Baseball's leader in home runs since the start of the 2016 season and the No. 2 stolen base option will not be aiding fantasy managers the rest of the month. Oakland Athletics designated hitter Khris Davis and Seattle Mariners second baseman/outfielder Dee Gordon each hurt body parts several weeks ago but they tried to play through the maladies, which is rarely positive statistically, and now they must sit out games. This is a positive for fantasy managers
For Davis, it is an ongoing hip issue and perhaps a new oblique one as well, as he ran into the wall attempting to catch a fly ball in Pittsburgh on May 5 and missed half of the games since then. One could argue seeing Davis play the outfield at all is dangerous, and in this case, it certainly was. An errant pitch plunked Gordon on the right wrist on May 9. While each player managed to provide a few statistics they are renowned for since then, as Davis had a multi-homer performance and Gordon stole a few bases, now Gordon is on the injured list and Davis continues to miss time.
This is frustrating for fantasy managers, of course, because an initial injured list stint could have fixed things and the players would be fine by now. It is May. We want these fellows providing big numbers the next four months, too, and they should, in time. Davis, an annual .247 hitter currently sitting at .248, and on pace for his standard 40 home runs, is about as consistent an option as one could desire. Keep him rostered in all leagues. The Athletics could platoon Robbie Grossman and Mark Canha for the DH plate appearances, but that is not so enticing for fantasy. Middle infielders Jorge Mateo and Franklin Barreto, in that order, are intriguing but there is no indication promotions are pending.
For the struggling Mariners, an organization that would probably like to trade Gordon for whatever possible at this point and see what prospect Shed Long can do at second base, the paucity of stolen bases in the sport makes it tough to part with someone who has stolen 30 bases in each of the past five seasons. Gordon offers little else to a fantasy team, but he is the No. 4 second baseman on the Player Rater, thanks to those steals. Long, a lefty hitter with the potential to hit double-digit home runs and stolen bases gets a short-term opportunity, but fantasy managers should not expect greatness.
For those seeking short-term power from the Davis injury and speed for the Gordon one, there will be more in the Thursday blog entry on fantasy free agents, but I generally tell people to seek playing time while stars are out, but it need not be the exact same statistics. Replace Davis with a speedy fellow and it is not a big deal. For home runs, I still cannot fathom why San Diego Padres outfielder Franmil Reyes remains available in nearly half of ESPN standard leagues. Reyes might hit 40 home runs. Frankly, he might do precisely what we wanted Davis to do. C.J. Cron, Daniel Vogelbach and Mitch Moreland hit for power sans batting average and are available.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jarrod Dyson has nearly the exact fantasy stats as Gordon but is available in 90 percent of leagues. That makes little sense. Gordon is rostered in nearly all leagues. Go get Dyson now, whether you need steals or not. One can always build up in the category and then trade from a surplus. Leury Garcia and Danny Santana are the others stealing a few bases of late, and check your league to see if Billy Hamilton and Mallex Smith remain on free agency, for they are barely 50 percent rostered in ESPN leagues.
Tuesday takeaways
• Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox and ultimately won his eighth game. He has 89 strikeouts over 72⅓ innings. Meanwhile, Nationals ace Max Scherzer and Mets ace Jacob deGrom face off Wednesday. They are a combined 5-10, thanks in part to awful bullpens that cannot protect leads and curious manager decision making. I think it is fair to say Verlander, by far the No. 1 starting pitcher on the Player Rater, deserves recognition as fantasy's top hurler.
• The New York Yankees continue to embarrass Baltimore Orioles pitching but, as noted Tuesday, after this week they do not get to face any more of it until August. The Orioles made it to 100 home runs allowed faster than any team in history. Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier popped two home runs on Tuesday, and perhaps it continues against reasonable big league pitching, but he looked overwhelmed against decent pitching the past few weeks. I wrote about Gleyber Torres Tuesday and noted how he has hit eight of his 10 home runs against the Orioles. There seems little likelihood of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge returning to the lineup soon, but I think Frazier is going to hurt us in batting average.
• Every decision Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli makes these days seems to work, including the reinstatement of hot-hitting Marwin Gonzalez in the No. 3 lineup spot. Gonzalez handled DH duties, though Nelson Cruz should return to the active roster next week. Miguel Sano sat Tuesday and rookie Luis Arraez homered in his place, but he is not a power prospect. Still, he makes contact and hits for average, giving Baldelli another option. I would not add Arraez in a fantasy league yet, for his stay in the majors might be brief, but if Sano cannot stay healthy, that changes. It might seem like the Gonzalez at-bats dry up soon, but do not bet on it. He can play anywhere for a fantasy team too.
• Honestly, I could not care the least bit what Washington Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton and New York Mets third baseman Todd Frazier communicated to each other this week, the good or the bad, even though they somehow made news. Eaton has done little over the past month, and it is getting tougher to roster him in any format, since he is not a big source of stolen bases or batting average, and never hit for power. Frazier looks done, as if the .218 batting average since the start of 2016 was not enough of an indication. J.D. Davis should be playing third base for the Mets. Maybe he would fail, but it would be worth watching. The Nationals, if under .500 in two months, should absolutely move on from Eaton for a younger, more productive option.
• Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Chris Archer did it again! Tuesday was another disappointing outing, and he remains no closer to the top 100 starting pitchers on the Player Rater. Archer gets strikeouts, but I would trade him for whatever useful parts you can in a mixed league. There is no indication a decent ERA or WHIP are pending, and the Dodgers are up next.
Health report
• Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta hurt his shoulder a week ago diving for a fly ball, and he has kept playing, though he left Tuesday's game early. Blake Swihart replaced him. Peralta is a solid, four-category fantasy provider, so it would be best if he sat a game or two and rejuvenated himself for this weekend, but we shall see what Arizona does here.
• Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun left his Tuesday game with left quad tightness and an MRI is pending. I am not saying the Rangers automatically send him to the injured list in an effort to lighten their current outfield roster crunch, but I am also not denying this stuff happens regularly even when injuries are minor. The Rangers actually lead the majors in runs per game. They score. They allow. Hunter Pence deserves to play, though he is not young, at least in baseball terms. I want to see him play, and I want to see Calhoun play. Not everyone on this roster can play. The Rangers are fun to watch. I would expect Calhoun sits at least a day or two and possibly 10 or more. As for right-hander Lance Lynn fanning Mariners, the Mariners are terrible now.
Closing time
• Each NL East team blew a save on Tuesday, though only two of the actual closers for those teams did it. Those were Atlanta Braves right-hander Luke Jackson and Miami Marlins right-hander Sergio Romo. The Romo runs were unearned. I actually think the Braves will use lefty Sean Newcomb to share the role. It is not as if Jackson is experienced or, for that matter, a great pitcher. Romo probably keeps his role unless he gets traded, but who is trading for Romo? As for the other NL East teams, nothing changes. The overwhelmed Nationals and Mets managers simply refuse to use their closers properly, for key outs in close games, saving them for ninth-inning save chances that might not arrive. The equally overwhelmed Phillies manager overused his top relievers so much that the best four were unavailable Tuesday and Juan Nicasio was last fellow remaining, and his performance against the heart of the Cubs order was predictable. Do not add Nicasio to your fantasy team.
• Rangers right-hander Shawn Kelley came off the injured list, where he was placed as he fought a scary infection, and saved Tuesday's win, with Jose Leclerc handling the eighth inning. Rangers manager Chris Woodward claims Leclerc is close to regaining the closer role and one would assume pitching the eighth inning in a close game sans incident is about as close as one can get. In other words, re-add Leclerc, not Kelley -- and as for Chris Martin, who blew the lead Sunday, thanks for the memories.
W2W4
• It is a battle of lefty Coles in Wrigley Field, as Philadelphia rookie Cole Irvin faces former Phillies great Cole Hamels. Irvin is not that intriguing for fantasy managers, as he hardly piles up the strikeouts. Regardless of his Wednesday performance, he could be headed back to Triple-A to make room for strikeout pitchers who are not as effective as he, like Vince Velasquez or Nick Pivetta. Hey, that happens. Hamels has been awesome as a Cub, posting a 2.68 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 21 starts, and it is not as if he has a strong bond with the current Phillies roster, mostly overhauled since his departure. Still, this will be interesting.
• Check out ESPN+ with Braves lefty Max Fried making his 10th start in San Francisco. Fried has a 2.86 ERA with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings, and it all looks legitimate. While the Giants have been better offensively in May, they have not been good. Fried might not get much bullpen aid, but he is worthy of a roster spot in standard leagues. Plus, you get to watch Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., the No. 9 hitter on the Player Rater and, if he would steal more bases, a legit contender for the top spot.
Most recent KaraBlogs
Tuesday, May 21: Closer report: Cubs, NL East, Red Sox
Monday, May 20: Bieber, Alcantara, Calhoun, Dyson, weekend wrap
Thursday, May 16: Austin Riley, Franmil Reyes, other free agent pickups
Wednesday, May 15: Josh Bell, Vlad Guerrero, prospects, Mitch Garver
Tuesday, May 14: Closer report: Yates, Greene, who to trade
Fantasy Focus Baseball Podcast: All shows