Taking Robinson Canó at a discount this season made so much sense. It’s been a brief time since injuries seemed to crop up, but Cano suffered a broken fifth metacarpal bone on his right hand on Sunday which could require surgery. Timelines on this type of injury vary, but suffice it to say, plan on getting a replacement on the waiver wire ASAP. In spite of Cano only hitting four home runs with a .278/.385/.441 slash line, he heats up with the weather each year.
If Cano misses up to eight weeks, worst case scenario, his replacement will be very important. Depending on team needs, here’s some suggestions looking at what’s available in various leagues by size in which I play in:
10-Team Leagues: Scooter Gennett , Ian Kinsler , José Peraza
12-Team Leagues: Brad Miller , Ian Happ
15-Team Leagues: Alen Hanson , Daniel Descalso
There’s no perfect replacement for Cano, especially given his stability of statistics through the years along with batting average protection. It may take playing match-ups for the players above, but Gennett seems like the most desirable option above with Kinsler also due for some positive regression.
More Injury News
Rangers third baseman, Adrián Béltre left his game early aggravating his hamstring which already placed him on the disabled list earlier this season. There’s no word if he will require another stay on the disabled list, stay tuned to updates on his health. But have a plan for the worst case scenario if you own him.
Madison Bumgarner could return after two rehab starts in the minors or less if he can reach the 75-pitch mark in his first outing. San Francisco seems confident Bumgarner will be back soon after he’s eligible on May 25th.
Down on the farm, Clint Frazier hit his third home run in Triple-A and ninth extra-base hit in 12 games. He may need a trade to play, but if he finds a path to playing time, Frazier could be an intriguing player in the second half.
Angels reliever Keynan Middleton left his second outing back from rehab in the middle of the eighth inning after throwing only 12 pitches. He missed time for inflammation in his elbow.
Dodgers starter Rich Hill left his start early due to more issues with a finger on his pitching hand. It feels like an evergreen update, but owning him in fantasy comes with a pack of Tums.
Pittsburgh’s spark-plug Josh Harrison will start Monday in Double-A Altoona. There’s no clear timetable, but Harrison could return within the six week window originally assessed.
That Just Happened
Welcome to the show Freddy Peralta , who won his debut in Coors Field pitching 5.2 shutout innings giving up a hit and two walks with 13 strikeouts. He generated 18 swinging strikes with his four-seam fastball which ranks second all year to James Paxton (20 on May 2nd). With Chase Anderson on the disabled list, Peralta should get at least one more start, unless he forces the Brewers to give him more.
Giancarlo Stanton wrapped up a perfect day going 4-for-4 with a double, his 10th home run and three RBI in the Yankees win on Sunday. For a bit of perspective, after May 13th last year, Stanton had a .259 average with 11 home runs and 26 RBI. This year, he’s hitting .252 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI. Breathe kids. By the way, Stanton finished 2017 with 59 homers, 132 RBI and a .281 average.
Just when it seemed like Kyle Schwarber could not surprise fantasy owners, he swiped two bases on Sunday. He entered the game with four in his career. Also, Javy Baez went 1-for-4 with two RBI. His last walk? April 11th and he’s still hitting .282 with a .931 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Houston’s Dallas Keuchel seems to be rounding into form. He fired seven shutout innings on Sunday and has allowed one run over his last 13 innings and only four runs in May in 20 total innings of work. Keuchel lowered his ERA to 3.10 on the season and won his third game. Evan Gattis homered for the second straight game and his buy low window could close soon. Carlos Correa added his seventh home run in the seventh inning.
Three more hits for Francisco Lindor ’s who raised his average to .321 on the year and his on-base plus slugging to 1.012. José Ramírez hit his 12th home run and stole his sixth base for a combo meal along with three RBI. Michael Brantley also launched his fifth home run with the Indians offense starting to heat up.
Potential bullpen shifts occurred with the White Sox, Phillies and the Angels. Middleton’s injury’s addressed above, but Blake Parker could be pushing Jim Johnson for the closer role if Middleton lands back on the disabled list. Bruce Rondon locked down his first save for the White Sox with Joakim Soria not pitching this weekend and Nate Jones working in the eighth. Last, Edubray Ramos closed out his first save in his 119th career major league appearance with Héctor Neris not getting the opportunity. For now, plan on time shares in each of these scenarios, but take note if needing saves on the wire.
Bounce back start for Dylan Bundy who reversed his outing on Tuesday when he allowed seven runs without recording an out for Sunday’s seven shutout innings. Baseball.
Another strong outing by Sean Newcomb . He fired six shutout innings in Miami giving up one hit but walked four with six strikeouts to win his fourth game. Atlanta continues to be a problem for the National League East.
Speaking of problems, the Mets only let Jacob deGrom pitch one inning. He needed 45 pitches to escape from walking the bases loaded to start the game but did not return. Also, Yoenis Céspedes did homer but also looks slow trying to accelerate on the bases. He could have rested on Sunday with an off day on Monday along with Saturday’s rainout to give his quad a break. Not sure why they continue to mishandle injuries, but it could cost the team in the long run.
Burning Questions
Will the Nationals continue Zack Godley ’s struggles or will Jeremy Hellickson incur the wrath of the regression monster? Who broke Paul Goldschmidt and when will he be fixed? How can Bryce Harper be hitting .237/.406/.533 with more walks (41) than strikeouts (27) and a .200 batting average on balls in play?
All of these questions along with injury updates will be covered in Fantasy Alarm’s Round Up in which Justin Mason will set up the storylines for the upcoming fantasy week.
Statistical Credits:
MLB.com
Fangraphs.com
BaseballSavant.co