After recently writing about Brad Lidge and Andre Ethier hitting the DL, I figured I was done covering injuries for a while. But this week has sent three more major stars to the injured reserve.
Jorge Posada
His injury might be the most serious suffered recently; he has a hairline fracture in his right foot which could sideline him into early-July. Right now the Yankees are expecting to be without their star catcher for 3-4 weeks. In his absence the Yankees will be looking to backup Francisco Cervelli who has been decent in his few starts thus far. Cervelli could be a nice stopgap option until Posada returns, though he won't provide the power numbers that Posada puts up. The 38-year-old Posada is still an elite option at the thin catcher position who should be stashed in all leagues during his DL stint.
Grady Sizemore
Something has not been right with Sizemore all year. He suffered a deep bone bruise on his left knee Sunday, forcing him to go on the DL. Already the Indians are worried that this injury could turn into something that requires surgery. The left knee contusion is also drawing comparisons to the one that keep Carlos Beltran out for most of last season. This is terrible news for fantasy owners. Though Sizemore had started off slow, they had hoped for a resurgence in the second half. Pay close attention to the news surrounding this injury as Sizemore could either be back within a month or sit out for the majority of the season. This is a tricky situation for fantasy owners, but for now Sizemore's elite status should keep him glued to your roster despite the potential serious injury.
Josh Beckett
Beckett has struggled to start the season, posting a 7.29 ERA over 8 starts. He has now been placed on the DL with a lower back strain. This should not affect his fantasy value too much as Beckett looks to be back by the first week of June, missing just 2-3 starts in the rotation. Hopefully Beckett will use this time to get himself healthy and mentally prepared to turn his poor season around. Tim Wakefield will start in Beckett's absence and could be a nice sleeper value in deeper leagues. Despite his rough start, Beckett is an elite option who should be stashed in all formats.
Trevor Hoffman
As a follow up to my previous article, Hoffman has now been pulled from active pitching duty with the Brewers. He will not pitch again until he has corrected a flaw in his mechanics, according to team reports. This should occur over the next few days and then a decision will be made on his status as the Brewers closer. I guess the Brewers are going to give the all-time saves leader one more chance to win the closer job back. If he fails, look for Carlos Villanueva to swoop in and grab the position.
Feel free to email me at sandlotsabermetrics@gmail.com with fantasy questions to feature in my weekly Help Me Help You blog.
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