Injury Returns

by Scout Hoffman

http://www.profantasybaseball.com/

Two players carrying a boatload of preseason hype have returned from long injury layoffs recently. Alex Gordon (25% Yahoo / 54% ESPN) returned from hip surgery, and Ryan Doumit (66% Yahoo / 65% ESPN) is back from wrist surgery. Both players were initially thought to be out for much longer, but have come back in time to make a fantasy impact for the stretch run. Doumit appeared out of nowhere last year to become a top 10 fantasy catcher, and he was drafted as such this spring. He started off a bit slow and was then sidelined for 12 weeks with what was first rumored to be a season ending wrist injury.

He has hit three homers in the past three games so there appears to be no lingering effects of the injury. His average should rise as he starts to pile up the ABs and he gets more comfortable at the dish. Look for double digit homeruns, and an average around .280 for the remainder of the year. The Pirates have traded away almost their entire opening day roster and are probably not done dealing, so there is no telling what kind of AAA lineup will be surrounding Doumit come August 1st. His runs and RBI may take a bit of a hit because of the lack of production around him. Alex Gordon suffered a similar hip injury to another Alex who mans the hot corner. Unlike A-Rod, there was very little hype surrounding the return of the 2008 sleeper pick. The Royals haven’t seen a pennant race in years so there is no reason to believe that Gordon was rushed back and is at further risk of injury.

Gordon only played in seven games prior to missing three months and was not exactly tearing the cover off the ball in those games. He has four hits in his first five games since returning last week and has managed to raise his average nearly 100 points. If you have room on your bench he is not a bad player to stash, as he has showed flashes in the past of what made him the number two overall pick in 2005.

Just by being a catcher, I see Doumit having more fantasy value than Gordon. The early power returns shows me that Doumit can return to claim his top 10 catcher position for the remainder of the season. There are still plenty of owners who are waiting for Gordon to break out, and I could see it happening next year, but I do not see him as much more than a ocean deep league, back-up infielder for the rest of the year.

Don't "Dis" the Disabled List

Obviously the last thing you want is for one your big name fantasy player to pull a hammy and end up sitting in the hot tub for the next month and a half while your fantasy team spirals down towards the bottom of your league’s standings. But if he does you can simply put him on your disabled list and pick up another player to fill his stead. That is the main purpose of having a DL, but if you’re smart you’ll make sure your DL is always full.

Having players on your DL does not count towards your max roster size, so you have the luxury of having an extra player or two on your team with no extra cost. So if you have open spots on your disabled list you should look at some of the available free agents in your league who are hurt. You should try to target hitters at positions where you weakest and as for pitching, well, fantasy is much like real baseball in the fact that you can never have too much pitching. Some notable players that are currently on the DL that are due back before or around the All Star break are: Xavier Nady (24% owned in Yahoo leagues), John Smoltz (49% owned), Justin Duchscherer (26% owned), Tim Hudson (6% owned), and Ryan Doumit (55% owned). These players have no risk and potentially high reward as they can possibly put your team over the top as you make your fantasy playoff push -Scout Berardi