Big-Name Fantasy Baseball Players Hit Injured List This Week

There's been some notable injury news in the MLB over the past week, so I'm going to write about the biggest fantasy players in this story.

We'll discuss what each move means from a fantasy perspective, not just announce the recent roster transactions and news.

Check out fantasy baseball injuries all season on FantasySP.

Spencer Strider Injury Update

Strider's return to the big leagues was a notable one for fantasy owners, but he was placed back on the 15-day injured list after just one start. He's now dealing with a right hamstring strain.

Strider was solid in his one start, going five innings and allowing two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out five batters and took the loss.

No return timetable has been set for Strider, but it doesn't look like he will be on the IL for only 15 days. Hopefully, Strider doesn't miss a lot of time, because his absence has already hurt his fantasy owners.

He's too good to drop in any fantasy leagues, so hopefully you have IR spots to stash him in, otherwise you will have to burn a bench spot until he's back.

Corey Seager Injury Update

Seager was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a right hamstring strain too.

Seager has been good in his first 21 games and 84 plate appearances this season. He has a .286 average and .345 on-base percentage, along with six extra-base hits across his 22 total knocks, but has just six RBIs and eight runs scored.

The team is hoping it's a short stay on the injured list, but with his injury woes in the past, I'd also expect the team to play things safe. That being said, I still don't see Seager missing a ton of time.

He's another fantasy asset that is too good to drop. Stash him on your bench, or in IR spot until he's back on the field. 

Now isn't the time to trade him either, unless you truly believe injuries will hamper him all season. I doubt you'll get back very good value for Seager right now though.

Willi Castro Injury News

Castro is not the fantasy asset that Strider or Seager are, but he's worth discussing too. He's on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain.

Castro's fantasy value comes by him being eligible to play at several positions. He's got a .227 average and .292 OBP across 18 games and 72 plate appearances this season. Castro has seven extra-base hits among his 15 total knocks, along with five RBIs, a stolen base and seven runs scored.

He missed several games before being thrown on the IL, so hopefully his absence doesn't extend long past the 10 days (retroactive to April 21). Castro was owned in a decent amount of standard leagues before the injury, but he should be dropped in those leagues unless you have IR spots to utilize.

Castro is sitting at 39% rostered at the moment, and that will rise again when he's back on the field. At worst, Castro is a deep-league option because of his fantasy versatility.

Logan Gilbert Injury Update

Gilbert was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow flexor strain.

Gilbert is one of the best pitchers in the game, and was off to a strong start in his first six starts and 30 1/3 innings. He had a 1-1 record, but a 2.37 ERA and 44 punchouts already.

He will be shut down from throwing for two weeks, and then the team will assess things again at that point. It's likely Gilbert misses more than the minimum 15 days, and depending on how things look after a couple weeks, Gilbert could miss several more weeks.

He's another player who needs to be kept in all fantasy leagues, at least for now. Gilbert is simply too good of a fantasy asset to move. It'll be a big blow to fantasy teams, but hopefully he doesn't miss much more than a month, at most.

Luke Keaschall Injury Update

Keaschall had been a good fantasy asset after getting called up to the big leagues recently. He's now on the 10-day IL with a right forearm fracture.

In his first seven games and 26 plate appearances, Keaschall had a .368 average and .538 OBP, along with three extra-base hits across seven total knocks. He also had two RBIs, five stolen bases and four runs scored.

He's going to miss more than 10 days obviously, and the injury can take up to six weeks or so, so Keaschall is going to miss a good amount of time. Keaschall should be dropped in all standard leagues where no IR spots are available.

A lot of deep-league owners are probably going to have to drop Keaschall too, which will hurt after how good of a fantasy option he was over the past week or so. Hopefully he's able to return in a short amount of time, but we'll definitely see Keashall again this season (as long as there's no setbacks in his recovery).