Fantasy Fallout: Tulowitzki DL News Has Fantasy Owners Treading Water

Here are the fantasy repercussions following the news Saturday morning that Toronto Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki would hit the 15-day disabled list with a right quad strain:

Season-Long Fantasy

The Jays evidently knew the possibility of a DL stint was coming; despite calling up 2B Devon Travis from the DL earlier this week, they opted to keep both utility infielders Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney on the big league roster. Now, both will have a chance to further establish their value to Toronto before one inevitably gets sent to triple-A Buffalo.

They'll both see regular action as stop-gap shortstops and as off-day fill-ins for Travis at 2B. What they'll actually do with their plate appearances is another question.

Goins filled-in admirably during the 2015 postseason run while Travis injured, but a .151 BA and .442 OPS renders his glove unplayable. Nostalgia can only ensure playing time for so long when the bat makes for an easy out (just ask Munenori Kawasaki).

Barney, the former Cubs Gold-Glover, is hitting .301/.338/.411 in 77 PAs this season while providing good defense at second and third base as well as shortstop. While his .357 BABIP and 26.3 percent line drive rate scream regression, he'll see more PAs than Goins while Tulowitzki is out.

The career lefty-righty splits for Barney aren't great, but even with line drive-inflated stats in 2016, he's hitting for better average (.317) versus lefties while hitting for more power (.792 OPS) against righties. Assuming that Barney can gain SS eligibility over the next week, he'll provide some short term depth at a position sorely needing a spark.

The most interesting player to watch will be OF Michael Saunders, who was bumped to the clean-up spot when OF Jose Bautista assumed lead-off duties. Tulowitzki had ranked fifth in homers among SS-eligible batters, but his .204 BA didn't offer much protection.

Now, not only will Saunders be in a premier slot for driving in runs, but he'll now have 1B Justin Smoak batting behind him on a full-time basis. That will surely give a bump to Saunders' run totals.

As for Tulowitski himself, his owners really have no choice but to keep him. His trade value has never been lower and he was being drafted as a fifth-round talent and third SS off the board, as per FantasyPros. Cross your fingers and hope that a recovery from injury could be a precursor to improved contact at the dish.

Daily Fantasy

Barney is a great DFS option. At his price, he really only needs a hit and an RBI or run to return value. He can be used in cash games when facing a left-handed pitcher or in tournaments when facing a righty where his minimal power has nevertheless seen a slight boost this season.

Saunders is still quite cheap, and his .302/.383/.549 slash line with nine homers, 11 doubles and a triple warrants inclusion in any lineup. If Bautista was the one putting up those numbers, he'd likely be an All-Star Game starter. Saunders gives you big-time production at a no-name-brand price point.

Waiver Wire Targets

• SS Marcus Semien, Oakland Athletics: Semien ranks behind only Trevor Story and Manny Machado in HRs by shortstops. His slash line is ugly, but really no worse than what Tulowitzki had accomplished to date.

• 3B/SS Eduardo Nunez, Minnesota Twins: If you're tired of Tulo bringing down your batting average with each PA, Nunez has been a serviceable lead-off man in Minnesota, hitting .317 with a .349 OBP. His power isn't as pure as Tulowitzki's, but with eight steals, he can certainly contribute in other ways.

• SS Jose Reyes, Colorado Rockies: Reyes is eligible to return to baseball on June 1, and though he'll spend some time in the minors getting back up to game speed, he could be back in the majors shortly. The Rockies have an incentive to make him look serviceable, if only to trade him without assuming all of his contract. This is a lottery ticket for desperate fantasy players.