Pitchers and Catchers are not the only things reporting this week. MLB teams are dumping injury news on our timelines and ruining the hopes and dreams of early fantasy baseball drafters. The reports have (thankfully) slowed down in recent days, but there is always more bad news creeping around the corner. Teams around the league are ramping up for MLB Spring Training, and this will result in more injuries. There is no avoiding them. We can only hope the nicks and strains are closer to mild rather than severe. Let’s dive into fantasy baseball injuries and updates for: Jordan Westburg & Josh Hader.
Fantasy Baseball Injuries & Updates
The players discussed in this piece will hopefully find themselves on the shorter side of their recovery timeline with a return to full health.
Jordan Westburg (3B – BAL) – Oblique (No Timetable)
The Orioles have taken multiple hits to their infield this week. Between Holliday and Westburg, they are down two key pieces to unlocking their full potential this season. Luckily, these injuries occurring in mid-February are significantly better than those occurring in mid-March.
Jordan Wetsburg’s oblique injury reportedly occurred three weeks ago, but there is optimism that he will be ready for Opening Day. He is expected to miss several Spring Training games, which is not a big deal. The priority for Westburg and the team is getting him fully healthy. Westburg has yet to complete a full season in the MLB. He has played just 192 MLB games over the past two years due to hip, hand, hamstring, and ankle issues.
This oblique issue can be resolved. Unfortunately, with his recent history, and the nagging nature of obliques. It is best to drop Westburg down in rankings, even with the poor fantasy depth at 3B. Westburg should be viewed in a similar risk category as the cheaper Royce Lewis, who is at least healthy entering this season.
Josh Hader (RP – HOU) – Bicep Inflammation (No Timetable)
The Astros’ closer role might look different to start this season. Josh Hader is uncertain for Opening Day due to bicep tendinitis following a season cut short by a significant shoulder injury. Hader is claiming to feel good after throwing off flat ground in practice. However, he is not practicing anywhere close to full intensity and will require multiple weeks, if not a full month, to ramp up when he does.
With the uncertainty in Hader’s timeline and his shoulder issue potentially lingering to cause these bicep problems, the best course of action is to fade him entirely in drafts. The Astros have a star reliever backing him up in Bryan Abreu. Abreu only has 16 career saves, but he did close seven last season with better peripheral numbers than Hader. If Hader is fully healthy, he will be the closer. Sadly, we have to think of that more as an “if” than a “when”. You can draft Abreu after the middle rounds of drafts right now and save yourself an early pick on a volatile position like RP.
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