slow down Mookie Betts or J.D. Martínez ? Why does everyone ignore Travis Jankowski in spite of needing stolen bases? Who gets the best of the Tyler Skaggs and Chris Archer showdown tonight? Does Matt Boyd carry momentum into Seattle or will they hit the southpaw?

All of this and more will be covering in Fantasy Alarm’s Round Up on Friday morning to keep you ahead of the competition. Until then, more baseball’s on tap.

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Statistical Credits:

MLB.com, Fangraphs.com, BaseballSavant.com