Whether you want to blame the abundance of players who have been, or currently are, on the disabled list on just a massive uptick in actual injuries or the existence of the 10-day DL, it doesn’t matter. The fact is, there are a ton of players out. Losing fringe players is one thing, but when your core group from Draft Day is down and out, it becomes a fantasy nightmare. We tried to help you avoid some of the more injury-prone players out there, but even those who have never been hurt before have found their way to the MLB triage unit. At this point, you have to assume that the injury bug is looking to take a bit out of everyone, so while no one is safe, there are still some things you can do to avoid spending the majority of your time managing your DL spots.

One of the things we as analysts rarely do is differentiate between fluke and recurring injuries. We can say that a guy is injury-prone, but if he breaks a finger sliding into a base one year and a wrist the next after getting hit by a pitch, you can’t really throw that label onto him. Things happen. It’s a part of the game. But when you talk about players like Rich Hill and A.J. Pollock, their injuries are the same year after year. Hill’s blisters are now infamous while Pollock, who is actually on the DL for a groin issue right now, has had recurring elbow problems dating back to his college days.

You can’t avoid fluke injuries. It’s just the way it goes. Mike Trout was bound to find his way onto the DL at some point in his career and the torn ligament in his thumb is one of those fluke injuries. Now, obviously someone will say it was only a matter of time before it happened with all of his head-first slides, but this injury isn’t going to be recurring because he’ll likely turn to the base-runner mitten or something to avoid this in the future. Unless the surgery turns out to be a complete failure, it seems unlikely we’ll be discussing his thumb much past his rehab and return.

Recurring injuries or blatant frailty are a totally different story. Hill’s blisters are recurring. Cameron Maybin has been known to be frail. Those are the players you are encouraged to avoid. Several players currently residing on the DL fit that criteria too. Devon Travis seems to be made of glass while guys like Ryan Braun and Yoenis Cespedes seem to have multiple standing reservations on the DL each year. On top of that, we’ve got a slew of others who seem to be heading in that direction as well and while Michael Stein makes it a point to highlight them on the Injury Report, there are some out there which haven’t been brought to light just yet.

Dallas Keuchel, SP HOU – This is a big one because he’s been so insanely dominant this season and losing him is likely a crippling blow to your fantasy rotation. But I did warn you! He was a late scratch Wednesday with what the Astros were calling an illness, but we later found out it was a recurrence of the neck issue he suffered from back in May. The nerve impingement is likely being caused by a bulging or herniated disc in the upper part of his spinal column and until doctors find a solution to his problem, this just might continue throughout the year. He saw a doctor Thursday morning but the Astros have yet to update us with a timetable, so you’re sitting in a holding pattern for now. Check to see how long they keep him out, but given the nature of this injury and its recurring nature, if he’s only out for a short time, it means the team is trying a quick fix and we’re all liable to be back here having this same discussion in a month.

Nelson Cruz, OF SEA – Considering all the issues both Josh Donaldson and Adrian Beltre had with their calf injuries, it’s surprising to see so many folks being so nonchalant about Cruz missing time here and that includes the Mariners. He was removed from two games in the past week and a half due to calf tightness and now he’s missed the last two games with the injury. The Mariners are listing him as day-to-day, but this is exactly the type of issue and half-assed treatment that leads to additional problems down the road. The only way you’re going to allow a calf injury to properly heal is to keep them off their feet for an extended period of time. Even just walking helps to perpetuate it, so perhaps slapping a walking boot on Cruz and throwing him on the 10-day DL is what’s needed most here. If the team just allows him to meander about without the proper treatment, I might be inclined to find my power elsewhere.

Adrian Beltre, 3B TEX – And since we brought him up, why not discuss Beltre and his current problem with his ankle? This is actually his left ankle that’s the problem, not the same leg with which he had the calf issue, but the general wear and tear is starting to bring about the Beltre of old. Remember that guy? Could never stay healthy when he played with the Dodgers. The Rangers are probably going to DL Beltre and they already have him in the walking boot, but in addition to the calf problem, we’ve seen him deal with knee soreness, groin issues and now the ankle. His legs are brittle and it’s just a short matter of time before this steady flow of leg problems will put the 38-year old on the shelf for good.

Yoenis Cespedes, OF NYM – Year after year, over and over again, Cespedes finds his way to the disabled list on more than just one occasion per season. It doesn’t matter if it’s his age or how hard he plays or how weak his tendons and ligaments seem to be. Whatever it is, you need to accept that, as good as he can be, Cespedes will never play a full season for you. Not now. Not ever. Those multi-homer games he’s put up are great and all, but they’re not going to cut it as a substitute for actual games played down the road. You probably paid a substantial price to own him this year and he’s only appeared in 18 games thus far. Maybe if this were DFS we’d be fine with a double dong one day and no games for the next two weeks, but it doesn’t work that way in seasonal and it’s a problem.

Jacoby Ellsbury, OF NYY – He’s been a mainstay on the DL throughout his career, but this most recent trip could be the final stop if he can’t get himself fixed. Ellsbury has been out with a concussion since My 23rd and the fact that the headaches have not dissipated is a major concern. The Yankees thought he was on the mend, but a sudden headache and setback pushed his rehab to the back burner and the team has opted to just sit back and wait patiently. Ellsbury recently rode a stationary bike which was encouraging, but there is absolutely no timetable and no rush to get him back. The problem here is that anything can trigger a relapse, so the team needs to make sure he is at 100-percent before they even try. They will continue to run tests, but once again, Ellsbury is well on his way to another season of 130 games or fewer.

Ryan Braun, OF MIL – Do we even need to address this here in detail? Owning Braun means you spend the majority of your time singing “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” This time it’s a calf injury and in the past it’s been the knee, the shoulder, you name it. He hasn’t played in more than 135 games in four of his last five years and based on everything we have and have seen with him, it’s about to be five of six. Yes, when he’s healthy he’s a great player, but steady trips to the DL continue to be problematic.

Others to watch out for given the nature of their injuries or the vast number of setbacks they’ve already had include: Mitch Haniger, David Dahl, Jayson Werth and Aaron Sanchez.