We now enter Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season which seems to be moving at a rapid pace. It hasn’t been an overly active past few days on the injury front with the exception of the Tampa Bay Rays. But do not take that for granted because injuries can happen at any time and you need to be prepared to compensate for them. So without further adieu, here is the next installment of the walking wounded.
Longoria has missed a couple games with a sore left wrist that is not considered to be a serious injury at this point. However, the concern is that wrist injuries can linger and affect a hitter’s ability to swing and generate power. Longoria is still one of the better fantasy options at third base, but his overall numbers are underwhelming. He should be in your lineup for Week 10 but be sure to check for updates on his status.
Martinez could rejoin the Tigers this week after missing time with a knee injury. The injury has hampered his offensive game all season as he is batting an uncharacteristic .216 with only one home run. This has rendered him almost useless as a DH or Utility player, but hopefully a return to health will also mean a return to statistical prominence.
Good news for fantasy GM’s as the Dodgers expect Howie Kendrick to be back in the lineup on Monday. He has missed four games with a knee injury that was not serious enough to land on the DL. Kendrick is a consistent option at second base as he continues to produce solid yet unspectacular numbers which fall in line with his career statistics.
Tampa Bay closer Brad Boxberger has been dealing with tightness in his triceps and was unavailable for the past couple of save opportunities. He did throw off a mound over the weekend and is expected to be available again early in Week 10. Boxberger has been a solid closer thus far with 15 saves so keep him in your lineup this week unless we learn something to the contrary about his return.
Yet another Ray finds himself on this list as Jake Odorizzi is likely headed to the DL with an oblique injury. He was removed from his last start and will be evaluated by doctors this week. As we know from past experience, oblique injuries typically take several weeks to heal. Stash him on your bench or in a DL slot when he inevitably ends up there.
Span was taken out of the Nationals’ game on Sunday due to back spasms. Having experienced back spasms for the first time recently, I can certainly understand why someone would not be able to play. We don’t know the extent of the injury yet so for now consider Span day to day. He is a solid contributor for batting average and runs scored, so keep a close eye on his status to determine when he can be put back in your lineup.
Michael A. Stein, Esq. is the Chief Justice of Fantasy Judgment, the industry's premier dispute resolution service, and is also the co-host of the Fantasy Alarm podcast. You can contact him at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@FantasyJudgment),