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ANALYSIS: Wade Davis is heading for an MRI on his arm, which would be the second potential arm injury this month. Uh oh. As of now, the extent of his injury is unknown - but what we do know is that Kelvin Herrera (not Joakim Soria) will be the man to step in as the fill-in closer for the Royals. You can see our full MLB closers & saves depth charts updated here.
Davis has been serviceable since being activated from the DL, but has not been his usually dominant self. On the other hand, Herrera hasn't allowed a run or walked a batter since July 6th. And before that, he had only allowed one walk and one run since June 13th. It's completely unknown how long Davis may be out for, but fantasy owners should be stashing Herrera in all leagues just in case.
UPDATE: Wade Davis has officially been placed on the DL with a right flexor strain. The Royals may have brought him back too soon from his last DL stint, and are now paying the price. Davis may be out for an extended period of time, but the exact timetable for his absence is not yet confirmed.
Herrera has dominant numbers on the year, posting a 1.58 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with a 57:7 K:BB ratio over 45 2/3 innings pitched. Filthy stuff. If Davis is out for an extended period of time, Herrera has the potential to rise into the elite tier of closers. If he is still available in your leagues, go grab him off the waiver wire immediately. It's a low risk/high upside pickup for your fantasy team, and can pay big dividends down the fantasy baseball homestretch.
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