Major League Baseball

MLB Quick Hits: Nats' Werth out until at least August

Published May. 29, 2015 4:04 a.m. ET

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John Halpin

Jayson Werth's bruised left wrist is actually a fractured left wrist, per a new exam on Thursday. Werth is not expected to return before August, and you can feel free to waive him in shallow redraft leagues.

The Nats' website sees a continued rotation of Tyler Moore, Michael Taylor and Clint Robinson replacing Werth in left field, but the Washington Post beat writer seems to think that playing Taylor regularly would be the best bet. In an NL-only league, I'd want Robinson if he's still available. The guy might be 30 years old, but his minor-league track record suggests that he'll hit decently if given the chance. Here's some background on Robinson from minor-league maven John Sickels.

In other news ...

Justin Verlander (triceps) is scheduled to make a Sunday rehab start, and could be back with the Tigers soon if all goes well. Teammate Miguel Cabrera left Thursday's game a few innings after getting hit in the right foot by a pitch, but he's expected to play tonight.

Look for Masahiro Tanaka to return to the Yankees' rotation next Tuesday or Wednesday in Seattle. Tanaka will probably be limited to 80 pitches, so you should avoid him in DFS contests.

I tend to advise caution with rookie pitchers as much as the next early morning fantasy baseball blogger, but Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez looked awfully good in his big-league debut on Thursday. Rodriguez was supposed to go back to Triple A after the start, but will probably stick around for awhile. He's worth a pickup, and even a modest FAAB investment or waiver priority, in most formats.

In other Sox news, SS Xander Bogaerts is day-to-day with a bruised forearm, and OF Hanley Ramirez credited volunteer hitting coach Dustin Pedroia for his Thursday home run. Apparently, Pedroia watched video of Ramirez on Thursday morning, pointed out a flaw, and worked with his teammate in the batting cage. Well done, Pedroia.

Indians 1B Carlos Santana is on the paternity list, and might miss the entire weekend. Santana's baby daughter only has a nickname so far.

Angels SS Erick Aybar left Thursday's game due to a hamstring injury, but is not expected to need a DL stint. He might miss a few days, though.

A's SP Scott Kazmir hopes to miss only one start with "weakness" in his shoulder. It sounds like Kazmir dodged a bullet.

Thanks to Chris Heston for being a terrific choice as Thursday's streaming starter. The weekend selections are: Rubby De La Rosa (30 percent owned) at Milwaukee on Friday; Jon Niese (9.5 percent owned) against the Marlins on Saturday; and Drew Hutchison (25.9 percent owned) at Minnesota on Sunday.

DFS advice (based on 50/50 games, salaries from DraftKings, Royals-Cubs not included): Matt Harvey ($10,600) is preferable to slightly less expensive options Cole Hamels and James Shields as tonight's ace. As I write this before 6 a.m., I'm debating Harvey/Shields vs. Harvey/budget; the hitters listed below are based on Harvey/Shields ... Trevor Bauer ($8,100) and Rubby ($6,400) are solid sidekicks, depending on how much you'd like to save ... Lefty killer Derek Norris ($3,200) is worth the modest investment against Francisco Liriano ... 2B Jose Altuve ($4,400) is a lock vs. LHP Carlos Rodon ... Your super-cheap special is Padres 2B/3B/leadoff hitter Yangervis Solarte ($2,900) ... None of the shortstops stand out, but Brandon Crawford ($3,800) looks solid against a young SP ... My non-Harper OF approach today is the mid-priced trio of J.D. Martinez ($4,000), Joc Pederson ($3,800) and Delino DeShields ($3,800). DeShields appears to have taken over the Rangers' leadoff spot, but don't expect to see him at second base regularly ... If you want to sub in Brett Gardner or Rajai Davis for DeShields at the same price, I won't argue.

See you back here Monday morning.

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