Pitching injuries continue with Corey Kluber, Cole Hamels out

This is getting ridiculous. Two more top-20 preseason starting pitchers joined the growing list of injured players Wednesday with Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber and Texas Rangers lefty Cole Hamels going on the disabled list.

Kluber, drafted as the No. 6 starter on average according to the National Fantasy Baseball Championship, has been battling back stiffness -- and he left his last start after three innings. In six starts, he has a 5.06 ERA. The Indians are hopeful he won't be out much longer than the minimum 10 days.

Hamels, with an ADP of 19, had posted decent numbers (2-0, 3.03 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), but his strikeout totals were way down. In 32 2/3 innings, he struck out 15 and walked 12. That 4.1 K/9 rate is half of what he has posted throughout his career -- so his oblique injury perhaps seemed inevitable. He's expected to miss eight weeks.

Fantasy owners have now lost aces Madison Bumgarner (ADP: 3) and Noah Syndergaard (4) for several months -- with David Price (20), Aaron Sanchez (26), Rich Hill (30) and Felix Hernandez (31) also on the shelf.

That's a lot of missing production on the pitching side. Eight of the season's top 31 starting pitchers. Better than one in four.

What can fantasy owners do? Trade them at a deep discount?

One of the easiest ways to torpedo a season is by relying too heavily on injured players suddenly becoming healthy.

Another option is finding a replacement off the waiver wire -- which is always easier said than done.

Here are the top starters available in more than 50% of Yahoo leagues right now:

-- Antonio Senzatela, Rockies
-- Hector Santiago, Twins
-- Derek Holland, White Sox
-- Jesse Hahn, A's
-- Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks

Not a group that inspires a lot of confidence for those owners looking for a permanent solution. And the options are even worse in AL- or NL-only formats.

Streaming starters from week-to-week is the most common strategy, but some leagues limit the number of roster moves for the season -- either by number or by a free-agent budget.

Perhaps the best way to fill the void is by picking up a reliever who can provide good ERA and WHIP in the interim. With so many injuries, it's entirely likely your opponents are either feeling the same pain or will be in the future.

Relievers such as Chris Devenski of the Houston Astros (2-1, 1.96 ERA, 34 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings) are much more beneficial in season-long Roto leagues, and can even be effective short-term replacements in head-to-head formats. Archie Bradley of the Arizona Diamondbacks (1-0, 1.13 ERA, 19 K's in 16 innings) may be the NL equivalent of Devenski with the ability to pitch multiple dominant innings at a time. (Devenski is available in 37% of Yahoo leagues, Bradley is available in 81%.)

Yes, reliever wins are even more random than starting pitcher wins. But a handful of strikeouts and some decent ratios are much better for a fantasy team than the possibility of a disaster start in the current run environment.

Here are some of the other top relievers available in more than 50% of Yahoo leagues right now:

-- Anthony Swarzak, White Sox (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 15 K's in 1 1/3 IP)
-- Hansel Robles, Mets (4-0, 1.76 ERA, 17 K's in 15 1/3 IP)
-- Carl Edwards, Cubs (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 15 K's in 12 IP)
-- Mychal Givens, Orioles (3-0, 1.26 ERA, 13 K's in 14 1/3 IP)
-- Justin Wilson, Tigers (1-0, 1 save, 1.54 ERA, 19 K's in 11 2/3 IP)

Having an injured ace on the disabled list is no fun -- especially if it's for an extended period of time. However, it doesn't have to be a death knell for fantasy teams with so many possible options available to fill the void.