After being put on paid leave before the start of the season, in the aftermath of an offseason domestic violence incident, it was only a matter of time before Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes was officially suspended. Friday that resolution finally came, with Reyes being suspended through the end of May.
Reyes was given credit for the 34 games he has already missed entering Friday, so he will miss 51 total games. A minor league rehab assignment will likely come once he’s eligible on June 1, with an eye toward a mid-June return to the majors.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that there are teams interested in trading for Reyes. That looks like his best path to immediate fantasy relevance, with Trevor Story taking over as Colorado’s starting shortstop and DJ LeMahieu in place a second base, but the question is if the Rockies can find a taker for Reyes in a trade.
Age (33 in June) and injuries have become increasing concerns for Reyes, as he has missed at least 35 games three times in the last five seasons. Rib and Achilles’ issues bothered Reyes in 2015, and he hit .274 with seven home runs, 53 RBI, 57 runs scored and 24 stolen bases over 481 at-bats with the Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays.
Reyes’ high contact rate (87 percent last season) keeps his batting average afloat, and he’s efficient enough as a base stealer (24-for-30 in 2015) to be an asset to fantasy owners there as well. That of course assumes solid health, and anything in terms of power numbers has to be considered a bonus.
Reyes is not an absolute must-add for fantasy owners, since his outlook is unclear with a trade potentially coming. But he is available in 77 percent of Yahoo! leagues right now, and in the right situation (deep mixed league, seeking middle infield help) Reyes is worth taking a flier on as an add-and-stash.