Jon Morosi (via Twitter) is reporting “Hamilton out 6-8 weeks, non-displaced fracture of humerus in right shoulder.”
Hamilton injured his shoulder this afternoon sliding into home plate. Original reports from Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas had that x-rays were inconclusive giving fantasy owners hope. Unfortunately, this turned into something significant.
When you draft Hamilton you know that you run the risk of him missing time, but you had to hope he’d be able to avoid this type of injury. David Murphy will likely see the bulk of the time in left field in Hamilton’s absence.
Murphy has a little bit of pop in his bat (he’s hit as many 17 HR and had as many as 74 RBI in a season) and showed a little bit of speed in 2011 (14 SB). He instantly becomes a worthy play in all five-outfielder formats.
As for the Rangers lineup, it will be interesting to see how they rearrange things. Ian Kinsler had been batting leadoff to open the year, but he figures to move to the middle of the lineup in an effort to make up for the punch that Hamilton provided. That would leave Elvis Andrus to move back to the leadoff, with Michael Young moving back into the second slot. Both of those players would get slight bumps in value.
If I had to guess, I would think the lineup would be as follows:
- Elvis Andrus – SS
- Michael Young – DH
- Ian Kinsler – 2B
- Adrian Beltre – 3B
- Nelson Cruz – RF
- David Murphy – LF
- Mitch Moreland/Mike Napoli – 1B
- Yorvit Torrealba – C
- Julio Borbon – CF
I could also see them flipping Kinsler and Cruz, but with the depth in the lineup there wouldn’t be much change in their value if they were to flip.
Jeff Wilson (via Twitter) is reporting that Chris Davis will be recalled to take Hamilton’s spot on the roster. Given who is already in place (Moreland/Napoli/Beltre/Young), as well as Davis consistent struggles in the Majors, it is hard to imagine him getting a significant amount of AB. Despite four home runs at Triple-A to open the year, he has struck out eight times in 21 AB. Certainly, the fear is there for him to continue to struggle. He should be monitored, but doesn’t bring much at this point.
It is a tough break, as Hamilton is one of the premier players in the game when he is on the field.
What are your thoughts on this news?
Losing Hamilton is gonna hurt my team BAD. But I guess it’ll hurt anyone who owned him. The best on the wire right now is Murphy and maybe Ibanez. Torres is there as well but he’s not healthy anyway. Is Murphy the better pick of that group?
is Hamilton worth getting in a trade at a discounted price???
It all depends on what you have to give up to get him, but if it is cheap and you have room to stash him then he is absolutely worth it. We all know he is one of the best players, when healthy, so having him for the end would be a great move.