Opening Day is a week and a half away and fantasy baseball draft season continues to dominate our lives.  If you draft as much as I do (both real and mocks), then you understand the ebb and flow of the trends for players who are dealing with injuries during spring training.  The information available is plentiful, but not always helpful when it comes to making decisions and evaluations about a player’s draft value at this time of year.  All we can do is evaluate what we know using the current information available, historical trends and data, and our gut instincts.  Without any further adieu, here is the next edition of the walking wounded.

A.J. Pollock (OF-ARZ)

Pollock has progressed in his recovery from an elbow injury to being scheduled to play in a minor league game later this week. The injury, which has kept him out of action for a few weeks, has not affected his draft value much because I have seen him consistently go in the late first- to second-round range in practically every draft I have participated.  Pollock is a solid five-category player worthy of such draft status, but you should monitor his status to ensure he remains on track for Opening Day.  Otherwise, you could see him starting to drop a bit in drafts which would make him a great bargain the later he falls. 

Jacoby Ellsbury (OF-NYY)

Ellsbury is still working his way back after getting hit by a pitch in the hand last week.  He should be taking batting practice later this week and expects to be in the lineup on Opening Day.  Ellsbury has a well-deserved reputation of being an enormous injury risk so draft him with caution and prepare yourself for the inevitable trip to the disabled list for a myriad of possible ailments.  That being said, he does present great value if he can stay healthy because his ADP has fallen faster than Marco Rubio’s electoral support during the Republican primaries.

Victor Martinez (DH-DET)

There was some chatter this winter about the Tigers potentially playing Miguel Cabrera at third base and Victor Martinez at first base when Detroit opened the season in a National League ballpark.  That chatter is now officially hogwash because Martinez will be limited to pinch-hitting duties only.  He suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the spring and should be healthy enough to start the season.  However, given his age and fragility, the Tigers will wisely keep him off the field.  The ripple effect of this is that Cabrera may not get those games at third base which would have been a huge development for fantasy owners.

Sean Doolittle (RP-OAK)

Oakland shut down Doolittle for a few days after he was diagnosed with a triceps strain last weekend.  He has since thrown a session off the mound without any issues or pain.  Doolittle will close games for a bad team so the issue will be how many opportunities he gets throughout the season.  I am personally invested in his success having drafted him ahead of a close friend of mine who served in the military with Doolittle’s father.  My asking price will just keep going up if Doolittle stays healthy and succeeds.

Brad Boxberger (RP-TB)

Boxberger will miss two months after undergoing core muscle surgery.  The Rays closer had an impressive 41 saves in 2015, but his peripherals left a lot to be desired with a 3.71 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.  He also lost 10 games which is an astronomical amount for a closer.  Tampa Bay doesn’t have great internal options to fill the void, so the job will likely be his once he returns.  Draft and stash Boxberger if you just need saves.

Evan Gattis (DH-HOU)

Gattis is working his way back from hernia surgery that he underwent in February.  He indicated that he does not expect to be ready by Opening Day, but fantasy owners are well aware of that.  Gattis should only miss the first couple weeks assuming he does not have any setbacks.  He is a great source of power but only qualifies as a utility player in most league formats.  Fantasy owners would have struck gold if he somehow gets behind the plate for a few games this year too.

Yasmani Grandal (C-LAD)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal has been dealing with discomfort in his right forearm and will undergo tests later this week.  This could be bad news for fantasy owners who likely thought they outsmarted everyone else by taking Grandal in the later rounds.  Grandal certainly has a lot of power, but he is streaky and has had issues staying on the field throughout his career.  Keep an eye on the test results because forearm issues are typically a precursor to Tommy John surgery (just ask Matt Wieters about that).

Jon Gray (SP-COL)

Yeah, we have heard it all before about Rockies pitching prospects and how this one will be different or how that one will develop into an ace.  From David Nied to Aaron Cook to Jeff Francis, the fact remains that no Rockies starting pitcher has ever been worth playing in a fantasy baseball lineup.  Sure, the schools in Denver are probably terrific (hey Mike Hampton, how did that work out?), but all the education in the world won’t make a Colorado pitcher a viable fantasy option.  Jon Gray is a highly touted pitching prospect who was slated to make the Rockies rotation out of spring training, but he is now dealing with an abdominal strain and has been shut down.  Whatever draft value he had is essentially gone because the last thing anyone wants to deal with is abysmal pitching statistics coinciding with an injury.

If you are wondering the best way to evaluate players such as A.J. 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).