Roto Riteup: April 22, 2013

A slew of major league players have succomb to injury, so you can bet this Roto Riteup will focus on at least a couple of them.

On today’s agenda:
1. Albert Pujols is hurt, but no DL…yet
2. Jhoulys Chacin to the DL
3. Ryan Hanigan hits DL while Devin Mesoraco heats up
4. Disaster in LA: Chad Billingsley’s elbow
5. Brett Myers lands on DL

Albert Pujols is hurt, but no DL…yet
The studly first baseman is complaining of foot pain due to plantar fasciitis, and he’s been limited to DH duty because of it. Even though the injury is clearly hampering Pujols on the basepaths and in the field, you wouldn’t know he was in pain by looking at the numbers he’s been able to put up in the early going. If Pujols’ foot doesn’t clear up in the next couple of days, I’d expect a DL stint for the slugger.

Jhoulys Chacin to the DL
Even though we knew the Rockies’ right-hander was going to have to miss a start due to his balky back, a trip off the active roster will mean Chacin will miss at least two starts. Despite decreased velocity, Chacin has remained effective through his four starts by working around the zone at a much higher rate than he did previously. The Rockies have recalled Rob Scahill from Triple-A, but it’s unclear as to whether the hard-throwing righty will take Chacin’s place in the rotation.

Ryan Hanigan hits DL while Devin Mesoraco heats up
Hanigan has been working through an issue with his thumb, but he ended up being nailed to the DL with an oblique strain. While he is expected to miss three weeks, oblique injuries always seem to force players out longer than expected. Taking Hanigan’s spot on the active roster is Corky Miller and his glorious moustache, but the presence of his exquisite facial hair shouldn’t hinder Mesoraco’s playing time.

While he’s only managed 34 plate appearances, Mesoraco’s early results are far more promising compared to last year. Mesoraco was once a top-of-the-line catching prospect, so there’s plenty of reason to believe he could be finally figuring things out at age 25.

Disaster in LA: Chad Billingsley’s elbow
Last week, I mentioned the Dodgers’ pitching woes as Chris Capuano was being placed on the DL. Now Billingsley will join him, and the big right-hander is likely headed down the road towards Tommy John surgery. Stephen Fife is replacing Billingsley in the rotation, and he got knocked around by the Orioles yesterday. Fife is a pretty generic Quad-A starter, if he’s even that highly thought of.

Brett Myers lands on DL
I thought Myers to be a good pickup by the Indians this offseason, but after getting smacked around in his first few starts, the righty is already landing on the DL. Myers’ problem is his forearm, though there currently is no estimated date of return. Taking Myers’ rotation spot will be Corey Kluber, who has been pitching out of the bullpen early in the 2013 season. Unlike Fife, Kluber is actually somewhat interesting, though his FIP and other stats will likely be better than his ERA.