It has been quite a newsworthy week in fantasy baseball with several big name pitchers grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons.  At this point in the season, you need to be aggressive when it comes to making trades and managing the waiver wire because depth will become a key factor down the stretch when vying for a fantasy championship.  Without any further ado, here is the next edition of the walking wounded.

Clayton Kershaw (SP-LAD)

This is arguably the biggest injury of the season thus far as the multi-Cy Young Award winner has been placed on the disabled list with a disc herniation in his back. The injury is being described as mild and the Dodgers do not believe Kershaw will need surgery after he received an epidural injection.  That being said, any amount of time Kershaw misses will have a devastating effect on fantasy GMs because of the elite production he provides in all categories.  There is no timetable for his return so you will need to plan accordingly and seek a replacement in a trade.

Zack Greinke (SP-ARZ)

It’s been a rough week for starting pitcher injuries as Greinke was removed from his last start with an oblique injury.  Arizona is not rushing to place him on the disabled list but that is the most likely scenario.  Oblique injuries are troublesome because they take time to heal and the discomfort usually shuts players down for an extended period of time.  After getting off to a horrendous start to the season, the $200M hurler has pitched extremely well over the past six weeks and seemed to have found his groove.  Expect a stint on the DL and explore trade opportunities in your league to help compensate for the loss.

Noah Syndergaard (SP-NYM)

Thor survived last week’s scare after an MRI did not reveal any structural damage in his elbow, but it has been revealed that he does have bone spurs in his elbow.  Syndergaard denied this but his recent body of work indicates that there is something going on in his arm.  The Mets expect Syndergaard to make his next start but there is some cause for concern with his recent struggles, decrease in velocity, and increase in contact made by batters.  Keep a very close eye on this situation because this could turn into a catastrophe.

Steven Matz (SP-NYM)

Much like Noah Syndergaard, another young stud for the Mets is also dealing with bone spurs in his elbow.  Matz has struggled recently and the bone spurs are a likely cause for his issues.  However, he is pitching through it so for now he remains a viable fantasy option.  This is a situation that will need to be monitored because the bone spurs will not just heal by themselves.

Carlos Beltran (OF-NYY)

The Yankees' best player is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and could be out for most of the upcoming weekend as well.  Beltran has found the fountain of youth with his offense and has been the subject of a lot of trade rumors.  However, Joe Girardi appears to want to give Beltran enough rest to heal the injury rather than risk an extended absence.  Look for him to be limited to possible pinch hit opportunities this weekend when the Yankees lose the designated hitter playing in San Diego.

Lorenzo Cain (OF-KC)

Cain has been placed on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring.  He sustained the injury trying to run out an infield hit and will likely be sidelined for several weeks.  We don’t know the extent of the strain but we do know that hamstring injuries typically do take more than two weeks for players to come back from.  Cain’s stolen base total has been disappointing thus far but he is one of the most productive fantasy outfielders in the league.  With this injury it is likely the steals won’t be coming any time soon.

Curtis Granderson (OF-NYM)

The Mets have been the literal walking wounded all season and now they can add Granderson to the list.  The durable outfielder is suffering from a calf injury and will miss a couple days at the very least.  He has had a disappointing season despite hitting 13 home runs thus far.  Other than his streaky power output, Granderson has not offered much value from a fantasy perspective so you should have better options on your roster to replace him.

Jonathan Papelbon (RP-WAS)

Papelbon has been on the disabled list with an intercostal strain but is scheduled to pitch in back-to-back games over the weekend.  This appears to be the last step before he comes back and assumes his role as the Nationals closer.  Washington suffered a long losing streak during his absence and they seemed to have turned things around, which means he could be in line for lots of save opportunities upon his return.

DJ LeMahieu (2B-COL)

LeMahieu has had a great season thus far batting .326 with 47 runs scored.  He has missed the past couple games with a knee injury although he is expected back in the lineup for the weekend.  The Rockies are just being cautious with him so there does not appear to be any cause for concern.

Sean Doolittle (RP-OAK)

Doolittle has developed a reputation as an injury risk and furthered that stigma after being placed on the disabled list with a strained left shoulder.  He has pitched well recently and could have been in line for more save opportunities if he wasn’t traded by Oakland.  Now he will be sidelined for a couple weeks and is a candidate to simply drop if you don’t have roster flexibility to stash him.

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).