The Milwaukee Brewers' tough start to 2015 continues after star outfielder Carlos Gomez has been relegated to the disabled list with a strained hamstring. Gomez left Wednesday's game and headed back to Milwaukee Thursday for an examination, where it was determined he had a slight tear in his hamstring.
It's time for Gomez's fantasy owners (I'm raising my hand) to start looking for replacements. Here are five widely available options to hold the fort. Widely available means on the wire in 50 percent or more leagues, with these percentages coming from Yahoo.
Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays (26 percent owned)
Kiemaier is a young outfielder for the Rays who might be a nice add for owners in keeper leagues. The Rays lineup is far from loaded, and Kiemaier is off to a hot start and will have a long leash. He's opened the season with a slash line of .344/.382/.750, and scored eight runs. He's not going to continue to slug at this rate, but if he can keep up his high BABIP the steal numbers will keep him valuable.
Dexter Fowler, Chicago Cubs (35 percent owned)
Fowler is only hitting .235, a cringe-worthy number. But he hits atop a potent Cubs lineup that hasn't shown it's full might yet. Also, Fowler's still showing good on-base skills. So far he's only posted a .297 on-base percentage, but five of his eight hits have gone for extra bases. Fowler's hits are high-impact, and his on-base skills make him a threat to score 100 runs in 2015. He's very, very under-owned.
Angel Pagan, San Francisco Giants (27 percent owned)
Pagan's not going to give you much power, and he carries injury risk, but he may approximate Gomez's skill set the most out of any player on this list. He's off to a hot start, slashing .372/.426/.512 with four runs, three RBI and a stolen base. Hitting in the No. 3 spot might limit his stolen base opportunities for now, but if he can stay healthy you'll wind up hanging on to him; eventually Hunter Pence will return, and Pagan will be turned loose. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Rajai Davis, Detroit Tigers (41 percent owned)
Davis' playing time is limited in a platoon, but if you want stolen bases he's a nice option off the waiver wire. Davis has already swiped three bags, and in roto formats he's going to be helpful over the long haul, as long as your roster is built with high-power and on-base threats to mitigate his weaknesses in those areas.
Brock Holt, Boston Red Sox (22 percent owned)
Holt, as mentioned in a recent article searching for replacements for David Wright, isn't your ideal add because he sometimes struggles for at-bats. The Red Sox have so much talent, it isn't easy to slot him in the lineup. He's hitting .533 right now though, so Holt is doing his part to force their hand. Holt plays 1B, 2B, SS, 3B and the OF so he can fill in anywhere on days when there aren't a ton of games. And when he plays, the dude hits. It's no fluke-last season he hit .281 in 106 games, and has a minor league track record of high batting averages. He's the goods.
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