We are in the midst of fantasy baseball draft season so any bit of news that comes out of spring training will have some effect on your strategy and preparation.  Remember to take all injury news with a grain of salt at this point because teams are going to be overly cautious with their players, especially during meaningless exhibition games which are only used to determine if players like Rick Vaughn, Pedro Cerrano and Willie Mays Hays are good enough to avoid getting cut.  Even if players miss significant amount of time during spring training, it should not impact your draft strategy too much unless there are certain buzz words like ulnar collateral ligament, oblique, hamstring and labrum.  Other than those injuries which can have significant lasting effects, you should stay on course with your preparation while still doing your due diligence and monitoring the situation.

Kyle Schwarber (C-CHC)

The Cubs’ young beast injured his knee in the outfield on Thursday and will likely miss up to a week as a precaution.  Schwarber looks less comfortable playing the outfield than Chris Christie looked standing behind Donald Trump during a press conference.  He will have the opportunity to play almost every day as long as he becomes competent on defense and hits left-handed pitching.  What makes Schwarber so valuable this year is that he is likely still eligible at catcher which could be a great windfall for fantasy players to get such tremendous power from the position.  Don’t let his draft value be affected by missing a few games in mid-March.

Devin Mesoraco (C-CIN)

Mesoraco was primed to be one of the best fantasy catchers in the league last year, but a serious hip injury derailed his entire season.  The Reds foolishly delayed the inevitable surgery and even tried playing him in the outfield.  Mesoraco came back for spring training with his hip healed, but he suffered a groin injury which shelved him again.  He should be back on the field again in the near future and is projected to be ready for Opening Day.  He will likely slip in drafts because of the hip surgery, but if healthy he will be a solid source for power at position most similar to a vacuous hole.

Carter Capps (RP-MIA)

It looked like there would be competition for the Marlins’ ninth inning role, but that contest has ended by default.  Carter Capps was going to compete with incumbent A.J. Ramos for closing duties, but Capps has been diagnosed with a torn UCL and will require Tommy John surgery.  He was a late round sleeper who could have helped accumulate some saves before possibly earning the job, but that will not happen in 2016.  Given the timing, he likely would not be back until mid-2017 assuming he has no setbacks in his recovery.

Shawn Tolleson (RP-TEX)

The Rangers’ closer had been shut down since last week when he suffered back spasms.  However, he threw a bullpen session on Thursday and should be on track to resume a regular throwing program.  Assuming he has no setbacks, Tolleson will be ready to handle ninth inning duties for Texas by Opening Day in an attempt to replicate what was an extremely successful 2015 season which saw him accumulate 35 saves and average more than one strikeout per inning.

Aaron Altherr (OF-PHI)

Altherr sustained a serious wrist injury last week and underwent successful surgery to repair a torn sheath tendon.  He sustained the injury while diving to make a catch and now he will miss between four to six months.  Altherr was not high on people’s fantasy radar, but he did provide some upside given he was set to play every day as part of the Phillies’ rebuilding process.  Don’t bother drafting him because he is not worth wasting a DL slot to stash until after the All Star break.

 

If you are wondering the best way to evaluate players such as Stanton so that you can be prepared for your draft, then be sure to check out the 2016 Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide. 

Michael A. Stein, Esq. is the Chief Justice of Fantasy Judgment, the industry's premier dispute resolution service, and co-host of the Fantasy Alarm Podcast.  You can contact him at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@FantasyJudgment).