Rangers' Josh Hamilton Goes to the DL With Shoulder Injury & Fantasy Replacements

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· April 13, 2011

Josh Hamilton will miss 6-8 weeks after fracturing his right shoulder on a slide into home plate Tuesday against Detroit.

You knew it was coming but you drafted him anyway. As much as you prayed that the Rangers could stay healthy for the whole season, it just wasn’t meant to be. The problem was that the reward was worth the risk. Hamilton is as good as they come when healthy as seen in 2008 (.304 / 96 / 32 / 130) and 2010 (.359 / 95 / 32 / 100).

So what do you now? Do you sit in the corner crying and eating ice cream? Well, maybe for a little bit. But eventually you drag yourself over to the computer and scour the wire.

When a player of this caliber goes down, there will be no replacements on the waiver wire that will satisfy your needs, but who you pick up can make or break your season. Remember to play your additions while they are hot and not to be afraid to quickly drop and move on. Hopefully one of the five following players can last on your team for the next two months until Hamilton returns.

David Murphy, Texas Rangers – With Hamilton out, Murphy will definitely benefit the most on the roster. Murphy has proven he can hit for average, power and speed but since joining Texas has always been a fill-in for when the more talented outfielders went down (which in Texas has been quite often). In 12 at bats so far, Murphy is hitting .417 with a home run and 2 stolen bases. As of tonight he is only owned in 31% of Y! leagues and 3.5% of ESPN.

Ben Francisco, Philadelphia Phillies – The cards seem to have finally fallen into place for the five year veteran. Jayson Werth is gone and with Dominic Brown having no timetable for return, the job is Francisco's as long as he performs. A .306 average, two home runs, seven runs and seven RBI is more than you could ask from Francisco. The power has always been there – he's just needed the AB's and 2011 is looking good for that. Ben is only owned in 49% Y! leagues but in ESPN is at 70%

Logan Morrison, Florida Marlins – Instead of pitting Morrison against Gaby Sanchez, Florida moved Logan to left field. A wise choice so far as he is batting .333 with 2 home runs and a 1.082 OPS. Morrison has a high ceiling, so even if you don't pick him up right now, he is someone to definitely keep on your watch list. Only owned in 46% of Y! leagues.

Sam Fuld, Tampa Bay Rays – With Manny Ramirez's retirement, up comes Sam Fuld. Fantasy owners are still looking for a little more proof that the kid can do more than run (5 SB) and yesterday he took the first step. Two doubles, a triple and a home run later and Fuld jumped from practically being unowned to about 20% in Y! leagues.

Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals – Like Gordon Beckham, fantasy owners have been waiting for years for Gordon to finally show his natural abilities. Gordon has certainly started off strong, batting .357 with nine runs and a .948 OPS. Gordon saw a jump from about 8% to 77% this past week in ESPN, so you may have missed the boat already.

(April 11, 2011 – Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America)

Written by Evan Marx exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com

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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, 2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Evan Marx, Josh Hamilton, DL, Texas Rangers

Rangers' Josh Hamilton Goes to the DL With Shoulder Injury & Fantasy Replacements