Fantasy Fallout: Boom, Down Goes Bautista

Here are the fantasy implications following the news that Toronto Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista has been placed on the 15-Day DL with a toe injury.

Season-Long Fantasy

The red-hot Blue Jays have lost a key piece of their offense.

Toronto's perennial slugger isn't expected to miss an ample amount of time, but it will surely hinder the overall production of the Blue Jays' bats.

Bautista hasn't been himself of late, with an ailing hip flexor and now a right toe injury. In his time hitting lead off for Toronto this season, he slashed .244/.343/.465 with five dingers and 13 RBIs through 86 at-bats. He also saw plenty of time batting third, his usual spot, but was hitting a measly .227 with 34 walks and 33 strikeouts.

Over the last seven days, Bautista has hit an alarming .176 without a homer or RBI. Opposing pitchers continue to walk him at an excessive rate and he has racked up a league-leading 48 walks while striking out just 49 times.

Reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson and slugger Edwin Encarnacion will be impacted the most by Bautista's DL stint, but both have been on a roll over their past seven games. Donaldson is hitting an absurd .462 with four extra base hits, two dingers and nine RBIs, while Encarnacion has registered more home runs (6) than strike outs (4).

There are two internal options that could benefit from the loss of Bautista. One is Ezequiel Carrera, who is expected to replace Bautista in the outfield and will likely handle leadoff duties. Carrera is worth stashing on your bench with an intriguing .397 BABIP and 0.44 BB/K.

The other option is left-handed batter Michael Saunders, who has been a fantasy revelation for the Blue Jays and a juggernaut in May, going 17-for-46 with eight runs scored and six extra base hits. He remains unowned in less than 50 percent of fantasy leagues, but that could change quickly in the wake of Bautista's injury.

In most standard fantasy leagues this season, Bautista was drafted anywhere between the second and third rounds - which will surely take a toll on his fantasy owners. If your league offers a DL spot, it's best to slot him in there. If not, a player of his caliber is worth hanging onto, even with the lineup hole it creates.

Daily Fantasy

Bautista's production has fell off a bit after a huge first month that saw him hit five homers with 18 RBIs and a terrific .928 OPS. On most DFS sites, Bautista's price was among the other elite hitters and, with the right matchup, was a staple in all formats.

He was a fixture in most Blue Jays team stacks, and was likely paired with either Donaldson or Encarnacion. Both players will remain highly-owned as the catalysts of Toronto's offense and will continue to be everyday starts as long as they prolong their respective hot streaks.

The Blue Jays have called-up 25-year-old Darrell Ceciliani from Triple-A Buffalo, but to expect him to step in for Bautista and post similar numbers would be an absurd assumption. He's been terrible at the dish in the minors thus far, hitting .217 without a home run and just seven extra base hits. At this point, he's a reach at his minimum price point.

Waiver Wire Targets

• OF Michael Saunders, Toronto Blue Jays: Saunders has the chance to flourish in the heart of the Blue Jays order and boasts similar power to Bautista. He has crushed 12 homers, but only produced 24 RBIs. Nevertheless, Saunders will get opportunities to hit higher in the order, which will immediately increase his chances of cashing in runs.

• OF Curtis Granderson, New York Mets: With 13 homers and 21 RBIs, Granderson and Saunders have similar power, though Granderson's uninspiring .779 OPS will leave him unowned. With a slew of injuries in the outfield, he's the best external option.

• OF Ezequiel Carrera, Toronto Blue Jays: Carrera is the dark horse of the bunch, but is a great addition in head-to-head leagues that use average and runs scored as categories. The light-hitting Carrera is batting .330 with 21 runs scored and four extra base hits in a mostly part-time role.