Hey! There are only a few reasons you clicked this link:
- Either you're my friend and supportive of what I do (thanks, Kevin)
- Or you got here my accident, in which case you can use that handy back button
- OR - here's the big one! - you're in your league finals this week, and you actually need information!
It's all so exciting. I'm in the finals of my primary league and, if you follow me on Twitter, you saw what I think is a crazy futility stat about myself - this is my 12th season in this league (across baseball and football). I have finished second nine times. I have finished first zero times. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think that is capital-I Insane.
Anyway, this week's injuries. It's the last week, so a lot of this will be "Dude's not going to play again." If I find someone in my lineup, I'll be sad, and you'll know it.
I will be heavily distracted this week, as I need to finally win one. Root for me. All of you. Or at least Kevin.
Jean Segura, SS, MIL
Segura missed his fourth straight game Sunday, dealing with a strained hamstring. Much of Segura's value comes from his legs - he leads the league in stolen bases, and his batting average is where it is in part because of his speed. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Segura might be available as a pinch-hitter in the team's series against the Braves this week, and they wouldn't rule out him appearing against the Mets to close the season. Those who are starting Segura likely don't have a better option; that said, since the start of June, Seugra is hitting .264/.295/.357 with only four homers and a 54:14 K:BB ratio. It's been a heck of a year for Segura, but it's been buoyed by a crazy hot start that he simply hasn't sustained. He's not the super-stud shortstop he's made out to be.
Segura? Not on my roster.
Miguel Cabrera, 3B, DET
Cabrera has been hobbled for basically the last month, dealing with ab and groin injuries that have limited him to a slash line of .264/.409/.340 with only a single homer in September. That's passable for a normal player, but a huge drop for a superstar like Cabrera. The Tigers have basically clinched the division, so they aren't going to need Cabrera for that, but they can't exactly shut him down in anticipation for the playoffs; they'll want him to get some more plate appearances in. Whether he can do much with that time is kind of moot; it's impossible to bench any version of Miguel Cabrera that is in the lineup.
Cabrera? Not on my roster.
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, CIN
Choo has missed a couple games with a jammed left thumb. X-rays on the thumb were negative, though, and the Reds are still fighting for a playoff spot (sort of) and seeding (definitely), so they'll toss Choo back in there as soon as he's a viable option. I expect him to play within the next day or two, and fantasy owners to use him at the same time.
Choo? Not on my roster.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, TOR
The Blue Jays shut Encarnacion down for the season last week after he had surgery on his left wrist. It's the annual Shutting Down Of The Blue Jays, as Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus (who took a baseball to the face) are also among the Toronto players who are done for the season. Encarnacion took an enormous step forward last year, jumping from 17 homers and a 111 OPS+ as a 28-year-old in 2011 to 42 homers and 153 in 2012. Those who thought he was a fluke were proven wrong, as Encarnacion followed that up with 36 homers and a 146 OPS+ this season. In redraft leagues, he's done, so who cares; in keeper leagues, though, he's just about a must-keep, slated to be maybe one of the top three first basemen in 2014.
Encarnacion (and Rasmus)? Not on my roster.
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS
Ellsbury has missed three weeks with a compression fracture in his right foot. If the Red Sox were out of the race, Ellsbury would be done for the season, I'm sure of it. But this Boston team will certainly need Ellsbury in the playoffs, so they are trying to get the AL stolen-base leader some pre-playoffs work. It looks like Ellsbury might be in the lineup Wednesday in Colorado; while I doubt he'll get full-time play the last few games, he'll play a handful of innings and maybe get a few hits, but I find it hard to imagine he'll be running much.
Ellsbury? Not on my roster.
CC Sabathia, SP, NYY
Sabathia has been shut down for the rest of the season with a hamstring strain, the Yankees announced Monday. The team is still sorta-kinda-almost on the fringe of the Wild Card race, so this is sorta-kinda-almost a big deal. On the other hand, Sabathia has a 6.12 ERA since mid-July, and has in no way been the pitcher his owners were hoping for, so this news can let owners cut the cord without worrying they'll miss a vintage Sabathia outing before the season ends. I'm done with Sabathia going forward (including for future seasons) unless and until he shows me he can Sabathia-ize again. Pressure's on you, Carsten Charles.
Sabathia? Not on my roster.
Matt Harvey, SP, NYM
Harvey is going to try to rest and rehab his partially torn UCL in order to avoid Tommy John surgery and a missed 2014. That always feels like a fool's errand (remember Chad Billingsley?), but hey, anything is possible. The doctors likely wouldn't have said "Hey, there's zero chance this will be successful, but, you know, whatever." Maybe it works for him. Regardless, I'm fine with the risk, as I said on the Fake Teams podcast when the news first came out, for a simple reason: If Harvey has Tommy John surgery, he's done for 2014. That's true whether he has surgery Sept. 24 or Dec. 24 or March 24. You never want an injury like this, but if you're going to have it, late in the season is the best time; it lets you try the rest-and-rehab option for a while without meaning you'll miss more games on the back end if you do end up needing surgery. I don't think Harvey is a keeper option in anything but dynasty leagues, but it's early yet. Monitor him.
Harvey? Not on my roster.
Dexter Fowler, OF, COL
Fowler might be done for the season with a left knee injury. He hasn't started a game since Sept. 6, and is only 2-6 with a pair of singles in the 17 days since then, so he was basically done for the season a few weeks ago. After an insanely hot start, Fowler has been a mediocre player, due to regression and injury, with a slash line of .235/.343/.324 since June 2. He's droppable in redraft leagues, and barely worth consideration as a keeper unless a league is really deep.
But Fowler? Also not on my roster.
Wait, there were no players on that list that I currently own in fantasy? My team is healthy for championship week? Awesome. You are going down, McNutt. I'm finally going to win one.
Please?
Follow me on Twitter @danieltkelley
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- Two-Start Pitchers: Week 25 (Sept. 23-29)
- Roto Roundup: Clayton Kershaw, Yoenis Cespedes, Desmond Jennings and others