Welcome to week three of the Depth Chart Review! Every Wednesday we’ll be going over things like injuries, promotions, and transactions around the majors and how they impact fantasy baseball. Injuries were the big story around the league this week. The injury bug bit hard, leaving holes on major league rosters as well as our fantasy teams.
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Corey Knebel’s Injury Creates Closer by Committee in Milwaukee
Corey Knebel suffered a hamstring strain Friday and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks minimum. This has left a void in the Brewers’ bullpen, and manager Craig Counsell has yet to name an official closer. Four names were mentioned by Brewers’ beat writer Tom Haudricourt, who suggested the Brewers would use a closer by committee. Jacob Barnes, Matt Albers, Jeremy Jeffress, and Josh Hader were all in consideration for saves but based on recent save opportunities it looks like a two-man race between Barnes and Albers.
Barnes blew a save on Saturday against the Cubs, but he was the victim of two costly errors and two infield singles. This wasn’t the implosion that the box score suggests. Barnes didn’t surrender any extra-base hits and only one ball left the infield. Barnes blew another save opportunity on Tuesday and allowed an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch. Blown saves aside if Barnes seizes the role he has big strikeout upside. For his career, Barnes has a 9.59 K/9 and a 15.3% swinging strike rate. He does it by using a 90 MPH slider that batters whiff at 25.89% of the time. Between the slider and his 96 MPH four-seamer, Barnes certainly has the raw stuff to handle the ninth if given the chance. However, those two crushing losses where Barnes blew the save will certainly weigh on the mind of Brewers’ brass when evaluating bullpen options.
Albers got the Brewers’ save chance on Monday against the Cardinals and also blew the save, however, he was about as unlucky as Barnes. Two infield singles and a sac-fly allowed the Cardinals to tie the game. The Brewers took the lead back in the top of the tenth and Albers was entrusted with the lead. He delivered a scoreless inning and picked up the win. Albers career 4.10 ERA and 6.52 K/9 aren’t very exciting, but he turned in a breakout season last year with a 1.62 ERA and 9.30 K/9. Albers doesn’t have the same strikeout upside as Barnes and likely won’t maintain a high strikeout rate. Despite the spike in strikeouts last season, he had an underwhelming 8.7% swinging strike rate. As a sinkerballer, his biggest strength is getting groundballs. Albers has a career 56.8% groundball rate with his sinker. This makes him best suited in a fireman role, entering the game in a tough spot to get out of a jam. I’d still prioritize Albers over Barnes on waivers because Barnes has blown his first two save opportunities, and Albers may have been unavailable Tuesday after pitching two innings on Monday.
Bogaerts Injures his Ankle, Pedroia not Close to Return
The Red Sox suffered a significant blow when Xander Bogaerts injured his ankle on Sunday. Bogaerts hit the 10-day disabled list shortly after and is expected to miss 10-to-14 days with the injury. Both Bogaerts and his owners dodged a bullet on this one. It could have been much worse as Bogaerts slid hard into the Rays’ dugout feet first chasing a runaway baseball. He is already out of a walking boot, which is a good sign for his path back to the diamond.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox will not be getting any relief in the middle infield from Dustin Pedroia anytime soon. Pedroia is recovering from a knee procedure and is not ready for minor league action yet. These injuries mean that Eduardo Nunez won’t lose his everyday role anytime soon. Nunez is already widely owned in fantasy leagues, but his owners won’t have to worry about playing time for the foreseeable future. The biggest beneficiaries from these injuries are longtime Red Sox utility man Brock Holt and infield prospect Tzu-Wei Lin.
The punchless Holt owns a career .264 AVG, .095 ISO, and 24.9% hard contact rate. His only fantasy value comes from his multi-positional eligibility. Holt is eligible at 2B, 3B, and OF in Yahoo leagues, which makes him a short-term consideration in AL-Only formats for those that are desperate for playing time. Still, he’s nothing more than a warm body that will get four plate appearances for a couple weeks. Lin is a glove-first prospect with a hitting profile similar to Holt. Like Holt, Lin doesn’t have any pop and a questionable hit tool. He’s only posted an ISO above .100 once in five minor league seasons, though he did have a 139 wRC+ at Double-A last season. He does put the ball in play consistently, with above average strikeout rates throughout his minor league career. He also has a little speed, with double-digit steals in every full minor league season. Lin probably isn’t worth adding in all but the deepest of leagues. The best he can hope to do is steal Holt’s spot as Boston’s utility man.
Suarez Fractures Thumb, Opening Door for Senzel
Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez suffered a fractured right thumb Sunday after being hit by a pitch. Suarez was placed on the disabled list on Monday, and the Reds called up third base prospect Alex Blandino to take his roster spot. The Reds haven’t given an official timetable for Suarez yet, but Reds beat writer C. Trent Rosencrans suggested it might 6-to-8 weeks before Suarez’s return. Even if Blandino is given the third base job he doesn’t offer much fantasy appeal. His best skill at the minor league level was his plate discipline. Blandino had a walk rate above 10% in every minor league season. He posted a .390 OBP and 137 wRC+ at Triple-A last season, but a lack of power and speed make him unappealing in most leagues. He could be a sneaky add in NL-Only OBP or points leagues. Suarez’s injury does create an avenue to the majors for top infield prospect Nick Senzel.
Senzel is currently the number seven prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline and has shown incredible polish in the minors. He was particularly impressive at Double-A Pensacola last season. Senzel posted a .340 AVG, .220 ISO, and 184 wRC+ in 235 plate appearances in Double-A in 2017. A natural third baseman, Senzel had been getting work at second base and shortstop during the spring and played second during the first four games of the minor league season. The Reds were looking for a way to get both Senzel and Suarez in their lineup, but with Suarez’s injury Senzel moved back to third on Tuesday. Blandino may just be a placeholder so that Senzel has more time to get reacquainted with third base. Senzel would have immediate value if promoted to the majors and is worth stashing in leagues with deep benches.
Ian Kinsler to Return Thursday
We’ve at least got some good news on the injury front. Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler tweaked his groin towards the end of spring and has been out since March 30th. There was speculation that he’d return Tuesday when first eligible, but his return date was pushed back a few days. Kinsler’s return shakes up the entire Angels’ infield. Zack Cozart, who has been filling in at second base in Kinsler’s absence, will move over to the hot corner. Luckily for Cozart owners, he got 10 games in at second base, meaning he’s added second base eligibility in most leagues. He’ll add third base eligibility soon, making him triple-eligible at three infield spots. Kinsler’s activation will push Luis Valbuena to the bench, and likely send either lefty slugging infielder Ryan Schimpf or righty Jefry Marte to the minor leagues.
Kinsler has long been a fantasy asset at the keystone. Over an 11-year career, Kinsler has amassed 234 home runs and 225 steals, and even at age 35, he can contribute with power and speed. Kinsler posted a career-low .236 AVG last season, but a .244 BABIP makes it seem like mostly bad luck. His strikeout rate was 14% and his hard hit rate was 37%, suggesting that he can get his average back around his career .273 mark. As of 4/10 Kinsler is owned in 69% of Yahoo leagues, and 60% of ESPN leagues. He’s worth picking up in the shallow leagues where he was dropped.
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Elliott Baas is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Elliott, check out his archive and follow him @elliottbaasbb.
