Fantasy Baseball

Injury Report: Week 7
May 15

By WunderChad

The following is an update on injuries, both minor and significant, to fantasy-relevant players.

In Triage:

Erik Bedard – Pirates – SP
Injury: Back spasms.
Return: Next start pushed back to Wednesday.
Beneficiary: If Bedard is out longer than expected (quite possible considering his history), expect Brad Lincoln to take over the rotation spot.

Yoenis Cespedes – Athletics – OF
Injury: Left Hand Strain.
Return: Late May.
Beneficiary: Collin Cowgill will start in center for now. Nothing to see here.

Danny Duffy – Royals – SP
Injury: Torn UCL in left elbow.
Return: Out for the season.
Beneficiary: Either Luis Mendoza or Joe Adcock will join the rotation as Duffy is likely headed for Tommy John surgery.

Dexter Fowler – Rockies – OF.
Injury: Blurred vision.
Return: Day-to-day.
Beneficiary: Tyler Colvin, arguably the game’s top fourth outfielder, will handle CF until Fowler is cleared to return.

Jack Hannahan – Indians – 3B
Injury: Back soreness.
Return: Day-to-day.
Beneficiary: Jose Lopez (yes, THAT Jose Lopez), will get the starts that Hannahan misses.

Chris Iannetta – Angels – C
Injury: Right wrist surgery.
Return: Late June.
Beneficiaries: Bobby Wilson becomes the starter. Hank Conger might share time there once he recovers from his own injury in about two weeks.

Brandon Inge – Athletics – 2B/3B
Injury: Groin tightness.
Return: Day-to-day.
Beneficiary: Josh Donaldson will start while Inge is out.

Matt Kemp -Dodgers – OF
Injury: Left Hamstring irritation.
Return: TBD. Kemp had an MRI today, and will likely end up missing anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Beneficiary: Tony Gwynn Jr. will get the starts in center while Kemp is out. Gwynn is a defensive specialist and has no value to fantasy owners.

Jeff Niemann – Rays – SP
Injury: Slightly fractured right fibula.
Return: Late June or early July.
Beneficiaries: It’s going to be either Wade Davis or Alex Cobb getting the rotation spot. Whomever is chosen could have some AL-only value.

Wilson Ramos – Nationals – C
Injury: Torn ACL in right knee.
Return: Out for the season.
Beneficiary: Jesus Flores will be behind the dish for Washington the rest of the way. Flores is not a good hitter and should still be avoided outside of 2-catcher NL-only leagues.

Juan Rivera – Dodgers – 1B/OF
Injury: Left hamstring tendon rupture.
Return: Late June.
Beneficiaries: Bobby Abreu and Scott Van Slyke form a decent LF platoon for the next month or so. Van Slyke has mixed league potential if he can earn regular playing time.

Scott Rolen – Reds – 3B
Injury: Left shoulder strain.
Return: Late May or early June.
Beneficiaries: Todd Frazier will start at 3B in the interim, with Wilson Valdez possibly getting in there on occasion.

Kurt Suzuki – Athletics – C
Injury: Left hand soreness.
Return: Day-to-day.
Beneficiary: Anthony Recker is the other catcher on the A’s roster.

Josh Tomlin – Indians – SP
Injury: Right wrist soreness.
Return: Late May.
Beneficiary: Zach McAllister was recalled from AAA to take Tomlin’s spot in the rotation.

Rickie Weeks – Brewers – 2B
Injury: Left wrist bruise.
Return: Day-to-day.
Beneficiaries: Brooks Conrad and Edwin Maysonet will split 2B for now.

On the Mend:

Coco Crisp – Athletics – OF
Injury: Inner ear infection.
Status: Starting running drills today, expected back by early next week.
Casualty: Chris Cowgill, who’s been filling in for Cespedes, will likely relinquish CF to Crisp.

Scott Downs – Angels – RP
Injury: Left knee contusion.
Status: Back in the closer role.
Casualties: Jordan Walden and Ernesto Frieri should get used to be being set-up men for the forseeable future.

Jeremy Guthrie – Rockies – SP
Injury: Right shoulder sprain.
Status: Will be activated from the DL to start Tuesday at San Francisco.
Casualty: No one. The Rockies have been working with a 4-man rotation since last week, taking advantage of an off-day.

Chris Young – Diamondbacks – OF
Injury: Torn ligament in right shoulder.
Status: Began a rehab assignment Monday night with the goal of returning this weekend.
Casualties: Gerardo Parra will go back to being a fourth outfielder, while A.J. Pollock is likely headed back to the minors. Parra could return to a starting role in LF at some point if the D-backs decide to move Kubel to 1B.

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