Injury Downgrades

March 17th, 2009 kNuke Posted in Fantasy Baseball | No Comments »

This may be a little late, but it’s still relevant if your draft is upcoming.

Matt Lindstrom
Lindstrom is out about two weeks with a strained rotator cuff. He is a fireballer, so I’d watch this situation closely. If healthy, he should be able to rack up about 30 saves. That’s great value from a late round selection, which is why I still think he’s worth drafting. Leo Nunez will get Saves in Lindstrom’s absence.

Manny Ramirez
Manny is out about a week with a tight hamstring. I wouldn’t worry about the injury too much as long as you expect Manny to play only about 140 games.

Chipper Jones
Chipper is out with a right oblique muscle strain. I’d stay away from Chipper as much as possible; Oblique strains are death to hitters.

Alex Rodriguez
Arod is out for about a month after hip surgery. I see alot of others suggesting he’s a “Bargain” in the 2nd round, but I wouldn’t touch the guy until the 5th round.

Cole Hamels
Hamels has a stiff elbow and may miss the Season Opener. I don’t see any indications of why he would be injured, but I’ll still drop him a couple rounds.

Johan Santana
Santana threw the other day without any elbow issues, but his fastball hovered below 90 mph. He is starting his decline ala Pedro Martinez. He’s still a #1 Fantasy SP, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his numbers start tailing off.

There are a lot of injuries occurring during this time of the year. Pay attention to lingering or past-related injuries, but don’t worry about the normal bumps and bruises.