Drafting well is one thing, but navigating the tricky waters of the long regular season is another matter altogether. The past week has been a good reminder of that. Winning a league not only requires some shrewd in-season pickups, but it’s also often about being rather fortunate in regard to injuries.
It sure feels like nobody has been immune in recent days, with big names like Giancarlo Stanton, Trea Turner, Daniel Murphy, Miguel Andujar, and Corey Knebel all finding a home on the injured list. Knebel has opted for season-ending Tommy John surgery and it’s possible that Andujar could require surgery if his shoulder doesn’t respond to rest and rehab. If that wasn’t bad enough, Francisco Lindor suffered a sprained ankle while rehabbing from calf strain and will be delayed a few more weeks. If you managed to avoid this wave of injuries, consider yourself very fortunate. And go knock on wood wherever you are while reading this, whether it’s a desk, a bench, a telephone pole, or a baseball bat. The people around you will understand.
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Perhaps you’ve already pivoted with one of your important lineup fixtures sidelined, but below you’ll find a few names who could make sense as replacements along with some key week-two pickups.
Have specific questions about your roster? Ask @djshort on Twitter.
MIXED LEAGUES
(Players rostered in under 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Percentages are from the morning of Thursday, April 4
Matthew Boyd SP, Tigers (Yahoo: 45 percent rostered)
If you were sleeping on Boyd, it’s time to wake up. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts against the Yankees on Wednesday. He induced an eye-popping 26 swinging strikes, 13 of them coming with his slider. With Wednesday’s impressive outing, he became the first pitcher in Tigers history to record double-digits in each of his first two starts to begin a season. This is really a continuation of Boyd’s second half from last year, as he posted a 3.88 ERA and 72/15 K/BB ratio in 72 innings over his final 13 starts. He showed increased velocity as the year moved along. Much like the Marlins, the Tigers’ lineup is pretty bad, but it’s time for Boyd to jump over the 50-percent mark. This is a great time to grab him, as his next start comes against the weak-hitting Indians.
Garrett Hampson 2B/SS, Rockies (Yahoo: 39 percent rostered)
Ryan McMahon 1B/2B/3B, Rockies (Yahoo: 48 percent rostered)
Daniel Murphy’s avulsion fracture of his left index finger is obviously bad news for the Rockies and fantasy owners, but his absence presents opportunity for others. Most notably, Hampson and Ryan McMahon won’t necessarily be battling for one spot at second base. Now McMahon is an option at first base along with Mark Reynolds. Hampson hasn’t done much so far — he’s 1-for-17 with seven strikeouts through five games — but the numbers in the minors were impressive, including 123 stolen bases over 305 games. Speed, multi-position eligibility, and Coors Field as the backdrop. Have to like that. Coming off a huge spring training, McMahon is also worth a look. While the 24-year-old struggled in sporadic playing time with the Rockies last year, he worked on some mechanical changes over the winter aimed at addressing the holes in his swing. His prospect pedigree can’t be ignored, but Hampson’s speed gives him the edge with me.
Anthony Swarzak RP, Mariners (Yahoo: 32 percent rostered)
Everyone is engaged in their leagues at this point in the season, so I don’t really need to explain much with Swarzak, who notched a save in his first appearance with the Mariners on Tuesday night. The 33-year-old missed most of spring training with a shoulder surgery, but he’s probably the best option for saves in Seattle’s bullpen with Hunter Strickland sidelined due to a Grade 2 strain of his right lat. That’s going to keep him out for a long time, so there’s opportunity here. While Swarzak had a nightmare season with the Mets last year, he posted a dominant 2.33 ERA and 91/22 K/BB ratio over 77 1/3 innings between the Brewers and White Sox in 2017. There’s bonus for him to grab ahold of this job. If he finds success, he could turn into a nice little trade chip for Jerry Dipoto.
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Caleb Smith SP, Marlins (Yahoo: 10 percent rostered)
The Marlins raised some eyebrows by cutting Dan Straily loose and moving Wei-Yin Chen to their bullpen, but their rotation is pretty darn intriguing at the moment. Jose Urena is the most familiar name of the bunch, but I’m more focused on the other four pitchers right now. The 27-year-old Smith was interesting for a time last year, posting a 4.19 ERA with 88 strikeouts over 77 1/3 innings before going down with a severe lat strain. While the workload wasn’t there, his strikeout percentage (27.0 percent) matched Aaron Nola and was higher than the likes of Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger. It was certainly encouraging to see him strike out eight batters with 19 swinging strikes in his season debut against the Mets on Monday. Smith isn’t going to get much in the way of run support, but he’s worth another try in the back-end of mixed league staffs.
Brett Gardner OF, Yankees (Yahoo: 18 percent rostered)
You probably couldn’t have yawned fast enough here. And I get it. Gardner is coming off a brutal 2018 and is just 3-for-21 so far this year, but keep in mind that he’s hit leadoff in all of his starts. You could certainly argue that DJ LeMahieu deserves a look at the top of the lineup and I wouldn’t rule it out, but Gardner should continue to get chances in the short-term against right-handed pitching. That matters a lot when you play half of your games in Yankee Stadium and the lineup should still be pretty good even though they are ridiculously banged up at the moment. He should be scooped up in more leagues at the very least.
Brandon Woodruff SP/RP, Brewers (Yahoo: 38 percent rostered)
Surprised to not see Freddy Peralta here? Don’t be. He’s perhaps the most popular add in mixed leagues after his awesome start against the Reds on Tuesday, but don’t forget that he gave up four runs on six hits and three walks over three innings against the Cardinals in his season debut. We saw these same flashes of excellence last year, but he also proved to be rather erratic while walking 40 batters in 78 1/3 innings. I just don’t know what to expect from start-to-start, so pick him up at your own risk. We’ll stay in the Brewers’ rotation, though, with Woodruff worthy of a mention after Corbin Burnes was featured in this column last week. Woodruff was solid enough in his season debut last weekend, beating the Cardinals while allowing two runs over five innings with five strikeouts and one walk. He mostly held his velocity despite throwing 100 pitches, still hitting the mid-90s with his fastball in his final frame. His arsenal is a work in progress as he slides into the rotation, but it’s hard to not see the ingredients of a potential rotation staple for the Brewers.
Jose Martinez 1B/OF, Cardinals (Yahoo: 39 percent rostered)
It’s well known that Martinez is defensive liability, but the Cardinals appear ready to throw caution to the wind with Marcell Ozuna nursing a side injury. Ozuna was schedule to undergo an MRI on Thursday, but it sounds like a stint on the injured list is in his future. Martinez got the start in left field after Ozuna was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday and the prospect of semi-regular playing time should put him back on the radar in most mixed formats. The 30-year-old owns an impressive .305/.368/.473 batting line over 928 plate appearances in the majors. Tyler O’Neill should also be in the mix here, but Martinez is the more bankable fantasy asset if he doesn’t make too many mistakes in the outfield.
Jeremy Jeffress RP, Brewers (Yahoo: 28 percent rostered)
Losing Corey Knebel for the season due to Tommy John surgery is a tough blow for the Brewers’ bullpen, but the good news is that Jeffress is moving closer to a return. Josh Hader has been his usual excellent self while filling the void at closer, but the Brewers would surely like the flexibility of using him in other high-leverage situations. Working his way back from shoulder weakness, Jeffress is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A San Antonio. He’ll surely need to make a few appearances down there, but it shouldn’t be too long. Jeffress notched 15 saves with the Brewers last season while earning his first All-Star selection, so he’d be a fine option for the closer role if he proves healthy and effective. Stash now.
Yandy Diaz 1B/3B, Rays (Yahoo: 14 percent rostered)
Diaz was forced to exit Tuesday’s game after tweaking his left ankle on a double, but fortunately it doesn’t appear to be serious. As it stands, he’s one of the more interesting names for those on the lookout for a replacement for Miguel Andujar at the hot corner. Acquired from the Indians during the offseason, Diaz is a super strong dude who has shown a knack for making hard contact. Look at this line drive home run, for example. The only problem is that a lot of that contact is on the ground. As a result, it’s hard to bank on much in the power department, but he should hit for average and get on base while scoring a bunch of runs. And there’s always the chance he adds more loft to his game. We can only hope.
A.J. Minter RP, Braves (Yahoo: 47 percent rostered)
Craig Kimbrel is still somehow a free agent despite being an obvious match with a few teams — the Cubs, Brewers, and Braves among them — but at this point we’re forced to speculate on these situations on the assumption that they’ll move ahead with in-house options. That’s why Minter is worthy of a stash in Atlanta. The 25-year-old was forced to begin the season on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation, but he was activated prior to Thursday’s game. Arodys Vizcaino is at the top of the depth chart in the Braves’ bullpen, but he continues to carry questions about his shoulder. He’s not going to have a normal workload for a closer at the very least and there’s always the chance he’ll have to miss some time. If Minter is healthy, the stage is set for him to potentially grab this job. Minter was solid in his first full season last year, saving 15 games while posting a 3.23 ERA and 69/22 K/BB ratio over 61 1/3 innings.
