Week Two of the fantasy baseball season officially begins today. Howard Bender is on vacation and I have big shoes to fill today- kind of like when David Robertson attempted to be the Yankees closer following the Hall of Fame career of Mariano Rivera? I will do my best to keep you up to date on yesterday’s MLB news and what’s on tap for today.  I have already been bitten by the injury bug and find myself on the waiver wire more than usual. If you are going to stay competitive in your leagues you will need to keep abreast of all of this news and more so let’s get right to it.

 

Fantasy Baseball Injury Report

 

Mike Trout is Hit on the Hand 

Did you just hear that? That was the sigh of relief from Fantasy Baseball owners of superstar Mike Trout who may have dodged a bullet yesterday. Trout was hit on his left hand in the fifth inning by a Spenser Patton 81 mile-per-hour slider and was immediately removed from the game. He did note after the game that he was feeling better, and his hand was still sore and swollen. He is now listed as day-to-day and will miss at least tonight’s game against the Astros. So, owners do not panic.

Hyun Jin Ryu goes to 10-day IL

Well at least we know it’s not all about the mechanics. I am a Hyun Jin Ryu owner and have been concerned with his start to the season – 11 earned runs in 7.1 innings over two starts. He was shut down yesterday and placed on the 10-day Injured List with left forearm inflammation. Ryu is not getting younger and his changeup is not as lethal as it once was so decisions have to be made whether to cut ties with the 35-year-old or ride this out and see how his next start goes. Ross Stripling should take over for Ryu in the Jays rotation. 

John Means Will Not Be Pitching for Awhile

Orioles left-hander John Means was put on the 10-day IL on Friday and two days later was transferred to the 60-day injured list due to a left elbow sprain. Means has been one of the few bright spots for Baltimore over the past few seasons. Since his 2018 debut Means holds a 3.81 ERA with a 22.1 strikeout rate and an excellent 5% walk rate. Marcos Diplon took Means spot on the 40-man roster but this injury could eventually push for the MLB debut of top Orioles pitching prospects DL Hall and Grayson Rodrigues at some point during the season. 

Yordan Alvarez Expected back Tonight

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez should be ready to return to action for the team’s home opener tonight. Alvarez has been out for the last few days due to Covid-19 protocols and was dealing with a fever. He is not off to the greatest of starts to the 2022 season- hitting only .143 with one home run in four games but Alvarez owners need to be patient because a hot streak is inevitable. Remember this is a guy with a 221 slash of .277/.346/.531 with 33 home runs and 104 RBIs. Good times are coming for Alvarez owners. 

Fantasy Baseball Top Plays

 

Nestor Cortes K’s 12 Plus an Immaculate Inning

Who is the best pitcher on the Yankees staff right now? No, it’s not Gerrit Cole. Since the start of the second half of last season, Nestor Cortes has been the Yankees Ace. Yesterday Cortes faced 19 Orioles batters, retired 15, and struck out 12 allowing only three singles and no runs. He also became the ninth pitcher in Yankees history to throw an immaculate inning when he struck out the side on nine pitches in the fourth. Cortes, who is still available in 41% of Yahoo Leagues has an unbelievable 17/1 strikeout/walk ratio and is a solid waiver wire pick today.

Andrew Heaney Silences Critics

The Dodgers were criticized by a large portion of their fan base for signing Andrew Heaney over the winter. This is a talented lefty with a real strong fastball but mediocre breaking ball who posted a 5.38 ERA in 2021 in 30 games for the Angels. The critics were silenced yesterday as Heaney was dominant over the Reds striking out 11 over six scoreless innings. Heaney has now pitched 10.1 innings as a Dodger over two starts with 16 strikeouts and zero earned runs with a 0.68 WHIP. Like Cortes, Heaney is available in 45% of Yahoo Leagues and is a great addition for owners needing some juice in the strikeout category. 

Jordan Romano is a Good Pitcher

Last week Jordan Romano broke Tom Heinke’s 31-year-old franchise record for consecutive saves when he recorded his 26th against the Yankees. He has not slowed down and earned another save yesterday in the Blue Jays 4-3 win making him 6-for-6 in save chances on the season. Romano still hasn’t earned a run and has a save in every single Blue Jays win.
 

LOOKING AHEAD

 

Patriots Day in Boston

Every year on the third day of April the Red Sox play host to the only morning game of the year. It’s Patriots Day in Boston and Red Sox and Twins will be playing at 11 am. If you have players from these two teams on your fantasy roster, make sure you set your lineups before the early first pitch.

 

Coors is still Coors

The four-game series between the Cubs and Rockies is finally over after 43 total runs were scored. The Rockies remain home for another series and this time the big sticks of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber come to town. The win will be blowing out tonight at 10 mph to left-center field in 69-degree temps. With Chad Kuhl on the mound for the Rockies tonight and Kyle Freeland, tomorrow make sure all of your Phillies bats are locked and ready to go. One player that should be on your radar this week is Alec Bohm (22% rostered in Yahoo Leagues). Bohm has become an afterthought with the emergence of Bryson Stott but stop and check this out -he is 7-for-9 on the season with no strikeouts. No guarantees he will be in the lineup tonight, but Bohm may be a nice rental off the waiver wire for a few days while the Phillies are piling up runs in Colorado.

More Monday Thoughts

We have some strong to elite arms taking the mound tonight. Tylor Megill and Alex Cobb are my favorite pitching matchup of the night with a 6.5-game total between the Giants and Mets. Clayton Kershaw is facing Atlanta and he owns that lineup with a 35% K rate against current active Braves. The three highest win probability pitchers are Kershaw (65%); Frankie Montas (65%), facing a weak Oriole offense with a low 3.1 implied run total, and Sean Manaea (64%) against a Reds team with a .244wOBA and .098 ISO to left-handed pitching. Shane McLanahan is also in a great spot against a Cubs team coming off a Coors weekend that is one of the league’s worst offenses against southpaws. The Dodgers (-200); A’s (-190) and Brewers (-175) are the heaviest favorites while the Coors game is the only contest with an implied run total over 10 (11).