Fantasy Baseball 2019: Hidden Gems to Stream for Injured MLB Players for Week 17

Just like MLB contenders, fantasy managers will spend the final days of July in search of upgrades. While many leagues extend their trade deadlines into August, a storm of major injuries requires immediate attention.

This week has seen three stars land on the injured list for the second time this season. Each of them brought elite ability to the table, so the waiver wire won't provide any perfect fill-in options. Yet spurned gamers can at least ride some hot hands and target players who will lessen the loss in one or two particular categories.

As the stretch run nears, let's highlight these debilitating injures and examine free-agent adds rostered in under 35 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, per FantasyPros' consensus rates. 

Injury Report

Gary Sanchez, C, New York Yankees

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On the verge of a triumphant comeback, Gary Sanchez leads all catchers in home runs (24) and RBI (58) even though he cratered hard (.358 OPS) during a woeful July. If the slump didn't do it already, a left groin strain forced him to forfeit his spot as fantasy's premier backstop.

According to NJ.com's Randy Miller, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone would not estimate the 26-year-old's expected return from the injured list, but he did say his catcher avoided a more severe injury with a Grade 1 diagnosis.

"So in the scale of strains, I guess it's minor," he said. "Somewhat good news. Still, [he's] going to need some time."

This may not offer much solace to those losing Sanchez, but the waiver wire isn't too bleak behind the plate.

Those primarily focused on replacing his power should turn to Roberto Perez. Rostered in just 19 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, the 30-year-old is slugging .473 with a career-high 16 home runs for the Cleveland Indians.

Perez has cooled down from a sizzling June, but Statcast still credits him with personal bests in hard hits, launch angle and barrels. As of Thursday, his .337 weighted on-base percentage (wOBA) mirrors his expected wOBA, so he can continue to provide some cheap pop.

Looking for a hotter hand? Travis d'Arnaud is batting .265/.333/.529 with 11 home runs in 46 games since joining the Tampa Bay Rays.

Fueled by July 15's three-homer outburst against the New York Yankees, the former front-line prospect has posted a 1.152 OPS in 10 second-half games.

While his 29 percent rostered rate keeps climbing, there's still time in a majority of formats to see whether d'Arnaud can sustain his post-hype breakout.

Blake Snell, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

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Blake Snell is heading back to the injured list. Per The Athletic's Josh Tolentino, last year's AL Cy Young Award winner will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow.

The Tampa Bay Rays will hope the 26-year-old will return at some point this season, but this procedure cost Nathan Eovaldi around three months. Snell is set to miss at least four weeks, which is a crushing blow this late into the campaign.

Despite his 4.28 ERA, the lefty delivered 136 strikeouts in 101 innings. Managers will have to roll the dice on high-risk, high-reward hurlers in hope of recuperating some of his lost production.

For better and worse, Reynaldo Lopez fits that bill. The 25-year-old righty carries an unsightly 5.52 ERA and 1.45 WHIP this season, but he has flaunted immense upside by tallying 25 strikeouts with just four runs relinquished over his last three starts.

During this brief surge, Lopez has recorded the sixth-highest swinging-strike rate (16.8 percent) among all qualified starters. He has also attacked the plate, throwing first-pitch strikes to 67.1 percent of batters faced. Despite the recent hot streak, his rostered rate is just 21 percent leading up to a scheduled two-start week.

Lopez's most recent opponent, Zac Gallen, defeated the Chicago White Sox by collecting nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings. The heavily hyped rookie is oddly also available in 79 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues while touting a 2.76 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine (K/9) through six starts.

His debut garnered significant buzz after he cemented a 1.77 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in Triple-A. Although he struggled with command at the onset, the 23-year-old has done little to squash visions of a useful mixed-league contributor.

Joey Gallo, 1B/OF, Texas Rangers

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Joey Gallo had struggled mightily in his return from an oblique injury. In 14 July games, the Texas Rangers slugger batted 7-for-52 with 31 strikeouts.

The 25-year-old won't get a chance to turn the corner anytime soon. Per The Athletic's Levi Weaver, he will undergo surgery on a broken hamate bone in his right wrist. The report noted the procedure typically requires three to six weeks of recovery time.

As Weaver also wrote, Matt Olson's triumphant return offers inspiration for Gallo's long-term prognosis. However, the Oakland Athletics first baseman sat out six weeks and struck out two times in each of his first four games back.

Gallo is another player with an irreplaceable skill set, but there's an off-brand facsimile who can offer plenty of power from the waiver wire.

Miguel Sano, who holds a 29 percent rostered rate, draws the closest parallel as an extreme three-true-outcomes slugger.

Although the 26-year-old's .236 batting average may not rise much higher because of an enormous 37.4 percent strikeout rate, he has already pounded 17 homers with an .900 OPS in 219 plate appearances.

Having gone yard four times in his past six games, Sano could make a huge impact if heating up in the middle of a formidable Minnesota Twins lineup.

Note: All advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless stated otherwise. Rostered rates, updated as of Thursday evening, obtained from FantasyPros.