Joba Chamberlain: What Injuries Mean Now To Fantasy Baseball

At this point in the season, fantasy teams are either checking the standings multiple times a day, games being play notwithstanding, or they are getting ready for their fantasy football drafts.  For those who care, an injury right now is likely a guilt-free decision to cut a player.  "4-6" weeks means the rest of the season.

That is why the injury to Yankees' budding ace, Joba Chamberlain, gets so much interest.  If he is out just a couple weeks, then he has considerable 2008 value to those whose seasons ride on the final seven weeks of the 2008 baseball season.  If he is out a month or more, then his value dimishes exponentially.

The news that he has shoulder tendonitis was as good as fantasy players could expect.  The question is how quickly he picks-up a ball.  In his Under The Knife column, Will Carroll offers his expert opinion and a signal to look for in determining how bad the shoulder is really hurt. (The Joba explanation is available to non-subscribers.)

While the New York Yankees can nor rival the deception on injuries coming out of J.P. Ricciardi's office in Toronto, the severity of C Jorge Posada's shoulder injury has defintely left a stain on the team's information reliability though.  I'm not ready to pair the two organizations, but I understand others who would espeically if Joba's shoulder turns out to need surgery.