I don’t know about you and your fantasy team(s), but my team has suffered more injuries than Derrick Rose, or Huston Street, or Percy Harvin. Just real unlucky really, but hey, that’s fantasy baseball for you. If everything worked out perfectly every single year, what fun would that be? The season would be over after the draft. Well, that’s why we play the game! Overcome some of those injuries with some of these guys listed below that can make an immediate impact on your squad.

Batting Average

Aaron Hicks, OF NYY – Give the switch-hitting outfielder credit, because he just keeps on hitting. He’s hitting .338 with six home runs and five stolen bases on the year. He deserves full-time at bats and for you soon-to-be Hicks owners, it’s only a matter of time until Jacoby Ellsbury and/or Brett Gardner go down with some sort of injury. Yes, his current pace is unsustainable, everyone and their grandma knows that, but hell, enjoy the production while it’s there! Hicks is absolutely mashing right-handers on the year, but to his credit, he’s doing fine against lefties, too. The outfielder has an OBP of .509 versus right-handers on the year, not to mention a 1.213 OPS and 20.7 percent walk rate. He’s as valuable as they come right now, so hop aboard before you miss out.

Cody Bellinger, 1B LAD— The young slugger continues to mash the baseball. He’s hitting .315 with six homers and 17 RBI as of Thursday afternoon. Yeah, that’s pretty damn good for a guy who is 21 years old. His .795 slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers is exceptional to say the least, but even against lefties, he’s holding his own. Sure, he hasn’t hit for power against lefties, but a .333 batting average against southpaws will certainly suffice. He’s shown that he deserves a regular spot in this lineup and barring anything crazy, he’ll remain with the team the rest of the way. If he’s still available in your league, go get him. Now. This kid is legit.

Home Runs and RBI

Yonder Alonso, 1B OAK – Oh Yonder, how you continue to amaze. Simply put, he’s red hot. He’s leaving the yard left and right and he’s recorded two multi-homer games over the past handful of days! He’s already set a career high in home runs and his OPS is astronomical. Of course, he’s going to regress at some point, but right now, don’t think about that. Somehow, he’s still available in over half of ESPN fantasy leagues, and that just baffles me. There could be a kerfuffle over Alonso among your leaguemates, but at this juncture, he’s a must-own player. Is he a trade-high candidate? Probably at some point, but make sure you get some production out of him first. Alonso has a well-hit average of .358 on fastballs this season and is hitting .550 with runners on base over the last two weeks. Yeah, that’s getting it done. Home runs. RBI. Production. That’s what Alonso can give you right now.

Saves

Justin Wilson, RP DET – If you ask me, it’s about time. Not only has Francisco Rodriguez been struggling, but Wilson has been nearly unhittable all season. His 2.45 BB/9 is below his career mark, while his 14.11 K/9 is off the charts. He’s stranding runners at an excellent clip and batters just can’t figure him out. Wilson is challenging the opposing with his fastball and they simply aren’t up to the task. Opposing batters are hitting .032 off his fastball, striking out 19 times. They’ve fared better against his off-speed stuff, but in Wilson’s defense, you can’t go out and throw a fastball every single pitch. His strikeout rate his sixth-best among qualified relievers and so far this season, his inside fastball has the highest miss rate among all qualified relievers. Wilson is the hot save commodity this week.

Quality Starts and Wins

A.J. Griffin, SP LAD – A little bang for your buck this week. Whether you play in leagues that value quality starts or win, my man, A.J. Griffin, can do both for you right now! In case you missed it, he fired a complete game, four-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres. Yes, it was against the Padres, but who cares? He’s recorded four straight quality starts, allowing just four earned runs on 19 hits across 26 innings. Throw in a quality 27:6 K/BB ratio and he has the makings of a valuable fantasy asset. Yes, Griffin is a streaky pitcher, but if you have him while he’s hot, what’s the issue? In 2016 he had two sub-3.00 ERA months, but he also had three months where his ERA was above 5.00. He could make for a perfect trade-high candidate, but before you do that, enjoy a solid string of starts from the right-hander. Fun fact: His first-pitch strike rate of 72.6 percent is third-best in all of baseball.