As the Minnesota Twins prepare to battle it out against the Cleveland Indians, they'll be without their biggest bat. Miguel Sano, who leads the American League third basemen in All Star votes, will miss Thursday's series opener with an illness. For now, the team considers him day-to-day.
Sano's absence will be felt by fantasy owners and the Twins. In a breakout season for the 24-year-old third baseman, Sano has hit 18 home runs, driven in 52 RBIs and owns a 148 wOBA on the season. While it's certainly come with a major share of strikeouts at a whopping 35 percent, Sano's combo of power, run production and walks have made it more than worth the negative in strikeouts.
In Sano's absence, Eduardo Escobar will start at third base. Escobar has shined at the plate this season with a .299/.347/.487 slash line and seven home runs. He makes for a nice, cheap DFS play on Thursday.