Instant Fantasy Baseball Reaction: Trea Turner, out with a broken wrist, will be tough to replace

Just when we were beginning to bask in the glory of Trea Turner again, he goes and breaks his wrist. Scott White does his best to help fill the void.

OK, party's over.

All of the enthusiasm surrounding Trea Turner lately, all that talk of how he doesn't even need to hit like like he did last year to make a monster contribution in Fantasy given that he sits atop the major-league leaderboard in stolen bases following a four-steal game Tuesday ... it seems like wasted breath now.

His wrist is broken. And so are our hearts.

What makes it especially painful is the unique niche he fills in Fantasy Baseball. Again, he's the major-league leader in stolen bases in an era when stolen bases are pretty much an afterthought. The only other players to have eclipsed 20, much less 30, so far are Billy Hamilton, Dee Gordon and Cameron Maybin (more on him in a minute).

That's a big deal in categories formats, such as standard Rotisserie. But what's a big deal in all formats is that Turner is he's shortstop eligible. That's about the one position (it and catcher, which hardly counts as a position) where there's a bona-fide scarcity in mixed leagues still, so it's not like you can just scoop up the next guy on the waiver wire or make a play for someone else's excess.

And on those rare occasions when you might need a second baseman or outfielder instead, Turner was eligible at those two positions as well. We're talking unmatched handiness.

And now ... handlessness.

There is no official timetable yet, but six weeks would be the minimum for a broken bone, I'd think, and if you play in a Head-to-Head league, there's a good chance he's out for the rest of your regular season. If you're straining to make it to the playoffs, then, now might be a good time to market Turner to a higher-seeded team.

But in terms of replacing Turner, there are two facets to consider here: the stolen bases and the shortstop eligibility.

Top waiver wire pickups for stolen bases

Player				Ownership percentage
Jose Peraza CIN 2B				72
Cameron Maybin LAA CF				69
Keon Broxton MIL CF				66
Bradley Zimmer CLE CF				51
Jarrod Dyson SEA CF				43
Mallex Smith TB CF				39
Michael Taylor WAS CF				37
Manuel Margot SD CF				36
Tommy Pham STL LF				29
Delino DeShields TEX LF				21

It blows my mind that Maybin is still just 69 percent owned. He's one of the few true standouts in the category and has been hitting well, too -- and in ways that actually appear sustainable. Of course, there's a good chance that the leagues where you need him most are among the 69 percent where he's owned, but I'll take any opportunity I can to hype him.

It's not the most inspiring group otherwise. Jarrod Dyson will probably make the biggest impact in this one category, but he's not much help in anything else. Mallex Smith is less a less-proven version of that. Delino DeShields doesn't play so regularly, making him more of a desperation pickup, but you can count on him to run when he does.

Keon Broxton has been running more of late and isn't a zero in home runs, and Bradley Zimmer, while unproven, offers some all-around potential. Neither Michael Taylor nor Tommy Pham profile as big-time base-stealers, but they'll provide some power in addition to a modest steals total, with Pham in particuar being under-owned right now. Manuel Margot had two stolen bases in his return from the DL Wednesday.

Jose Peraza of course fills both the needs, being eligible at shortstop, but he might be more of a trade target in categories leagues. So, too, would Eduardo Nunez, who could come at a discount since he's currently on the DL.

Top waiver wire pickups at shortstop

Player				Ownership percentage
Addison Russell CHC SS				77
Jose Peraza CIN 2B				72
Javier Baez CHC 2B				70
Franklin Barreto OAK 2B				47
Amed Rosario NYM SS				46
Asdrubal Cabrera NYM SS				45
Marcus Semien OAK SS				30
Orlando Arcia MIL SS				25
Eric Sogard MIL 2B				13

Good luck, Chuck. This is bad news bears.

Obviously, you'd need to play in a shallow league for any of the top three to be available, but your best bet if you're hoping recoup Turner's numbers is to roll the dice on 21-year-old Franklin Barreto in the hope the top prospect lives up to his potential right away. Amed Rosario is is the same sort of deal but with the added frustration of trusting in the Mets to call him up soon.

Speaking of the Mets, Asdrubal Cabrera has picked up his production since his latest DL stint and is no stranger to big second halves. Orlando Arcia has also been on a tear and isn't a zero on the base paths. Marcus Semien may be just a week away from returning from the DL and was among the home run leaders at the position last year.

If you get really desperate, there's still a chance that Eric Sogard has overtaken Jonathan Villar as the Brewers' primary second baseman even with Villar's two-homer game Thursday. Of course, Villar would be an even more natural replacement for Turner as a base-stealer himself if you'd like to go the trade route.