The first place every fantasy owner knows to look when one of his players goes down to injury is the depth chart of the team he was playing for. Suspensions are no different, and you should consider the man who will reap the reward of Gordon’s positive test. The Marlins were already trying to find any at bats they could for Derek Dietrich after his hot start to the season; even after going 0-4 yesterday the 26-year-old is slashing .290/.389/.548 over 36 PA.
Now with the absence of Gordon at second base, Dietrich figures to become an everyday player for the first real stretch of his career. It’s not like Dietrich has never hit well in the past; in 2015 he slashed .256/.346/.456 and scored 38 runs in just 250 at-bats while bouncing all over the field. He even put up 10 home runs in limited playing time last year, something that Gordon would never give you, PEDs or not.
While Dietrich isn’t a perfect replacement for Gordon due to his complete lack of stolen bases, he will score some runs in the Miami offense, and won’t really hurt you in any other category. If you can find your stolen bases somewhere else, or play in a points league, he actually may end up performing better than Gordon in their half seasons.
If you can hold out for a few days while he gains eligibility at second, his multi-position status gives you another weapon to move around your lineup. If his production continues and manager Don Mattingly is forced to move him up in the order, he may even be your pickup of the year from the wire. While he’s available in almost every league now, he won’t be after a few days. If you end up missing out on him, there are a few more options that should be able to help out.
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