Major League Baseball’s injury problem this season has been well documented. This week, two more first-round talents went down with injuries as New York Mets’ pitcher Jacob deGrom and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich aggravated lat and back injuries, respectively. 
 
As The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal outlined, IL placements are up 15 per cent across the league. More specifically, the league has seen a 22 per cent increase in pitchers being shelved. Soft- tissue injuries are rising quickly, doubling in frequency compared to the first month of the 2019 season. 
 
It’s impossible to tell whether increase has been due to the irregular off-season or just bad luck. In either case, fantasy managers have had to be quick on the waiver wire to find suitable roster replacements. 
 
Here are six players rostered in under 50 per cent of ESPN leagues that managers can add to fill their roster voids.
 

Hitters

Willie Calhoun, DH, Texas Rangers (11.5 per cent rostered)
 
Calhoun started the season on the injured list but has stepped up following the demotion of centre fielder Leody Taveras. In 81 plate appearances, the 26-year-old has hit three home runs to go along with an excellent .329 average. 
 
Calhoun has reached base in all but one of his appearances and has recorded multiple hits in four of his past eight games. The former top prospect has been placed in a premium lineup spot, hitting leadoff against right-handed pitching. 
 
Calhoun has shown good power potential in the past, hitting 21 home runs in 83 games in 2019 but injuries and defensive struggles have kept him from consistently being an everyday player. For the moment, Calhoun plays most days, only sitting against the occasional left hander, giving him a great chance to produce like he did two seasons ago.
 
His average will eventually fall but a palatable 13.9 per cent strikeout rate indicates he is making enough contact to maintain a solid in that department all season.
 
Calhoun only qualifies at the UTIL position in ESPN leagues but has started four games in left field over the past week. Depending on your fantasy league settings, Calhoun could qualify as an outfielder with just one more start in the field, making him must more valuable.
 
William Contreras, C, Atlanta Braves (10.3 per cent rostered)
 
Another week, and another catcher looks to be moving towards fantasy relevance. The name should look familiar as William’s brother, Willson, is a two-time all-star and World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs.
 
The younger Contreras has a similar toolset to his brother’s, showing the ability to make hard contact with an aggressive plate approach. The Braves’ No. 6 prospect has produced well in the minor leagues, making MiLB All-Star teams in 2018 and 2019. 
 
Contreras worked at the Brave’s alternate site last season and made great strides behind the plate, giving the team enough confidence to bring him up and replace Travis D’Arnaud, who was placed on the 60-day IL.
 
He started his major-league career off quickly, collecting eight hits over his first 15 plate appearances. In six games this season, the 23-year-old has one home run and six RBI. As long as his defence doesn’t force him out of the lineup, Contreras should get the majority of the starts in a powerful Braves lineup. 
 
There will likely be peaks and valleys, as he has never played a full season above Double-A but he is worth a flier for managers struggling at the catcher position.
 
Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (31 per cent rostered)
 
Some might see this as a premature move, but Franco’s performance since being called up to Triple-A has significantly shortened the window that managers have to add and stash him.
 
In three games since being promoted, Franco has collected five hits, including three extra base hits, four RBI and a stolen base. On a 20-80 grading scale, the 20-year-old has an 80 hit tool and a 70 power tool as a switch hitter, so the early returns aren’t a fluke. 
 
Franco makes consistent contact and has never hit below .300 over a full season at any minor-league level and has walked 84 times to just 56 strikeouts in 178 games.
 
The league’s top prospect has all the physical tools needed to make an impact as soon as he reaches the majors. His power, speed, and ability to hit for average makes him a must-stash until he finally gets the call this summer. 
 
Other Options: Jarred Kelenic, OF, Seattle Mariners (48 per cent rostered), Hunter Dozier, 1B/3B/OF, Kansas City Royals (41 per cent rostered), Josh Harrison, 2B/3B, Washington Nationals (36 per cent rostered)


Pitchers

Shane McClanahan, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (22.0 per cent rostered)
 
McClanahan has been very impressive since being called up by the Rays. In his first two starts above Double-A, the 24-year-old lefty has struck out 32.3 per cent of the batters he faced and allowed just two earned runs and seven hits. His third start didn’t go quite as well as he allowed three runs over four innings. 
 
McClanahan features a 98 MPH fastball, 90 MPH slider, and 90 MPH changeup that had helped him generate 40.2 per cent called strikes plus whiffs.
 
The downside to McClanahan will be an innings limit. The Rays have a history of bringing their pitchers along slowly and they have not veered off of that path for McClanahan. He has gone just four innings in each of his two starts, throwing no more than 63 pitches.
 
However, he was allowed to go 80 pitches in his third start and a more efficient outing would have seen him go into the fifth inning for the first time. 
 
Managers in quality starts leagues might need to wait as the Rays ramp up his workload. However, he should soon be stretched out enough to hit the five-inning mark to qualify for wins. Until then, he will still contribute plenty of strikeouts and good ratios in his abbreviated appearances. 
 
JT Brubaker, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (42.8 per cent rostered)
 
Brubaker has been listed as an “other option” for the past two weeks but earned a promotion to a featured spot after another solid performance, allowing just two earned runs over five innings against the San Diego Padres. 
 
Through six starts, Brubaker has a 2-2 record with a 2.78 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. After a rough 2020, the 27-year-old improved his both strikeout and walk rates and now ranks 23rd among all starters with a 4.63 strikeout to walk ratio.
 
He doesn’t have an overpowering arsenal, but he does not allow a lot of hard contact and generates a 57 per cent ground ball rate. A solid xFIP of 3.10 indicates there might be some regression in his performance but he should be able to maintain an ERA in the threes if he continues to use his slider/sinker combination to keep hitters off balance.
 
Tyler Rogers, RP, San Francisco Giants (22.1 per cent rostered)
 
Jake McGee started the season on a major roll but has come crashing down over his past few games. The veteran closer collected six saves and did not allow a run in his first eight appearances. Over his next seven appearances, McGee has a 10.80 ERA and has allowed an opponent’s batting average of .344, prompting manager Gabe Kapler to consider Rogers in the ninth inning.

 
In 18.2 innings this season Rogers has collected two saves and posted a sparkling 0.96 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. He only has 10 strikeouts this season and is near the bottom of the league in terms of missing bats, but the rest of his Statcast profile paints a very good picture.

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Rogers’ elite xERA, xSLG, and xWOBA indicate that, despite the lack of strikeouts, his ability to induce soft contact will continue to find success.
 
Rogers is not the closer right now but managers chasing saves on the wire, or those in holds leagues, should keep an eye on the Giants’ bullpen situation. 

Other Options: Wade Miley, SP, Cincinnati Reds (48.1 per cent rostered), Taijuan Walker, SP, New York Mets (43 per cent rostered), Domingo German, 40.9 per cent rostered), Jordan Romano, RP, Toronto Blue Jays (31.5 per cent rostered)