After Joe Mauer's injury occurred this past week, many fantasy owners were left scrambling to fill their roster with a replacement while they wait for their superstar to heal. It is always hard to replace the production of superstar caliber player like Mauer, but with the right replacement the damage can be limited. Here are the adds you should make if you now have a hole at the catcher position:
J.P. Arencibia, Toronto Blue Jays
Arencibia's currently owned by about 50 percent of leagues in both Yahoo and ESPN. The young Toronto catcher possesses major power potential at the catcher position. He is off to a solid start, currently holding a .988 OPS with two HR.
His batting average figures to drop some but he is capable of putting up very solid numbers while Mauer is sidelined. He will most likely be picked up in deep leagues already but he is the first guy to pick up if available.
Chris Iannetta, Colorado Rockies
Iannetta was a candidate for a breakout season by many fantasy experts before the season began. He was finally handed the keys to be the full-time catcher for the Rockies but has gotten off to somewhat of a slow start.
He is currently touting a .219 batting average yet is still producing a .913 OPS and a .444 OBP because he has walked at such a high rate and hitting for extra bases. He has the ability to produce similar to Arencibia and holds similar power potential. He is currently owned around 15 percent in both Yahoo and ESPN and is the next best option after Arencibia.
Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers
Owned in 24 percent of Yahoo leagues and 8 percent of ESPN leagues, the young Detroit Tiger is off to a hot start. He is in a full-time gig and has not disappointed by batting .278 with a .906 OPS and three bombs.
Like Iannetta and Arencibia, he has the potential to provide above-average power at the catcher position. The lefty hitter has been raking righties all season, where all of his extra bases have come from. Avila is a solid replacement for Mauer, especially if you can take advantage of him facing right-handed pitchers.
So while you monitor Mauer's progress as he comes back from injury, make sure to get your hands on one of the above players. If you have two roster spots open, a platoon of Ianneta/Arencibia against lefties and Avila against righties could replicate similar numbers that Mauer is capable of.
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