Daily Dr. Roto — May 16, 2018
Fantasy Baseball News and Notes
— Mariners 2B Robinson Cano has been suspended for 80 games for violating the league’s drug protocol. Cano admitted that he took a banned substance to help him treat another medical problem (a typical answer for players). He will not appeal the decision and is expected to return in mid-August. What should his Fantasy owners do? The best bet is to try to stash him in a reserve spot if possible, but the truth is that he will only have about 100 at bats when he returns to the team in late summer. If your league does not have a reserve spot, or if you need the spot for another player, then I would drop hi,m (especially in redraft leagues). As for Cano, I wonder whether this incident keeps him out of the Hall of Fame — my best guess is that it does.
— Diamondbacks OF A.J. Pollock will miss 4-8 weeks with a fractured thumb. I am not sure that I have ever seen a player as snake bit with injuries as Pollock. He was off to an MVP-type season (11 HRs and 9 SBs), but he once again will be out of the lineup for a long time. Normally, I try to overlook a player’s injury history on draft day thinking that most of the time that injuries are freakish accidents, but with Pollock, I might have to change my thought process. He might just be a player who is too fragile and needs to be avoided no matter how high his upside.
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— The Pittsburgh Pirates may have suffered two major injuries on Tuesday. First of all, OF Starling Marte left the game with what the team is calling right side discomfort. If I had to guess I think we could be looking at an oblique strain for Marte which could keep him out for about three weeks. Additionally, C Francisco Cervelli left Tuesday’s game after being hit in the right forearm with a pitch. He will be undergoing tests to make sure that nothing is broken. If both players are out, this could severely hurt the Pirates chances of making the playoffs.
— Braves RP Arodys Vizcaino is on the thinnest ice as the team’s closer. After the game on Tuesday, Braves Manager Brian Snitker said that he was open to using Dan Winkler as a closer. I think this is a ruse as everyone in the state of Georgia knows that A.J. Minter has the best arm in the bullpen. If anyone is going to get a real shot at replacing Vizcaino, it’s going to be Minter.
— I am really hoping that Cardinals SP Jack Flaherty can remain in the team’s starting rotation. Although Flaherty lost to the Twins and Jose Berrios, he still acquitted himself well and showed that he could handle himself against major league hitters. There is significant upside with Flaherty, and he could be a potential difference maker in Fantasy rotations in the second half of the season.
