Opening Day is just over two weeks away and fantasy baseball draft season is hot and heavy. Nagging injuries are causing some players to be shut down or miss clumps of time which is causing concern for their availability once the regular season starts. The dilemma will be whether to draft these players assuming such risks. Unless a player has been officially ruled out for an extended period of time leading up to Opening Day, you should still evaluate players as normal without an injury demerit. However, do your due diligence and be aware of some of the key injuries like oblique strains, hamstring pulls, and back spasms that tend to take more time to heal and tend to recur more frequently. Without any further adieu, here is the next edition of the walking wounded.
A.J. Pollock (OF-ARZ)
Pollock has been dealing with an elbow injury all spring which he re-aggravated when he tried escalating his rehab. Now he has started hitting off a tee and doing light batting practice. All indications are that Pollock will be ready to go on Opening Day barring any major setbacks. He is one of the top fantasy outfield options this year thanks in large part to five-category talents with elite production in batting average, stolen bases and runs scored. His current injury should not detract from his draft value, but be aware that it has taken quite awhile for him to get back on track this spring.
Edwin Encarnacion (1B-TOR)
First Encarnacion underwent a dental procedure to remove a tooth, and now he has been shut down with an oblique injury. The Blue Jays reported they will shut him down for at least a week and re-evaluate after that. The concern with oblique injuries is that they typically take a lengthy period of time to heal, so Encarnacion’s status for Opening Day could be in question. He hasn’t done much at all during spring training because of these maladies, so he will need to quickly work on his timing and mechanics to get ready for the regular season if he makes it into the Opening Day lineup.
Victor Martinez (DH-DET)
V-Mart gave fantasy owners a major scare last week when he injured his leg running to first base. However, he suffered a mild hamstring strain rather than an injury to his knee which is good news. Martinez will likely be limited in action for the rest of spring training because Detroit will want to be cautious with their veteran DH. This could also give the Tigers pause before putting Martinez on the field during interleague games in NL parks.
Shin-Soo Choo (OF-TEX)
Choo is dealing with some back stiffness which could cause him to miss a couple spring training games. There is not a lot of concern about it at this point, but the injury is certainly one that could pop up again if he is not given appropriate rest. Choo is coming off a solid year where his power and run production returned after an abysmal 2014 season. His days of stealing 20 bases appear to be over, but he still remains a viable OF3 hitting in a deep lineup and at a hitters’ park in Arlington.
Javier Baez (2B-CHC)
Baez jammed his thumb while sliding during Thursday’s game and is receiving treatment to keep the swelling down. The injury is not considered serious as he is day-to-day at this point. Baez will likely play multiple positions this year which gives him value from a positional-eligibility standpoint. He clearly has a lot of power, but he needs to develop his plate discipline to really be valued as a viable fantasy option.
David Wright (3B-NYM)
The Captain will make his spring training debut on Friday with his first game action since the World Series. The Mets have been overly cautious with Wright after he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis last year. Assuming Wright remains healthy with no recurrences, he will be on the field on Opening Day. Expect him to be given rest when possible as his back condition is degenerative and he will have to cope with it the rest of his career. Even if Wright plays 140 games, we cannot expect much in terms of fantasy production as his power and run production have diminished significantly over the past few years. He is nothing more than a corner infield option in deep leagues.
If you are wondering the best way to evaluate players such as Pollock 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).