Youkilis To DL--Finally

The Red Sox finally placed Kevin Youkilis on the DL before today's game at the Angels, and at the very least it gives his fantasy owners the chance to pick up another player while stashing Youk in a DL spot. The move is retroactive to May 5, so Youkilis will be eligible to return on May 20. Jeff Bailey should continue to see most of the starts at first base for the next week or so, and is not a recommended option in all but deep AL-only leagues.

Most fantasy owners in mixed leagues have at least two first baseman on their roster, if not more, so Youkilis owners will generally have the ability to insert another first baseman into Youkilis' spot if you were starting him at first. Youkilis, though, may have been starting at third base for many of his fantasy owners, and third base is generally a bit more scarce in terms of viable talent. I've gone over possible third base options for fantasy leaguers on waiver wires recently (guys like Mark Reynolds, Mark Teahen, Scott Rolen, Adrian Beltre, Melvin Mora, and Russell Branyan); if you are considering adding a first baseman, here are a list of players below that might be available in mixed leagues...

• Teahen (42% owned in Yahoo leagues): like Youkilis, qualifies at both corner infield spots, but also qualifies in the outfield, too. Is batting an even .300 and bats third in the KC order.

• Nick Johnson (8% owned): He's brittle, we all know that, but we also know that the man can hit when healthy, and get on base. Has solid value in leagues with OBP/OPS. Is hitting .314 with 17 RBI and 19 runs scored.

• Casey Kotchman (12% owned): Recent hot streak has him up to .316; in his last 8 starts, Kotchman has 13 hits and 11 RBI. Might not be a bad idea to ride a hot hand here if you need a one-week stopgap. Kotchman has been very streaky with RBI binges in his young career.
  

• Mike Jacobs (17% owned): Good source of power, with 6 HR and 20 RBI. Won't give you much of anything else, though his current .257 average isn't horrific.

The bottom line is this: if you truly need a first baseman or a third baseman in mixed leagues to add while Youkilis is on the shelf, the above-listed players are the ones you'll want to consider. If you have sufficient depth at those spots, however, now is the time to simply pick up the best available player on your league's waiver wire while you stash Youkilis on the DL for at least a week. Are high-upside guys like David Price, Elijah Dukes, or even Justin Upton available? If so, this is a chance to get them onto your roster and see what happens.