X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Baseball Stars on the DL: Who to Keep, Who to Dump

With the fantasy playoffs right around the corner, there seems to be an abundance of star power sitting on your DL. The recent news of Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole and Wil Myers coming off the disabled list is surely encouraging, but there are still plenty of guys you might be stashing, hoping they'll be your team’s savior. While you might be sitting on edge waiting for updates on your impact players, they might not be your best options heading into the most important month of fantasy baseball. I’ll be looking at some of the biggest names that are hurt, and examine whether or not you should be looking in a different direction.

 

Joey Votto - 1B, CIN

By Keith Allison on Flickr [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsOn Sunday, Joey Votto was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. While it was just a team move in order to make room on the 40-man roster, Votto will now not be able to return until at least the second week in September. He has yet to resume baseball activities, but he is close. With that in mind, I would expect him back right around when he is first eligible.

Before he was hurt, Votto was batting .255 with six HR in 220 plate appearances. That’s way below his 2013 numbers of .305 and 24 in 581 at-bats. I’m mostly concerned about the drop in OPS, which currently sits at .799 compared to .926 a year ago. It's extra disappointing for his fantasy owners, who are waiting for an elite player to come back when he was underperforming to begin with.

If you're still stashing Votto, he has some value, especially in keeper formats. But he might well continue to underperform in the two weeks or so worth of playing time when he does come back. He should be held on a tight leash.

 

Yu Darvish - SP, TEX

The Rangers announced on Tuesday that Yu Darvish will not come off the DL when first eligible on August 25th. With Texas out of the playoff hunt, it is smart of them to not rush their ace pitcher back. They'll be waiting until he is 100% healthy and ready to go before activating him.

That said, I am giving a rough estimate of September 1st as a potential return date for Darvish. With that in mind, when he is ready to go, you can expect that he'll be back to being the Yu Darvish that we all know and love-- a must-start option upon his return.

 

Yadier Molina - C, STL

By User shgmom56 on Flickr (Original version) User UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

On Wednesday, Molina took swings for the first time since injuring his thumb. He has been doing work in the bullpen and other drills, and the general idea is that he’ll be back by the second week in September.

With AJ Pierzynski and Tony Cruz struggling, once Molina comes back there will be no argument that he will be taking over the everyday duties behind the plate.

He is absolutely worth holding on to at s thin position, and he'll be a great addition for your fantasy playoffs or stretch run.

 

Ryan Zimmerman - 3B/1B, WAS

This cord should have probably been cut long ago. All Zimmerman is doing at this point is underwater running, and there's no timetable for him to begin baseball activities.

It seems as if late September is going to be his best-case scenario for his return to Washington’s lineup. Once he is back, you’ll likely be towards the end of your playoffs.

He isn’t worth the risk that he'll underperform out of the gate and mess up your week. Even if he is just stashed on your DL, he should probably just be outright dropped. There isn’t too much of an upside to holding on to him as the year comes to a close.

 

Anibal Sanchez - SP, DET

fantasy-baseball-advice-anibal-sanchez

Anibal Sanchez is currently in physical therapy, and he won’t begin throwing for at least two more weeks. Much like Zimmerman, Sanchez is looking at middle-to-late September as a return timetable.

With Detroit looking at October for Sanchez, once he is back, he will likely not get stretched out too much. Also, Sanchez's ERA took a hit as he allowed four runs or more in four of his last five starts before hitting the shelf.

Once he is back, he might be too much of a risk to start, even with a decent matchup.

 

Masahiro Tanaka - SP, NYY

Masahiro Tanaka threw a 35-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday and reported no signs of discomfort. He is still owned in 89% of leagues, so there is clearly support among his fantasy owners that he is worth stashing until he comes off the DL. However, I can’t see him being back to 100% before the fantasy playoffs are over.

Even if he is given the green light to go ahead, I see this happening more like Stephen Strasburg where the Yankees will use the regular season as a warm-up. In this case, Tanaka will be warming up to October and the possibility of New York in the playoffs. All that said, I don’t expect Tanaka to be worth using down the stretch, despite his potential upside.

 

When it comes to the stretch run and the playoffs, everything is about risks. You want to minimize your risks, and try not to take too many chances that may come around and bite you in the ass, ruining all your hard work. If a player has carried you this year and happened to get hurt, like an Andrew McCutchen or Yu Darvish, he might be worth taking a risk on. But if you have a star who hasn’t played that well and now he's on the shelf, you shouldn’t put too many eggs in his basket. Stay with what got you to the dance. Don’t be that dick who goes with one girl but leaves her for somebody else. Nobody likes that guy.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Sahith Theegala16 mins ago

Back In Action For Farmers Insurance Open
Justin Rose18 mins ago

Makes First Start In 2025 Season
Justin Lower19 mins ago

Shines At American Express
Kurt Kitayama21 mins ago

Returns To Farmers Insurance Open
PGA22 mins ago

Sungjae Im Misses Cut At American Express
Charley Hoffman24 mins ago

Continues Strong Start To 2025 Season
Taylor Moore25 mins ago

Finishes Strong At American Express
Max Greyserman27 mins ago

In Solid Early-Season Form
Austin Eckroat28 mins ago

Ready To Put Missed Cut At Sony Open Behind Him
Luke Clanton30 mins ago

Makes Debut At Farmers Insurance Open
Akshay Bhatia31 mins ago

Withdraws From Farmers Insurance Open
Kris Dunn32 mins ago

Cleared To Face Chicago
Nicolas Batum39 mins ago

Will Suit Up On Monday
Max Homa44 mins ago

A High-Upside Play At Farmers Insurance Open
Norman Powell51 mins ago

Good To Go Against Chicago
James Harden56 mins ago

Will Play On Monday Night
Ben Griffin1 hour ago

Looks To Build On Strong American Express Finish
Immanuel Quickley2 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Paul George2 hours ago

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Jason Day2 hours ago

Aims For Another Win At Farmers Insurance Open
Andre Drummond2 hours ago

On The Injury Report Again For Tuesday
Cooper Kupp2 hours ago

Plans To Play In 2025, But Future With Rams Uncertain
Keegan Bradley2 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Farmers Insurance Open
Chris Boucher3 hours ago

Could Miss Tuesday's Game
Dejounte Murray3 hours ago

Cleared For Action On Monday
Jett Howard3 hours ago

Could Return On Tuesday
Robert Williams III3 hours ago

Uncertain For Tuesday
Collin Sexton3 hours ago

Resting On Monday Night
Anfernee Simons3 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Tuesday
Peyton Watson3 hours ago

Likely To Play On Tuesday
Jamal Murray3 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Tuesday
Gary Harris3 hours ago

Could Return On Tuesday
Ziaire Williams3 hours ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
D'Angelo Russell4 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Tuesday
Norman Powell4 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Monday
James Harden4 hours ago

Likely Playing On Monday
Jalen Hurts4 hours ago

' Status Uncertain For NFC Championship
Kawhi Leonard4 hours ago

Resting Against Chicago
Chicago Bears6 hours ago

Ben Johnson Hired As Bears Head Coach
Alex Bregman8 hours ago

Astros Leaving The Door Open For Alex Bregman Return
Anthony Santander8 hours ago

Signs Five-Year Deal With Blue Jays
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen10 hours ago

Unavailable Monday
Timothy Liljegren10 hours ago

Returns For Sharks Monday
Mikael Granlund10 hours ago

Good To Go Monday
Renato Moicano10 hours ago

Gets Finished At UFC 311
Matthew Stafford10 hours ago

Contemplating His Future
Tyler Toffoli10 hours ago

Will Not Play Against Bruins
Merab Dvalishvili11 hours ago

Defends Bantamweight Belt At UFC 311
Charlie McAvoy11 hours ago

Out On Monday
Umar Nurmagomedov11 hours ago

Falls Short At UFC 311
Max Pacioretty11 hours ago

Unlikely To Play Monday
Kevin Holland11 hours ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 311
Serghei Spivac11 hours ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 311
Jailton Almeida11 hours ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 311
Saquon Barkley13 hours ago

Dominates Rams Again
Max Scherzer13 hours ago

Drawing Interest From Toronto
Jake Oettinger14 hours ago

Sharp On Sunday
Jason Robertson15 hours ago

Stays Hot On Sunday
Chris Kreider15 hours ago

Scores In Sunday's Loss
Brendan Gallagher15 hours ago

Busy On Sunday
Jakub Dobes15 hours ago

Extends Winning Streak
Anton Forsberg15 hours ago

Snaps Losing Skid On Sunday
George Pickens22 hours ago

Could Be Traded If Steelers Add WR1
Jalen Hurts22 hours ago

Confident He Will Play In NFC Championship
Detroit Lions22 hours ago

Aaron Glenn At Top Of List For Jets, Saints
Las Vegas Raiders22 hours ago

Raiders Planning To Make Big Push For Ben Johnson
Josh Allen1 day ago

Rushes For Two Touchdowns Against Baltimore
Kyren Williams1 day ago

Runs For Over 100 Yards With Costly Fumble
Matthew Stafford1 day ago

And The Rams Fall Short In Philly
Ray Davis1 day ago

Active On Sunday
Zay Flowers1 day ago

Officially Inactive On Sunday
Jonathon Brooks1 day ago

Undergoes ACL Surgery, Expected To Miss Entire 2025 Season
Zay Flowers1 day ago

Completes Pre-Game Workout Sunday
Reinier De ridder1 day ago

Reinier de Ridder Gets Submission Win At UFC 311
Jamahal Hill1 day ago

Gets Finished At UFC 311
Corey Seager1 day ago

Evan Carter Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Jiří Procházka1 day ago

Jiri Prochazka Gets Knockout Win At UFC 311
Islam Makhachev1 day ago

Defends Title With Submission Win At UFC 311
Tanner Scott1 day ago

Agrees With Dodgers On Four-Year Deal
Travis Kelce2 days ago

Breaks Record In Divisional Round Win
Sam LaPorta2 days ago

Makes Acrobatic Touchdown Catch In Loss
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Leads Lions' Receiving Attack In Loss
Jahmyr Gibbs2 days ago

Highly Explosive Against Washington
Jared Goff2 days ago

Responsible For Four Turnovers In Playoff Loss
Alexander Romanov2 days ago

A Game-Time Decision Saturday
Simon Holmstrom2 days ago

Set To Return To Islanders Lineup
Erik Cernak2 days ago

Out Versus Red Wings
Kris Letang2 days ago

A Game-Time Decision Saturday
Marcus Hogberg2 days ago

Starts For Islanders Saturday
Charlie Lindgren2 days ago

Dressing As Backup Saturday
Colin Miller2 days ago

Returns To Jets Lineup
Viktor Arvidsson2 days ago

Available Saturday
Brandon Tanev2 days ago

A Game-Time Call Saturday
Seiya Suzuki2 days ago

Will Be The Primary Designated Hitter In 2025
Jacob deGrom2 days ago

Feels Good Heading Into Spring Training
Dansby Swanson2 days ago

Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Tanner Scott3 days ago

Cubs Are Among The Favorites To Land Tanner Scott
Los Angeles Dodgers3 days ago

Dodgers Sign Roki Sasaki
Ronald Acuña Jr.3 days ago

Ronald Acuna Jr. Takes Batting Practice
Jarren Duran3 days ago

Avoids Arbitration With Red Sox
San Diego Padres3 days ago

Padres Eliminated From Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes
MMA3 days ago

Umar Numagomedov Challenges For Bantamweight Title At UFC 311
Merab Dvalishvili3 days ago

Set For His First Title Defense
Renato Moicano3 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Beneil Dariush3 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Holland3 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Alex Bregman4 days ago

Still Seeking Long-Term Contract
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.4 days ago

Blue Jays Have No Intention Of Trading Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Pete Alonso4 days ago

Declines Three-Year Contract From The Mets
Kyle Tucker4 days ago

Cubs Avoid Arbitration
Reinier De ridder4 days ago

Reinier de Ridder Opens Up UFC 311 Main Card
Jiří Procházka4 days ago

Jiri Prochazka Looks To Return To Win Column At UFC 311
Jamahal Hill4 days ago

A Slight Favorite At UFC 311
Arman Tsarukyan4 days ago

Gets Title Shot At UFC 311
Islam Makhachev4 days ago

Defends Lightweight Title At UFC 311
Pete Alonso4 days ago

Blue Jays In The Mix For Pete Alonso
Bud Cauley4 days ago

Withdraws From American Express
PGA5 days ago

LIV Golf And FOX Sports Agree To Broadcast Deal
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.5 days ago

Mets Have Checked In On Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Will Zalatoris5 days ago

Looking To Keep Momentum Going At The AmEx
Ha-Seong Kim5 days ago

Unlikely To Be Ready For Opening Day
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.6 days ago

Given Contract-Extension Deadline
PGA6 days ago

J.T. Poston A Volatile Player With Upside At American Express

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP