Fantasy Baseball 2020: Top Replacements for Injured MLB Players for Week 3

The fantasy baseball waiver wire is robust with outfielders who could replace some of the production lost because of the injuries suffered by Ronald Acuna Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton.

Acuna is out until at least Monday with a wrist issue, while Stanton was placed on the 10-day injured list during the third week of the Major League Baseball season.

Some replacements have already been scooped up in the initial wave of transactions following the injuries, and a handful of others could disappear from the waiver wire in the coming days as owners try to find the right players to slot in.

Anthony Santander and Robbie Grossman caught our attention by going yard Wednesday, while Dylan Moore has been solid at the plate and has positional versatility that could be valuable for the rest of the season.

Top Fantasy Baseball Replacements

Anthony Santander, OF, Baltimore

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Santander has become one of the hottest fixtures on the waiver wire since he recorded a hit and one RBI in every game from August 7 to 13.

He flashed his power on two occasions in that stretch, including once in a win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday in which he also produced a double.

Santander's weekend matchup with the Washington Nationals should reap rewards for those who pick him up. He had four hits, one double, one home run and six RBI last weekend against Washington. At minimum, the Baltimore Orioles outfielder can be a weekend fill-in for Acuna, who missed two games against the New York Yankees and is out for the series with the Miami Marlins, per Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Stanton's prognosis is more grim. The Yankees outfielder is expected to miss three to four weeks with a hamstring injury, per ESPN.

After Santander faces the Washington Nationals, he takes on the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox as part of a 10-game home stand. In 2019, the 25-year-old recorded 24 hits and 12 RBI in his meetings with the Blue Jays and Red Sox.

If Santander remains hot during that stretch, he could be used as a complement to Acuna if he returns Tuesday, or as a plug-and-play option when others are off or given a rest day.

Robbie Grossman, OF, Oakland

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Grossman may not show up on your initial scour of the waiver wire, but he is one of the best deeper cuts to add right now. The Oakland Athletics outfielder has hit a home run in three of his past five games, two of which occurred against the Houston Astros.

In that five-game span, Grossman picked up seven hits, five runs and a pair of stolen bases.

He is not the top bat in an Oakland lineup that features Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, but he has been a reliable force in the bottom half of the order. The power run may not hold up since he has hit over 10 home runs once in his career, but the on-base consistency should remain the same.

Grossman is coming off back-to-back 100-hit seasons, and he provides more of an impact in stolen bases than other available options at his position. 

The next week should be favorable for him, as the next seven games come against San Francisco and Arizona. The Giants and Diamondbacks rank second and third, respectively, behind the Seattle Mariners for most earned runs conceded by a pitching staff.

Dylan Moore, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Seattle

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Moore has already played at first base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field in three weeks for the Seattle Mariners.

His positional versatility and form at the plate have led to an uptick in waiver-wire pickups.

Moore owns five multi-hit performances—two of which were of the three-hit variety. He also had five RBI in two-day span Sunday and Monday.

The only downfall when comparing Moore to Grossman and Santander is the rough schedule he will face over the next week. Seattle plays seven games against Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The first five of those clashes come on the road, and it is worth noting Moore hit two of his three home runs and had a pair of three-RBI games away from Seattle.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.