The Texas Rangers will have to deal without their lead-off man for the foreseeable future. On Saturday, it was announced that Delino DeShields has a broken bone in his left hand and is going to be out indefinitely. Some reports have suggested that he’ll miss four-to-six weeks. While the team has yet to confirm the diagnosis, that appears to be a mere formality.
In terms of the betting lines, few non-pitchers impact the betting line with any significance but the loss of DeShields will hurt. After all, we’re talking about a team losing it’s lead-off hitter. Last season, DeShields averaged .269 with a .347 on-base percentage. He also had 29 stolen bases.
In terms of fantasy, owners will feel this loss as a significant one. Most fantasy General Managers who drafted DeShields were expecting plenty of runs and in the range of 50 steals. After he was talked up in spring training, that seemed like it would be a reasonable projection. He had batted .350 with four stolen bases and 12 runs scored in 20 spring training contests, which is quit impressive. Now owners will now have to make a key decision and likely keep him on the bench until more news is known.
In the mean time, Carlos Tocci started in his place on Saturday and will soak up most of the playing time in center field. It is possible that the Rangers look for some alternate options depending on who might be available via trades. In terms of the batting line, expect to see more of Elvis Andrus batting lead-off.
The season is still quite young, so don’t be surprised if the Rangers just ride this injury out without making any significant moves. The Rangers have split their first two games of the season, losing to the Houston Astros 4-1 and then responding with a 5-1 win.
Odds To Win 2018 World Series
Houston Astros +425
Los Angeles Dodgers +500
New York Yankees +650
Cleveland Indians +750
Chicago Cubs +750
Washington Nationals +900
Boston Red Sox +1200
St. Louis Cardinals +2000
San Francisco Giants +2500
Los Angeles Angels +2500
New York Mets +2500
Arizona Diamondbacks +3000
Milwaukee Brewers +3000
Minnesota Twins +3000
Toronto Blue Jays +3000
Colorado Rockies +4000
Seattle Mariners +5000
Philadelphia Phillies +7500
Pittsburgh Pirates +15000
Baltimore Orioles +15000
Atlanta Braves +17500
Tampa Bay Rays +20000
Texas Rangers +20000
Chicago White Sox +20000
Oakland Athletics +20000
San Diego Padres +20000
Cincinnati Reds +25000
Kansas City Royals +50000
Detroit Tigers +50000
Miami Marlins +50000
Betting lines courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
