Five shortstops to try and replace Carlos Correa

When Mike Trout went down a couple of months ago, I wrote a similar article like the one you’re about to read. I started it with “you can’t replace Mike Trout.” I regret to inform you that the same applies to Carlos Correa.

On Tuesday, news broke that after leaving Monday’s game because of a swing and miss injury, the Astros superstar suffered a torn ligament that would knock him out for close to eight weeks.

When Trout and Freddie Freeman went down, there were still fairly decent waiver wire options because of their deep positions. However with Correa, the pool is very thin at the SS position. And unfortunately for Correa owners, there’s no one with a .966 OPS and .246 ISO on the season hanging out in your waiver wire.

That in mind, here are some guys who might help salvage the position.

Paul DeJong (40% ESPN, 48% Yahoo, 56% CBS)

This might be your best bet to keep production coming out of your SS slot. Over the last 15 days, DeJong has 8 runs, 4 HR, 6 RBI and a 1.230 OPS. As such, though, his ownership has been climbing steadily, long before Correa’s injury.

The rookie can be a drag in OBP leagues though. His strong performance has masked a 2.7% walk rate in those 15 days, which is also his 2017 mark in 149 plate appearances. His K% is also nearing 30 percent. Expect a fall back down to Earth soon, but given how you just lost a fantasy stud, now’s not the time to be picky.

Andrelton Simmons (75% ESPN, 60% Yahoo, 88% CBS)

I debated whether or not to put Simmons here given his ownership levels. In 10-team leagues, he might still be available but otherwise you might have to entice an owner for a small trade.

Simmons is the opposite of DeJong. The Angels SS takes some walks (8%) and almost never strikes out (11%). In the last two weeks, he’s slashing .379/.400/.552....but with three runs and one RBI. In addition, his steals, which put him on the map a few weeks ago, have disappeared. He’s attempted only one since June 21.

If your team’s offense is above average in your league and you’re looking for someone who won’t sink your stats, ring up the Simmons owner and see if you could swing a small deal.

Brad Miller (21% ESPN, 35% Yahoo, 35% CBS)

Brad Miller could be your lotto ticket here, especially in OBP/OPS leagues. Miller missed nearly two months with an abdominal strain and returned on July 7. He’s back to playing everyday in the TB lineup and has a .208/.321/.417 line in that span with a HR and 4 RBI.

Remember that Miller hit 30 HR last year, so he has pop like Correa, it just hasn’t shown up in 2017. Worth noting is his walk rate. It’s spiked to a whopping 18% this year, doubling his career norm, and giving him a comical season line of .196/.340/.319.

I’d steer away from Miller in AVG leagues, but he’s a dark horse to outproduce anyone on this list.

Jose Reyes (18% ESPN, 21% Yahoo, 34% CBS)

Reyes has been a laughingstock for most of the season, serving as punchlines for the Mets’ unwillingness to call up Amed Rosario. However over the last two weeks he’s been quietly producing. He’s 15-for-36 with 8 runs, 3 HR, 5 RBI and one SB. In fact, in the month of July (44 PA) he’s slashing .409/.409/.762. You’ll notice hasn’t taken a walk, but everyone’s got their warts in this here.

Orlando Arcia (26% ESPN, 26% Yahoo, 51% CBS)

Arcia has cooled off since his torrid stretch in June, but he can still be an asset in the SB department as he showed on Monday with 3 SB v. PIT. Since June 17, Arcia is slashing .348/.375/.565. Owners would like to see more steals (four steals in that span, three coming yesterday), but Arcia has been playing like Simmons with the potential for better counting stats.

Honorable mentions: Marcus Semien, Johan Camargo