Boo Boo for B.J.

Rays outfielder B.J. Upton was forced out of Thursday’s game after taking a Paul Byrd pitch above his left elbow. The initial diagnosis is a triceps contusion and X-rays on Upton’s arm were negative.”He couldn’t really feel the grip, so we got him out of there and got some ice on it,” Rays manager Joe Maddon told MLB.com. “[It’s] just sort of in a bad spot, where it was going to swell up very quickly, which it did. We’ll see later, but we think he’ll be fine.”

Upton is currently ranked third among second baseman in my player rankings. At this point, I don’t think this injury will cause him to move significantly in those rankings. If he fails to make progress and looks as though he’ll miss some of the regular season, it would behoove fantasy owners to take a more cautious approach. Only then will I force myself to make a decision on how much to adjust his ranking. It’s worth noting that a contusion is essentially a deep bruise and shouldn’t suddenly make him much more injury prone. He should have plenty of time to rest up and be ready for Opening Day.

There are a variety of opinions regarding whether or not Upton can match last season’s production and I won’t get into those now, but I believe he can still hit .300 (though not .330) and post his second straight 20-20 effort this season. If the competition in your league believes this injury reduces him to an average level, kindly offer to find a spot on your roster for him.

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