Fantasy baseball owners don’t have to look far for Josh Hader replacement

Houston had a problem this week when Josh Hader landed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. 

Manager Joe Espada called it a “punch to the gut,” which perfectly encapsulates the loss of a dominating closer who had a 2.05 ERA, 13 strikeouts per nine innings and a 21.1 percent swinging-strike rate to go along with 28 saves in 29 chances. 

With the fantasy playoffs right around the corner, this is not an easy loss to overcome. With Espada believing the injury could keep Hader shelved for more than two weeks, fantasy managers need a plan (especially because we’re dealing with an arm issue). 

Luckily, Houston already has a viable option in Bryan Abreu, the setup man who is likely to pick up most of the save chances.