Fantasy Baseball: Which Injured Players Should You Draft and Stash?

Ervin Santana, SP, Minnesota Twins

Ervin Santana will miss at least the first month-and-a-half of the season, perhaps longer, after having surgery on the middle finger of his pitching hand. Santana had an excellent season -- at least according to the back of his baseball card -- as he went 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 211.1 innings. However, his fielding independent pitching (FIP) of 4.46 and home runs per nine inning rate (HR/9) of 1.32 (his highest since 2012) indicate a pitcher who got away with a lot last season.

And now, the man with a 19.3% strikeout rate last year (40th out of 56 qualified MLB starters) is going to be out until at least mid-to-late May with a wear-and-tear issue on the middle finger of his pitching hand. We project Santana will amass 150 innings this campaign with a 4.59 ERA and just 118 strikeouts. Even if he was healthy, he's a pitcher whose low strikeout total makes him a less-than-enticing fantasy option to begin with. His current ADP of 220.71 puts him in the 18th round in 12-team leagues, so owners would be smart to stay away from drafting him altogether.