Here are the fantasy repercussions of New York Mets starting first baseman Lucas Duda being placed on the 15-day DL with a stress fracture in his back. Duda, however, may be out for four-to-six weeks:
Season-long Fantasy Leagues
Duda wasn't a highly sought after first baseman, but he was a serviceable one. The Mets slugger leaves the lineup having hit seven homers along with 19 RBIs in 130 at-bats. Duda and his .231/.297/.431 slash line are owned in just over 50 percent of leagues, so many owners will now be forced to hit the waiver wire in need of help.
Duda owners will mostly be looking to replace the production lost in RBI and home run categories. A .231 batting average and .728 OPS were just mediocre contributions in terms of fantasy purposes.
On the field, the Mets have been replacing Duda via Eric Campbell, a 29-year old who has split the past two years between Triple-A and the big leagues. However, Wilmer Flores is expected to receive top priority at first once he is eligible to return from the DL on Friday, May 27.
Though Flores is likely to see everyday at-bats when healthy, neither he nor Campbell are fantasy options in terms of trying to replace Duda.
Daily Fantasy
From a daily fantasy perspective, the most intriguing option in the Mets organization is the aforementioned Flores. He has some pop in his bat, smashing 16 home runs in 2015, but is hitting just .249. With the right matchup, he could return value.
Ty Kelly is likely to be added to the roster from Triple-A Las Vegas, but isn't a lock to receive playing time. He's batting an astounding .391 but has only two homers and 15 RBIs in 115 at-bats. He doesn't have the power that Duda or even Flores has, but if he starts, his salary will likely sit at the bare minimum on most DFS sites.
Waiver Wire Targets
Justin Bour, Miami Marlins
- Bour has been surprisingly effective this season, slashing .254/.326/.516 along with nine homers and 23 RBI. All of those numbers top Duda's, yet Bour is owned in approximately one of every four leagues. Bour has gone deep six times in the month of May and five of his nine homers have come within the pitcher-friendly confines of Marlins Park.
Steve Pearce, Tampa Bay Rays
- Pearce, usually a platoon player used against left-handed pitching, has been in the lineup more often than not of late, in part due to respective K and BB rates of 10.1 per cent and 12.8 per cent. Owned in 40 percent of leagues, Pearce can be an immediate stop-gap, since he's hit .353 along with six homers in the month of May.