“It’s like a nightmare, isn’t it? And it just keeps getting worse and worse.” – Grady Seasons, The Color of Money

Nationals shortstop Trea Turner is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a broken wrist, an injury he suffered when he got hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning of Thursday’s loss to the Cubs. How’s that for a kick to the fantasy groin? More like a friggin’ mule-kick to the head, right? Just when you thought your fantasy baseball season couldn’t be ruined by injuries any more, now you’ve got this nightmare of a mess on your plate.

Can you recover? Hard to say, really. He’s been on an amazing tear here June as he walked into Thursday’s game batting .295 with two home runs, nine RBI, 23 runs scored and 20 stolen bases for the month and now leads MLB with 33 steals. His overall numbers still don’t justify a first-round selection, but he was doing amazing work to help make up for his injury-plagued April and depressingly pedestrian May. Given the panic everyone was put into regarding the need to overvalue stolen bases, you’re not going to even come close to matching his output without trading for someone like Billy Hamilton or Dee Gordon. You might be able to swing a deal for Cameron Maybin, Jarrod Dyson or even Jonathan Villar, but with what they’ve also been doing lately, the price tag is probably steeper than what you’re willing to pay.

Even the middling guys like Keon Broxton, Lorenzo Cain and Elvis Andrus are going to cost you as they all seem to be white-hot right now as well, and in truth, this injury to Turner really couldn’t have come at a worse time for you. Half your league is ready to check out and none of your competition is going to deal you a speedster without raking you over the coals. You can try to swing something with a bottom-feeder, but you’re still going to have to pay a fair price. And what’s a fair price? Well, considering MLB’s speed demons are all heating up at the same time and everyone knows how desperate you are, it could end up costing you a premium arm or bat.

I don’t mean to rub it in, but this is really as bad as it gets. You overpaid for him on Draft Day and assured yourself of, at best, breaking even with regard to value. He needed 15 home runs and 60-plus steals to even do that. Now with him missing significant time and it being a wrist injury which will ultimately hinder his power production, there is no way you’ll even come close to that.

Now before you go and totally freak out (I’m sure you’ve had at least a minor session already), let’s make sure you are handling all of this properly and don’t do anything rash or stupid. Wait until the recovery timetable is established before you make some sort of panic move. I’m guessing it’s 6-to-8 weeks which puts him back in September, but if it’s a clean break, there’s a chance the timetable is set at 4-to-6 instead. That’s not really much better, but a late August return is certainly more appealing than early to mid-September.

If it is on the shorter side, then it may make sense to stash him on your DL and hope for a late-season stolen base surge. The category is always pretty movable, so a burst of 10-15 steals at the end could be a difference-maker. You still may have to make a deal for a middling steals guy though to keep yourself somewhat afloat. It won’t fully replace Turner, but it also won’t cost you a ton to get just a little help.

Just remember, the league knows you’re flipping out right now and the sharks are already smelling blood in the water. The offers are going to be awful to start. Don’t go settling for crap just because you’re in a panic. Be smart. Be sensible with who you are picking up.

Now if you’re in a keeper league and you’re looking to win this year, I would definitely consider moving Turner. You overpaid in the first round or you overpaid in your auction. That means next year, unless he goes 20-70, you’re still coming up short. Don’t be afraid to sell him off, but make sure you’re getting back quality right now and not some pile of junk where you get two or three blah guys who may not even help you in the second half this season. If they want a “premium” guy like Turner, they have to pay for him just like you did.

Again, though, you need to wait for the full run of test results and get the recovery time set before you make a move. I know this sucks, but you can still find a way to overcome the loss. It’s going to take some work, but it’s not an insurmountable task. I’m here to help, so if you need to talk through some trades, you’ve got this whole comments section below and I’ll be on-air for SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio Friday from 4-6pm ET. We’re in this together, people. We’ll find a way to get through it.