The year of the injuries just took another turn for the worse, as Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. The consensus No. 1 overall fantasy draft pick in March will undergo surgery to repair an UCL tear in his left thumb that he suffered sliding into second base May 28.
A Trout injury is as big as it gets in fantasy sports, and there's no way to come close to filling his production. The 25-year-old is the best player in fantasy and was once again playing at an elite level, with a .337 batting average to go along with 16 home runs, 36 RBIs, 36 runs scored and 10 stolen bases.
In our latest waiver wire column, I mentioned New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Adam Frazier as targets, and those guys become even more relevant for Trout owners. Other outfielders to consider: the Angels' Cameron Maybin, who already has 13 stolen bases; the Tampa Bay Rays' Steven Souza Jr.; and the Colorado Rockies' Gerardo Parra. As always, I will go more in-depth later in the week, but some owners need a quick replacement.
