Fantasy updates on Yu Darvish, Daniel Norris, other injured pitchers to draft and stash on DL

Brad Pinkerton

Fantasy updates on Yu Darvish, Daniel Norris, other injured pitchers to draft and stash on DL image

When you're caught up in a fantasy baseball draft, it's easy to ignore or forget the injured pitchers starting the season on the disabled list who get buried in the fantasy rankings.  

For example, you may totally rule out the Rangers' Yu Darvish, who could return from Tommy John surgery sooner than you might think, or completely forget about fantasy sleeper Daniel Norris, who'll start the year on the DL with a back injury that sounds worse than it really is.  

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In some cases, these injured players are the best fantasy values in the draft because of their low ranking and DL-eligibility, essentially giving you a free roster spot for another sleeper or waiver-wire pickup. Let's look at key fantasy pitchers who will start the year on the DL but could make a significant fantasy impact at a discount price; you can check out the DL-bound value hitters here. 

When will Yu Darvish return from injury? 

As we mentioned yesterday, the Rangers expect Yu Darvish to return from the disabled list by the end of May. Darvish is ranked pretty low across the board because of the risks as he returns from Tommy John surgery, but if fantasy owners are able to get four months (20-plus starts) from him, he becomes a sneaky, mid-round pick with ace upside once he returns. That's worth stashing on the DL and freeing up another roster spot for a sleeper like...

Daniel Norris injury update 

We've kept Daniel Norris in our Preseason Sleepers list despite the fact that he's going to start the season on the DL with non-displaced fractures in his back, which actually sounds worse than it is. Norris is close to resuming baseball activities and could be ready to return by the end of April. The real concern for Norris is that injury may have cost him his spot in the Tigers rotation, at least to start the season, but Shane Greene is no lock to keep the No. 5 spot. Plus, Anibal Sanchez (triceps) is already hurt, and No. 4 Mike Pelfrey flat out sucks. Norris will get his chance soon, one way or another. 

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Fantasy sleeper Lance McCullers to DL 

Another popular fantasy sleeper, Lance McCullers, will also start the season on the DL with a minor shoulder injury. That's driving down his draft stock, but McCullers could be back in April and still comes with high-K upside for one of the best teams in baseball. He's worth stashing for the early part of the season.  

Brad Boxberger injury update

Rays closer Brad Boxberger is about two weeks into his eight-week timetable after having core muscle surgery and is targeting a mid-May return. Normally we'd shy away from so-so closers missing so much time to start the season, but the Rays don't have any great options who could run away with the job in Boxberger's absence. Danny Farquhar and Alex Colome will share closing duties to start and are both decent fantasy sleepers, but neither is a great bet to lock down the job all season. In other words, Tampa could be eager to get Boxberger back in the ninth ASAP. 

Kevin Gausman's fantasy outlook 

Fantasy owners will have to wait a little longer for Kevin Gausman to live up to his fantasy sleeper status as the righthander will start the year on the DL with a shoulder injury. Gausman is only expected to miss about two-plus weeks, though, and would deserve immediate fantasy attention when healthy because of his strikeout potential. If you have an open DL spot, think about stashing Gausman after the draft. 

Brad Pinkerton