When it was reported that Wil Myers was suffering from wrist tendinitis, Padres fans, were justifiably concerned Myers was having lingering effects from his injury last year. Luckily for the Padres, it’s not the same wrist that caused Myers to miss a few months last season.
Myers had apparently been hiding an injury since middle school. He said on Tuesday that he’s suffered from a bone spur in his left wrist since middle school. He also said that an inflamed tendon has been rubbing against the bone spur, which causes the tendinitis to inflame and cause him problems. The Padres, unfortunately for fantasy owners (myself included), have no timetable for his return.
The injury is tough news for the Padres as Myers was having a tremendous season and it seemed they found their lead-off hitter for the 2015 season. Myers is near the top of the league in runs scored (28), he’s hit 5 bombs out of the lead-off hole, driven in 19 RBI, and stolen three bases all while batting an impressive .291 in 134 at-bats.
Myers was definitely paying off for the Padres and for those who bought low on him in fantasy baseball.
After having a breakout 2013, hitting .293 with 13 homers, Myers had an abysmal 2014. In 2014, Myers hit only 6 homers and for an less than respectable .222 average. He felt that his injury-plagued 2014 caused the Rays to give up on him. That feeling lit a fire in Myers to prove his doubters wrong, and he had been doing just that before his injury.
Myers’ injury will have a negative effect on players like Matt Kemp and Justin Upton. Without that lead-off hitter getting on base, the RBI opportunities will likely dip for the #3 and #4 hitters.
Another good thing Myers was doing, from a fantasy owners perspective, was playing first base. If Myers can gain first base eligibility, his value will skyrocket in many leagues. If have too many OFs on your team, and your league has an IF (infield) or CI (corner infield) spot, Myers can be plugged in there to help balance out your roster. Little things like this can really improve a player’s value.
The good news is that this sounds like it’s just a passing injury and he will be fine in the upcoming weeks. But it’s definitely something to keep your eye on as a fantasy owner.
Matt Hutcheson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him @hutchjr326.
