We may be just two weeks into the 2023 MLB season, but injuries are already ravaging the fantasy baseball community, and it is paramount to your success to not fall too far behind early.
If you were to look at the standings for previous seasons, you will notice the teams that were at the top were also the teams who led your league in at-bats.
Finding full-time replacements is more important than finding someone who might be off to a hot start, and the middle infield shows us exactly what you should be doing.
Heading into the season, shortstop was one of the deepest positions and flush with talent. Second base was top-heavy, but still had some quality, late-round options.
Fast-forward to today, and fantasy managers are already seeking replacements for Corey Seager, Oneil Cruz, Tim Anderson, Dansby Swanson and Orlando Arcia.
You can try to fill in the blanks with a Tony Kemp or Chris Taylor, but neither will be seeing full-time at-bats in a few weeks. Instead, you want to make that waiver commitment to a couple of young up-and-comers who have a strong chance to stick all year.
Start with Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom. The team created quite the fantasy stir when they sent Grissom back to Triple-A before the season opened, but he was recently brought up in the wake of Arcia’s injury.
Grissom is a high on-base hitter who can deliver a little bit of pop, but is more known for his speed and defense.
Unless he struggles mightily, he should remain a fixture, and though he’ll bat near the bottom of the lineup, he’ll be setting the table for the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson.
The Twins have always been high on second base prospect Edouard Julien, so when they lost Kyle Farmer to injury and still had no timetable for Jorge Polanco, Julien got the early call.
We can rejoice in the fact that the 23-year old had a single and a home run, both in the first inning of his very first game, but more importantly, the Twins traded for a minor league infielder to cover themselves at Triple-A — which indicates Julien is expected to be up for some time.
He is still developing, but he brings a power and speed element with strong on-base skills the Twins desperately need.
Be smart with your waiver claims. Don’t just look at what stats are on the table today. Think about the stats you want to consume the rest of the way.
Hot starts are going to cool off very quickly, but Grissom and Julien could be here for a while. Grabbing them now will serve you better in the end.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.