Fantasy Baseball outlook: April 20
With a shortened spring training multiple players have been placed on the injured list which has an impact on the fantasy world.
Braves star Ronald Acuna is projected to be back at the start of May and will provide a boost to lineups everywhere while starter Mike Soroka is projected to be back in August.
Starter John Means got off to a solid start to the season but he will be out until mid-June while Chris Sale is expected to rejoin the Red Sox at the beginning of June.
The White Sox are expected to get back left fielder Eloy Jimenez, right fielder AJ Pollock and starter Lucas Giolito this weekend.
Third baseman Yoan Moncada, starter Casey Mize and starter Luis Castillo will be back at the beginning of May.
Second baseman Jose Altuve and reliever Ryan Pressly are projected to be back before the end of the month for the Astros.
Starter Dustin May is recovering from Tommy John and will be back in mid-August while star starter Jacob DeGrom will be back at the beginning of June.
Padres’ shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will probably be back at the start of June along with starter Matt Boyd and reliever Alex Reyes.
If you are looking for a first base replacement Ji-Man Choi should be a top option as he plays for the Rays and is averaging 3.4 points on the season.
Austin Nola has been a consistent catcher for the Padres so far this season and has not had many bad games.
Pirates' second baseman Michael Chavis has started pretty well at the plate and could serve as a short-term injury fix.
At third, Patrick Wisdom is averaging over two points a game and has eligibility at first base and outfield.
Jeremy Pena has played well after taking over for Carlos Correa at shortstop and could prove to be a good player to stash on the bench.
In the outfield, Seth Brown will continue to get looks for the Athletics while Brandon Nimmo is a sneaky candidate to overperform this season as he will likely hit leadoff a lot this season.
If you need a long-term starter, roll the dice on a pitcher like Josiah Gray who has a lot of potential in his first full season as a starter.
Steven Wilson has been a strikeout machine so far with 11 strikeouts as a reliever and Hansel Robles has been fantastic so far for the Red Sox.
For streamers, Michael Wacha would be a great pick against his former team as he has a 0.96 ERA in two starts this season.
On Saturday go with Matt Brash of the Mariners who will face the Royals and has gone at least five innings in each start this year.
Sunday Josiah Gray will pitch and has 20 points in his last two starts which were against the Diamondbacks and a dangerous Braves lineup.
James Morrison is a sophomore majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email jpm6920@psu.edu.
