Jones, Ethier, and Hill Out of Lineup

A few days into the regular season and we already have our first few major injuries, though none looks like a DL-stint yet. Chipper Jones, Andre Ethier, and Aaron Hill will be out of the lineup on Friday, after missing time yesterday due to various ailments.

Chipper Jones left Thursday’s game against Chicago in the fourth inning after straining his right oblique. While the Braves say Jones should only be out a couple of days, don’t count on it. Jones has been plagued by injuries for the better part of a decade, and at 37, no injury can be considered minor. With Chipper out, Omar Infante will likely fill in at third base. Even with playing time, Infante offers little to no value in even the deepest formats. As far as Chipper goes, if you own him, put him on the bench and cross your fingers. If he’s still not in the lineup Sunday, he might not be worth playing in weekly leagues.

Aaron Hill was scratched from the lineup on Thursday with hamstring tightness. While the injury does not appear to be serious, he is out of the lineup again today, and is considered day to day for the weekend series with Texas. Mike McCoy started in his place on Thursday, but is not worth a look in any format. Andre Ethier was also out of the lineup on Thursday with a high ankle sprain, with Garret Andreson starting in his place. As with Hill, this is unlikely to mean a DL trip, but his status for Saturday and Sunday is unknown. If Ethier is out for an extended period of time, Anderson is worth a look in NL-Only leagues.