As the calendar gets ready to turn to July next week, fantasy GMs need to really evaluate where they are in the standings and come up with a game plan on how to make a playoff push during the second half. Injuries have wreaked havoc on many rosters so no one has been immune to the chaos that ensued. The MLB trade deadline is almost a month away so now is the time for GMs to strategize on how to bolster their rosters while also accumulating depth and flexibility to be able to sustain the onslaught of inevitable injuries. So without further ado, here is the next edition of the fantasy baseball emergency room.
Giancarlo Stanton (OF-NYY)
The Yankees injury woes just do not seem to go away, but then again it really does not matter since they hardly ever lose. Giancarlo Stanton finally returned from the injured list and less than a week later he is right back on it with another injury. This time he suffered a sprained PCL in his right knee. The Yankees have acknowledged that they do not expect Stanton back before August which means another extended absence for the slugger who has been limited to just nine games this season. This is devastating news for fantasy GMs because Stanton looked like he was finding his groove over the past few games. GMs should stash him once again and hope that he can stay on the field for the stretch run when he returns in August.
Andrew Benintendi (OF-BOS)
Benintendi has missed the past couple games due to what the Red Sox are calling being “banged up.” There is no clear indication what his injury might be, but he was given some rest this week to be ready to go for the two-game series against the Yankees in London this coming weekend. Benintendi has had a somewhat disappointing season thus far batting .277 with seven home runs, 36 RBI, 40 runs scored and eight stolen bases. While these numbers are not terrible, fantasy GMs expected much more from the star outfielder by this point. Be sure to have him back in the lineup for the weekend and hope that this rest will help rejuvenate him going forward.
Eddie Rosario (OF-MIN)
The Twins lineup has been decimated by injuries lately including Eddie Rosario who suffered a sprained left ankle earlier in the week. He suffered the injury on Wednesday and then was out of the lineup on Thursday. Rosario underwent an MRI which did not reveal any structural damage, so it appears that he avoided any type of serious injury. Rosario has been stellar this season batting .282 with 20 home runs, 60 RBI, 51 runs scored and three stolen bases. He may require some additional time off to give his ankle some more rest, but it does not appear he will need a stint on the 10-day injured list.
Noah Syndergaard (SP-NYM)
The Mets are in the midst of a freefall right now but could receive a thunderous jolt of energy with the pending return of Noah Syndergaard . He had a successful rehab start earlier this week and is scheduled to return to the mound on Sunday against the Braves. Thor has been anything but a superhero thus far going 5-4 with a 4.55 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts in 95 innings over 15 starts. He needs to step up and be the ace that the Mets and fantasy GMs expect him to be.
Corey Kluber (SP-CLE)
Kluber has been out since early May after suffering a fractured elbow when he was hit by a comebacker. He is scheduled to undergo additional testing this week and could potentially begin throwing soon depending on what the test results reveal. The Indians pitching staff has been decimated by injuries all season so he would provide a major boost to the team and fantasy GMs if he is able to return after the All-Star break. The question will be which Corey Kluber we will see when he does return because the former Cy Young Award winner was not pitching well before the injury going 2-3 with a 5.80 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts in 35.2 innings over seven starts.
Yoán Moncada (2B-CHW)
Moncada was hit by a Chris Sale pitch on his right knee on Wednesday and was taken out of the game. The official diagnosis is a confusion which is good news all things considered. Moncada has really come into his own this year batting .299 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, 42 runs scored and five stolen bases making him a very valuable fantasy asset. He is considered day-to-day right now and should not miss much more time if any at all.
Jordan Hicks (RP-STL)
Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks was diagnosed with a torn UCL earlier this week and he has already undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery. This means he will likely not be back before the second half of 2020 so he can be dropped in all league formats. Hicks was having a solid season as the Cardinals’ closer going 2-2 along with a 3.14 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 31 strikeouts and 14 saves in 29 games. Now it appears that Carlos Martínez will see most of the opportunities to close games out, but John Gant and Andrew Miller could also receive some chances as well.
Yordan Alvarez (DH-HOU)
The Astros have had several big bats missing over the past couple months due to injuries, but one reason they have stayed afloat has been the production of rookie Yordan Alvarez . He is batting .298 with seven home runs, 18 RBI and 12 runs scored in the first 57 at-bats of his career. Unfortunately, he was taken out of Thursday’s blowout loss to the Pirates due to some discomfort in his left knee. He did foul a ball off his leg on Tuesday and then felt something odd when he was attempting to catch a ball yesterday. The Astros will send Alvarez for some tests to see the extent of the injury so consider him day-to-day with a trip to the injured list a distinct possibility.
Kyle Seager (3B-SEA)
Seager missed the first couple months of the season recovering from surgery on his left hand. Since returning, he is batting.233 with five home runs, 15 RBI, 15 runs scored and one stolen base in 30 games. He was held out of the lineup the past couple days against Milwaukee due to some soreness in his right hand. He should be considered day-to-day right now as we do not know the extent of the injury.
Willians Astudillo (C-MIN)
The Twins’ offense has been prolific this season but they are dealing with a variety of injuries to their hitters right now. We can now include the versatile Willians Astudillo to the list again as he was placed back on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique. He was injured earlier in the season and was recently recalled from Triple-A to play all over the field including catcher, third base and outfield. Now he is on the shelf again and we all know oblique injuries typically take several weeks to heal. Astudillo is batting .263 with three home runs, 13 RBI and 19 runs scored but is not worth stashing in standard 12-team leagues. Minnesota recalled outfielder Lamonte Wade from the minor leagues to take his place.
Spencer Turnbull (SP-DET)
Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull was taken out of Thursday’s game against Texas due to shoulder fatigue. There was a noticeable drop in his velocity over the first couple innings of the game so Detroit opted to be precautious and pulled him from the game. He underwent an MRI which did not reveal any damage, so it appears there is no serious injury. Turnbull has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy GMs despite his 3-8 record. He has an impressive 3.31 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 89.2 innings over 17 starts making him a serviceable back-of-the-rotation starter in deep leagues.