Major League Baseball

MLB Quick Hits: V-Mart could be headed for DL

Published May. 19, 2015 6:23 a.m. ET

John Halpin

Tigers DH Victor Martinez - who had knee surgery in February - is struggling, particularly from the left side of the plate. For the season, Martinez is batting .216 with one home run, 15 RBI, nine runs and a .578 OPS. After Monday's game, manager Brad Ausmus said that the team would have to "at least talk about other options," and did not rule out a trip to the DL. It's hard to say when, or if, this situation will improve. If Martinez doesn't go on the DL, fantasy owners in shallower leagues can consider waiving him as long as a solid replacement is available, Tweet me (@jhalpin37) with specific questions if you have them.

In other news ...

The MRI on Jayson Werth's left wrist showed no break, but a DL stint is still a possibility. Don't expect Werth to play tonight.

Indians 1B Carlos Santana was scratched Monday due to back spasms, but the issue doesn't sound serious.

Angels 3B David Freese hit his seventh home run of the season on Monday. Freese hit 10 homers in all of 2014, and nine in 2013. You shouldn't expect his current pace to continue, as most of the underlying numbers (batted ball rates, etc.) look like they usually do.

A's SP Drew Pomeranz left Monday's game in the fifth inning due to shoulder tightness. His status is TBD.

Marlins SP Jarred Cosart is on the DL due to vertigo. Because of that, I can't stop thinking about Lucille 2 from Arrested Development.

The Brewers sent 2B Scooter Gennett to the minors, because that's what you do with a guy who has 20 bad games after hitting .300 over the previous full season. Just like at shortstop, manager Craig Counsell says he'll use the hot hand. Hector Gomez, Elian Herrera and Luis Sardinas are handling the two middle infield spots. Ugh.

Yankees SP Chase Whitley will have season-ending Tommy John surgery. Teammate Masahiro Tanaka (forearm) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Thursday, and it's possible that he'll need just one start before being activated.

Rockies SP Jordan Lyles wasn't so great as Monday's streaming starter selection. Today's pick is Mets SP Jon Niese (owned in 19.4 percent of FOXSports.com leagues), who always pitches better at home. He'll face the Cardinals, and is the best of some mediocre streaming options.

DFS advice (salaries from DraftKings): The best SP options appear to be Sonny Gray ($10,100) at Houston, Michael Wacha ($8,300) at New York, and Anibal Sanchez ($8,100) versus the Brewers. I know the Cubs whiff a lot against RHP, but they're scoring a lot of runs, and I'd avoid James Shields against them. I'm going Wacha/Sanchez ... Angels SP Hector Santiago struggles against righties, and the Blue Jays kill LHP. Stack some Jays if you can, with 3B Josh Donaldson ($4,800) leading the way ... Steady Freddie Freeman ($4,700) is a solid play against Erasmo Ramirez ... Pirates 2B Neil Walker ($3,700) comes at a good price against a bad pitcher in Ricky Nolasco ... If you're paying up for an OF, Giancarlo Stanton ($5,200) is $400 cheaper than Bryce Harper ... Indians OF Ryan Raburn ($2,700) is likely to bat cleanup again because he mashes LHP, and he can't be ignored at this price.