Injuries to a recent World Series MVP, a pair of National League MVP winners, plus another top-10 hurler and a top-10 outfielder all made for a rough weekend in fantasy baseball. Then, later on Sunday night, perhaps the best player in all of fantasy baseball left his game early with his own malady. Hey, I loved watching the Dodgers-Padres series this weekend and certainly look forward to the next one. Still, it was all of those injuries becoming the overriding story for fantasy purposes this weekend.
Here are my thoughts, along with a determination of how much you should be worried about each one of these situations:
Stephen Strasburg, SP, Washington Nationals (shoulder), Panic Level: High
Nobody should be the least bit surprised here. Strasburg missed most of last season and had surgery for a nerve problem. His velocity was way down this spring and in his most recent start, cameras caught him (against his wishes) rubbing his ailing shoulder near the dugout. The team says it is inflammation and there is no timetable for his return. It is tough to be optimistic here. I doubt we will see Strasburg for a long time -- and he loses his spot in my top-50 starting pitcher rankings as a result. The Nationals do not have much to replace him that would interest a fantasy manager.
Christian Yelich, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (back), Panic Level: Medium
It appears the Brewers were just being cautious here, rather than Yelich having some major back problem, since they expect him back from the injured list when he first becomes eligible later this week. At least we hope that's the case. Yelich is off to a decent start, though he's not hitting for power. I think this is a wise "buy low situation" in fantasy. The Brewers, already sans Lorenzo Cain as well, used Billy McKinney in the outfield this weekend.
Cody Bellinger, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (leg), Panic Level: Medium/High
Originally diagnosed as a calf injury, it turns out that Bellinger actually has a hairline fracture in his left fibula. This absence should last longer than that of Yelich, and I was already concerned about Bellinger's production. In fact, if we think he ends up hitting near .260 with 30 home runs, then he reminds me of Eddie Rosario. Anyway, we may not see Bellinger again in April. The bigger issue here, though, may be that the Dodgers are so good and have so much depth. They really might take it easy with Bellinger's return and his summer playing time. He drops out of my top-10 outfielders in the rankings. Chris Taylor and Zach McKinstry remain regular, underrated players, and Luke Raley may keep getting at-bats. Raley has some pop. Then again, all Dodgers seem to demonstrate said pop.
Lance Lynn, SP, Chicago White Sox (back), Panic Level: Low
Pitchers need a healthy trapezius muscle more than the rest of us but, in this case, it sounds like just a muscle tweak and not something major. In fact, the team suspects that this may only result in one missed start. Again, we hope so. Lynn is off to a great start. Michael Kopech filled in and started on Sunday, but the White Sox say not to get used to that role from him. Jonathan Stiever is a name to watch for fill-in starts this summer.
Starling Marte, OF, Miami Marlins (oblique), Panic Level: Medium
Marte left Sunday's game during a ninth-inning at-bat when he tweaked a muscle in his side. The Marlins have yet to announce the severity of the injury, but I benched Marte in weekly leagues, expecting an IL stint. Perhaps it will be a short one. Jon Berti and Magneuris Sierra should see an uptick in playing time -- and, at the very least, they can steal bases.
Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves (abdomen), Panic Level: Medium
An unfortunate capper to a disappointing injury weekend, Acuna left Sunday night's game prematurely after a head-first slide. Perhaps he would have remained out there in a close game, but we do not know for sure. As with Marte, tests are pending on the severity of the injury and a multi-week IL stint seems plausible. Plan for a short absence, perhaps even just a matter of days. Atlanta is already without Cristian Pache and Ender Inciarte, so look for more Guillermo Heredia and Johan Camargo.
The return of Tatis
Meanwhile, the biggest injury story of the season so far is the valuable and problematic left shoulder for San Diego Padres SS Fernando Tatis Jr. In a wild weekend series with the rival Dodgers, he returned from a short IL stint and may have ended up as a mere footnote. Still, I think what we saw from him is important. Tatis homered to center field off Walker Buehler on Friday night, which was awesome. However, that was his lone hit of the weekend in 14 plate appearances, which featured six strikeouts and several ugly (and awkwardly cautious) swings. Tatis also made two errors at shortstop.
Those rostering Tatis may think all is well and would never consider sitting him, but this may well be the week to do so. As noted in ESPN's Fantasy Forecaster, the Padres face ridiculously strong pitching this week, including a rematch with the Dodgers plus the Brewers aces. The universal worst-case scenario with Tatis may be season-ending surgery at any point, but it seems worse for fantasy if he continues to play while struggling. Let us be optimistic, but if someone offers me a top-20 hitter for Tatis right now -- especially a shortstop -- I make that trade.