The early months of the MLB season are often filled with injuries, and this year is no different. Currently, there are 11 hitters and 18 pitchers on the IL, and attendance is over 60%.
The good news is that Yahoo’s default settings can provide relief for those who have suffered serious injuries. The team is assigned four IL spots, which should allow managers to hide any injured players who have the ability to make a significant impact upon their return. But having space to accommodate injured players only solves a small part of the problem. We are also faced with the task of replacing injured players while maintaining a successful season.
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Here are some concepts to consider.
How to rank injured players
Head coaches who are dealing with a slew of injuries need to consider these three factors when deciding which players are most important to them.
1. How soon will players return.
This is the most obvious criterion, as players who are about to return are more attractive than those who will be out for several months. Additionally, minor injuries faced by players on short-term absences are less likely to affect their skills than serious injuries.
2. How players are expected to perform upon return.
An easy way to sort through the potential of different injured players is to look at their ADP during their draft season. But values ​​in March aren’t everything, as many players’ values ​​have changed over the past seven weeks. Additionally, some injuries are more likely than others to have a lasting impact on a player. Cole Ragans, for example, had a rough start and is now dealing with an elbow injury. When he comes back, we may not see him at his best. The same can be said for Francisco Lindor, at least in the weeks following his return. After all, Lindor has created tremendous value with his base-stealing ability and is currently dealing with a calf injury.
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3. In category leagues, how deep is the manager in the categories that players influence most.
Edwin DÃaz A manager with three other sources of saves might decide that the Dodgers closer isn’t that important to their lineup. Conversely, those who have been working toward other finishers may view Diaz’s eventual return as a potential turning point in their seasons.
Looking for alternatives
Deciding what to do with injured players is only part of the battle, as finding serviceable replacements is crucial. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Will the replacement need to have similar skills? This question only relates to issues in category leagues. For example, a manager who loses one of their fastest players might look at their roster and decide to look for the fastest replacement in order to remain competitive in the tackling category. But in other situations, a manager might look down at their lineup and see a ton of potential steals, giving them the opportunity to change the balance of the lineup by adding a slugger.
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Should you choose the best available player? If there’s a silver lining to the injury cloud, it’s that injuries present an opportunity for coaches to grab another player off the waiver wire. In some cases, that player may be a significant contributor and remain on the roster long after the injured player returns. For this reason, managers may want to grab the players they consider the best, regardless of position or skill.
Should you livestream the scene? In the absence of exciting waiver options, managers can choose to replace quality with quantity by placing players through vacant roster spots. This is an especially good plan for head coaches in head-to-head leagues who are starting slowly and need to win their current games. Managers can look for hitters who are about to play series at hitter-friendly parks or face weaker pitchers. On the pitching side, they can broadcast favorable upcoming games for pitchers. We’re here to help at Yahoo, as our Monday and Friday articles always offer short-term solutions.
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Should you solve your problems through the trade market? Head coaches dealing with a host of injuries could choose to improve their missing depth through a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 trade, in which they give up a top player in exchange for multiple quality players. While I’m not entirely against this type of deal, I generally am against it. By losing a star, the head coach is lowering the overall ceiling of the roster.
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My advice is to only make this type of trade if the combination of players is significantly better than the combination of departing stars and options on the waiver wire.
I repeat – Much better.
If the deal is fair, head coaches would be better off keeping their star players and aggressively handling waivers. In tomorrow’s article, we’ll look at some of the recent trades involving injured players.
Take zero
Head coaches who have been particularly unlucky with injuries may face a tough decision to either cut key injured players or keep them in the lineup and settle for zero. My personal preference in rotating leagues is to never take zero. The cumulative aspect of these leagues makes it crucial to continue to hone a full roster. But in head-to-head leagues, whether category or points leagues, taking zero in a lineup position is a viable option.
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This is especially true for managers who are off to a strong start and can afford to lose a week in order to retain their best talent for weeks to come. In in-person leagues, I’d much rather work without a pitcher than leave an open at-bat. After all, two of the five standard pitching categories involve ratios, and adding a questionable pitcher could do more harm than good.
Injured player rankings
Here are the classes of players currently on the IL that will help managers make tough decisions.
— Absolutely must be retained: Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Carl Reilly, Francisco Lindor, Tyler Glasnow, Max Fried, Hunter Brown, Logan Webb, Josh Hader, Gerrit Cole
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— Might be worth keeping: Roman Anthony, Wyatt Langford, Corey Seager, Eugenio Suarez, Cole Lagans, Ryan Helsley, Brandon Woodruff, Edwin Diaz, Hunter Green, Ryan O’Hearn, Chris Bubik
— Big upside but insufficient roster: Jared Jones, Sean Bieber, Addison Bugg
— Of course, if you don’t have a better collection: Jose Altuve, Trevor Story, Heliot Ramos, Luis Robert Jr., Gleyber Torres, Yana Diaz, Kerry Carpenter, Nick Pivetta, Taj Bradley, Emilio Pagan, Matthew Boyd, Mick Abel, Jose Caballero, Brandon Donovan, Blake Snell, Corbin Burns
— Throw them away: Jacob Wilson / Giancarlo Stanton / Alejandro Kirk / Jorge Polanco / Carlos Correa / Francisco Alvarez / Jordan Westerberg / Carlos Estevez / Ryan Pepiot / Spencer Schwerenbacher / Cade Horton / Joe Musgrove
