It’s always something with this cat.
The much-maligned Alex Rodriguez suffered a fracture in his left hand after being struck with a ball Tuesday night, forcing the third baseman to the sidelines for an expected six-to-eight weeks. Though Rodriguez was having one of his worst campaigns in his 19-year career, the 14-time All-Star remained relevant in the fantasy forum thanks to 15 homers and a respectable .354 OBP on the season, and had recently shown signs of life at the plate, hitting .310 in the month of July.
Eric Chavez is envisioned to man the hot corner for the Bronx Bombers, but better rotisserie options exist for those looking to fill A-Rod’s void. Keeping the position and offensive output in mind, here are a few viable replacements:
Jeff Keppinger, Rays: Keppinger has been a pleasant surprise for Tampa this season, posting a .325/.397/.436 line in 53 games with the Rays. He’s been especially hot as of late, hitting .389 with a .532 OBP in his last 11 contests. Though he mainly makes his appearances at third, Keppinger, owned in just 3.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, has the added bonus of eligibility at second base.
Todd Frazier, Reds: We mentioned the Reds rookie in this space when Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista went down, but apparently owners did not heed the advice, as Frazier is still available in 97 percent of formats. Jokes on you, however, as Frazier has been seeing regular time with Joey Votto out, hitting .324 since the All-Star break. On the year, Frazier is hitting .285 with 10 homers and 33 RBI in just 214 at bats.
Brandon Inge, A’s: Sure, this may seem like a reach, but in AL-only leagues, Inge’s three bombs in the past five days have to be given notice. In fact, in his last 51 games with Oakland, Inge has nine jacks and 41 ribbies to his credit. If you can take the average hit, Inge is your man.
Denard Span, Twins: For those looking for offensive help rather than third base assistance, Span is an available entity (owned in just 8.2 of leagues) that can provide average contributions, as the Minnesota outfielder is raking in the second half, going 14-for-39 in his last 10 games.
