Three up, three down: Konnor Griffin’s injury leaves Fantasy managers scrambling for solutions

The shortstop position is deep until it isn’t. That was the case coming into the season, and it hasn’t become any less true as the season has gone on. Sure, we’ve seen a huge breakout from Otto Lopez along with the expected but still needed emergence of Kevin McGonigle and JJ Wetherholt, who have reinforced the top few tiers of the position, which still has star power basically nowhere can match. But, with Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Geraldo Perdomo and Jacob Wilson disappointing and Bo Bichette likely being used at third base in most leagues, you could make an argument that the top few tiers at shortstop are actually a little shallower than they were coming into the season.

And we got another hit Tuesday with news that Konnor Griffin is dealing with a torn tendon in his left ring finger that could cost him much of the rest of the season. He went on the IL Tuesday and will opt for rest and rehab rather than surgery to fix the issue, which could involve wearing a splint on the finger for up to six weeks. After that point, he’ll have to ramp back up for baseball activities, so we could be looking at up to 10 weeks before Griffin is back in the lineup for the Pirates. 

And there just aren’t a ton of good options to replace Griffin on the wire. And certainly nobody with the kind of upside you were hoping Griffin could provide in the second half of the season. So, we’ll look for some waiver-wire targets who could help, but also some trade options you should be trying to pry away from their teams who could make as big an impact as you were hoping for from Griffin.

Three SS to target on waivers

• Jose Caballero, Yankees (74%) – I don’t really think there’s much room for Caballero’s roster rate to go up. If you happen to play in a categories league where he is available, he’ll give you a boost in steals (even if I don’t buy the power production this season at all). 
• Nasim Nunez, Nationals (45%) – Nunez seems like one of the more one-dimensional choices you could make, but he is leading the majors in steals and hitting over .300 since the start of June. There’s no reason to expect that to last – his xBA is just .228 since June 1 despite the success – but he’s hot right now and will definitely steal a bunch of bases. 
• Cooper Pratt, Brewers (31%) – I’m not a huge believer in Pratt, but he’s got some interesting stuff going on under the hood, most notably a .305 expected batting average. That, combined with his good approach at the plate and aggressiveness on the bases, could make him a second-half sleeper. 

Two SS to target via trade

• Trea Turner, Phillies – Turner is starting to look more like himself over the past few weeks, hitting .338/.363/.519 since June 17, so the buy-low window might be starting to close. But the overall numbers are still pretty terrible (he’s hitting .242), so I don’t think anyone is valuing him as the second- or third-round caliber player he was coming into the season. And rightly so – at 33, Turner is probably just in his decline phase. But that doesn’t mean he can’t play like that kind of player for the final two months of the season, and that upside makes it worth targeting him even if it isn’t the likeliest outcome anymore. 
• Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks – As I wrote in Tuesday’s newsletter, we’re starting to see some real signs of life from Perdomo, who has hit .283/.396/.398 since the start of June. He has had some trouble on the bases, going six for 11 on steal attempts, which has muted the impact a bit. The skill set still looks very similar to last season, and it wouldn’t shock me if he got hot, tapped into a bit more power, and was a true impact bat in the second half. Again, it isn’t the likeliest outcome here, but it’s one I still believe Perdomo is capable of providing. 

Pre-game Lineup Card

Here’s what you might have missed from CBSSports.com’s MLB coverage in recent days: 

IL Stash rankings. Scott White ranks the top 50 players to keep stashed on your IL heading into the second half of the season. 

Bullpen Report. Tyler Wells looks like the top option in the ninth inning for the Orioles. Who else is working their way into the ninth-inning situations? Scott White looks into it. 

Top 25 trade candidates. Tarik Skubal could be on the move, and he’s not the only big name who could be traded by the end of the month. Mike Axisa ranks the biggest names on the market. 

Caminero for MVP? Matt Snyder looks into how Junior Caminero has played his way into the AL MVP conversation. 

Deadline buyers’ guide. Where every team stands less than four weeks out. 

Hitting the Wire

The top waiver-wire targets from Tuesday’s action: 

Luis Lara, OF, Brewers (27%) – The Brewers called up top outfield prospect Lara Tuesday, about a month after he signed a seven-year, $31 million deal that seemed to pave the way for his promotion. And he’s a potential Griffin replacement for Fantasy, if not in position, potentially in skill set. Lara is very fast and was enjoying a breakout season in Triple-A, hitting .321/.432/.470 with 24 steals in 78 games. There isn’t a ton of power to speak of here, either in-game or with the underlying raw power, but he isn’t a total slap hitter either, and in typical Brewers fashion, he is highly optimized as a hitter, especially with regards to his plate discipline. The biggest problem with adding him is that I’m just not 100% sure where he is supposed to play on an everyday basis unless the Brewers are ready to just pull the plug on Sal Frelick. They might be, and Lara is talented enough to get hot quickly and force their hand, but the uncertainty about his role is the biggest thing making it hard to suggest adding him in all leagues right now. It’s more of an upside flier at this moment.

Ian Seymour, RP, Rays (64%) – The relatively slow growth of Seymour’s roster rate might be because Fantasy players just don’…