Mets' Neil Walker Injury: Potential Waiver Wire Replacements

The New York Mets lost a key middle infielder on Wednesday night, and so did plenty of fantasy owners. Which players should you be looking towards to replace Neil Walker?

Collectively, everyone held their breath on Wednesday as news continued to break regarding New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker‘s herniated disc. Obviously, the diagnosis was never going to be great, having missed his fourth straight game against the Miami Marlins, and at around 10:30pm we were told that Walker would undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season.

Walker finishes the year with a line of .282/23 HR/55 RBI/3 SB/ .823 OPS, which made him a pretty reliable mid round pick for those who were smart enough to draft the 30-year old second baseman to begin with.

For those that did roll the dice though and are now left scrambling for a backup or perhaps even a starting man at second, don’t panic, there’s enough available on the waiver wire to keep you happy for at least another three or four weeks.

Jedd Gyorko, St. Louis Cardinals

Jedd Gyorko is owned in only 48.8% of leagues, and has been on a big time hot streak since mid August. He played shortstop for the tenth time this season on Tuesday, but is eligible at second, as well as first and third base. In his last seven games Gyorko has hit 4HR’s, 5 RBI’s and scored 5 runs in his 29 at-bats, making him worth an add even if you have lost Neil Walker, or if you are after a fill-in guy on every other day.

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The Cardinals infield situation has been tricky to predict as of late, and since Aledmys Diaz is likely to return to the lineup within the next couple of weeks, it leaves Kolten Wong as the odd man out on the sidelines. Next to Diaz and Matt Carpenter, Gyorko should see plenty of playing time as the Cardinals hope to extend their season into an October Wildcard berth, which should mean plenty of hits if he keeps this up.

Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs

In his first real season in the Majors, Baez has been a weapon, hitting .271/13 HR/47 RBI/11SB. It paid to be wary on Baez a season ago because he struggled to make contact more often than not, but in the limited amount of games he has played with the Cubs this year, he’s made the most of it.

Baez won’t play everyday, because you know, the Cubs are stacked. He will however guarantee power and a few good extra steals, which is all you can ask out of a guy who plays multiple positions and only plays a handful of times a week. Plenty of people seem to know how good Baez has been and how much potential he has going forward, yet he still remains owned in only 41% of leagues. He has played the majority of his games at third, but there’s no reason to not exploit his second base eligibility.

Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants

Panik’s end of July was rocky after suffering a concussion, and it took him a good couple of weeks to return to form. After destroying Braves pitcher Aaron Blair a few nights ago though with a pair of jacks, Panik’s end to August has been pretty noteworthy.

In the past week alone Panik has scored 8 RBI’s to go with his 3 HRs, and even has 3 BBs to go with it. Just like Gyorko and Baez, Panik is owned in less than 50% of leagues, and now is the time to jump on board if you’re after some power and middle infield help.

Next: C.J. Cron On Fire at the Plate

If you’re in a contending position this late in the season and you’ve just lost Walker, there’s definitely no need to panic. The waiver wire holds plenty of options at second base, remaining one of the deeper positions this year. For those in a keeper league the news may sting a little more, since Walker will also be a free agent next year.

Either way, try your best to replicate his production with one of the above options.

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Mets’ Neil Walker Injury: Potential Waiver Wire Replacements

By Ryan Cook | Sep 2, 2016