3 Middle Infield Waiver Wire Pickups to Replace Adalberto Mondesi After Being Placed on IL

Kansas City Royals' shortstop Adalberto Mondesi has been one of fantasy baseball's top performers this season, slashing .266/.294/.433 with 52 RBI and an MLB-best 31 stolen bases through 82 games played this year. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, the 23-year-old was placed on the 10-day IL after suffering a left shoulder injury against the Chicago White Sox Tuesday night.

Replacing Mondesi's production, especially on the base paths, will be a hard task at this point in the season. However, there are a few middle infielders available in more than 50 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues, who could pick up the slack until Mondesi returns to the field.

With that in mind, here are three middle infieders that Mondesi owners should consider picking up off of the waiver wire.

3. David Fletcher, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Angels

David Fletcher has been a revelation for the Los Angeles Angels this year and he could be an excellent stop-gap option for Mondesi owners. The 25-year-old middle infielder has been great at the plate over the past couple of weeks, batting .385 with eight runs scored and 1.057 OPS over his last 39 at-bats. Fletcher won't compile many steals, but he does offer a high-average bat and the positional flexibility to play in either middle infield spot. Fletcher is available in 65 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues.

2. Niko Goodrum, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, Detroit Tigers

Niko Goodrum has been as streaky as streaky can be, but when he starts to heat up, he's one of fantasy baseball's better performers. The Detroit Tigers' utility man has been trending upward over the past two weeks, batting .297 with eight runs scored, five RBI and three stolen bases across his last 37 at-bats. Goodrum's a reliable source of steals, and his positional flexibility could make him a solid replacement for Mondesi. Goodrum is available in 82 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues.

1. Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants

Brandon Crawford has been absolutely tearing the cover off of the ball and should be a priority pickup for Mondesi owners in need of a replacement. Despite seven percent ownership Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball leagues, the 32-year-old shortstop has been a top-10 fantasy performer over the past two weeks, batting .364 with four homers, 13 RBI and a robust 1.235 OPS in his last 33 at-bats. He may not offer the kind of steals potential that Mondesi does, but Crawford could make up for it with his powerful bat.

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Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.