Hanley Ramirez Injured; Who Should Fantasy Players Target?

July 22, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Jared Byrd
Edited by Ryan R. Bonini

Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) partially dislocated his left shoulder, Sunday, July 22, against the Cincinnati Reds. While the initial diagnosis is that he is day-to-day, there is still a possibility he could end up on the disabled list.

The injury happened in the bottom of the first inning, when Ramirez swung and missed at an 0-1 pitch from starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo. He immediately grabbed his shoulder and walked back to the dugout.

Ramirez is batting .336 this season, with 16 home runs, 46 runs batted in and 27 stolen bases. He also leads the National League with 132 hits. While many National League shortstops are enjoying solid offensive seasons, Ramirez's combination of power and speed will still be difficult to replace in fantasy lineups if he misses any significant playing time.

Fantasy owners need to be concerned because Ramirez, even if he doesn't miss much time, could see his production suffer if he isn't 100 percent healthy. Furthermore, one should be worried because shoulder dislocations can become problematic and linger.

Viable replacement options in your fantasy baseball league include Milwaukee Brewers infielder Tony Graffanino and Chicago Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot. Graffanino is hitting .246 on the season with eight home runs and 24 RBI. Theriot can provide more help in all categories, as he has swiped 16 stolen bases to go along with two homers, 26 RBI, 47 runs with a .278 batting average. While neither player will be able to provide the same bang Ramirez can, both could be used as stop-gap options to fill the void if he's out for any period of time.

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Jared Byrd
Byrd has served as a Hot Off the Wire Analyst with KFFL since 2003, covering both the NFL and MLB. A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he has played fantasy football since 1997, and fantasy baseball, basketball, and hockey since 2001.

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