MLB Fantasy Baseball: Some Solutions to Your Early Season Injury Problems
Apr 29, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets left fielder Michael Conforto (30) hits a solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy baseball players, have early season injuries gotten you down? Don’t fret. Here’s some quick solutions. 

Holy moly has there been a ton of injuries in Major League Baseball. In the last 24 hours Cole Hamels, Corey Kluber and Edinson Volquez have all been placed on the ten day DL. Kluber and Volquez should return shortly after the ten days but Hamels is being projected to be out six to eight weeks. 

What do we do with these calibers of players? If you have DL spots, Hamels and Kluber should go on you DL slot right away. If you have pitching depth, it’s alright to cut Volquez and add another arm. I’ll give everyone a list of guys we can add until are players come back from the DL.

Pitchers:

Trevor Cahill, San Diego Padres (owned in 7.4% of ESPN leagues.) Cahill has been very solid this year and is worth the add if one of your pitchers has gone on the DL. He has a 3.60 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP and is averaging over 11 strikeouts per nine innings. He pitches in a good pitcher’s park in San Diego and everything he is doing is legit. He is a good veteran pitcher who will go deep into games and if the strike out numbers keep up, he has a chance to finish the year as a top 60 pitcher.

Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks (owned in 31.3% of ESPN leagues.)- Corbin has always had lights out stuff but the biggest problem for him has been injuries. He is healthy now and has been great, he has a 2.29 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Corbin pitches in a horrible pitchers park in Arizona been so far he has been very reliable at home. He has five straight quality starts (three at home) and he has 30 K’s and 35 innings which is not great but is serviceable. Corbin is a good fill in and if he stays healthy he will be a solid number five pitcher on our fantasy teams.

Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves (owned in 14.8% of ESPN leagues)– Foltynewicz is one of the prize prospects in the Deep Braves organization and has the potential to be a good number three pitcher in the league. He throws hard and strikes out a bunch of batters (8.1 K’s per 9). He has a very good ERA of 2.81 and a WHIP of 1.21. He is the real deal and should be higher owned in leagues. If he is there in your league, add him immediately because he can put up big strikeout numbers.

Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox (owned in 36.9% of ESPN leagues)- Rodriguez is a very good number three or four starter in the big leagues. He has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP and has not given up more than two runs in his last three starts. He has 31 K’s in 23 innings and has some favorable matchups in the AL east. The Orioles, Blue Jays, and Rays don’t hit lefties very well and he is a great option in most matchups.

Batters:

Michael Conforto, New York Mets (owned in 55.7 of ESPN leagues.) Conforto is a legitimate top of the lineup hitter in the big league. The biggest problem with Mikey C. is that his manager doesn’t realize the type of hitter he is. He is now getting the ABs and he should stay atop the Mets batting order. He has a real chance of finishing inside the top thirty of outfielders and he can be a good keeper in deeper leagues. Grab Mikey C. in every league that you can, he is the real deal.

Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers (owned in 48.7% of ESPN leagues.) I love Joey Gallo, he has Giancarlo Stanton type of power. The Rangers have handled him poorly but now they are giving him the at bats he deserves. If he gets 500 at bats he should hit 35 homers and drive in close to 100 runs. Gallo is a stud, he hits in a good hitters park in Texas and once the Rangers realize what they have in him he will hit higher in the order.

Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates (owned in 33% of ESPN leagues). Harrison is a good versatile player and he is hitting atop the Pirates lineup. He doesn’t offer good power numbers but he should hit above .280, score runs and steal close to ten bases by the end of the season. Harrison is a good fill in infielder if you have a player on the ten day DL. He won’t help you win many weeks but he won’t hurt you at the same time.

I love fantasy sports more than you love most things in life. I am great at giving fantasy advice because if it doesn't work out, it's the players fault not mine. I love to help others with their fantasy sports questions and instead of following politics or other important topics that are going on in the world, I do fantasy research. Let me help you guys win your leagues and in daily sports.