Fantasy Baseball 2021: Top Replacements for Injured MLB Players for Week 8

The injury bug and the baseball gods need to get on the same page.

If the former is going to continue being so incredibly active, then the latter must do a better job of keeping the waiver wires stocked with suitable replacements. Without them, fantasy baseball managers are knocking on every door in a desperate search for relief.

But what other option is there? Injuries keep thinning the fantasy field of impact bats, most recently sidelining the likes of Mike Trout (calf), Jeff McNeil (hamstring), Michael Conforto (hamstring) and Mike Moustakas (heel). That's a ton of production to replace on the fly.

Some help should be on the way, though, for those fantasy folks who pursue the following three plug-and-play streamers for Week 8.

Brandon Crawford is precisely the kind of player you want to target as a streamer—provided you can time it right.

The veteran shortstop plays a ton, so he's there when you need him. He also heats up faster than a water faucet, so if you can ride one of those hot streaks, you can get a ton of mileage out of even a temporary partnership.

He is riding one of those heat waves as we speak.

Entering Thursday, he was batting .325 with a .429 OBP and six home runs in May. He promptly elevated those numbers by going 3-for-6 with a homer, six RBI and three runs scored.

A career .250 hitter, he won't keep this up all season, but he could easily carry it through a six-game slate in Week 8.

Any time a Colorado Rockies hitter shows a pulse, it's worth taking note given the perks and potential of playing half a season at Coors Field.

Josh Fuentes has shown a lot more than that.

It started with a slow burn. Through 31 games, he had just three extra-base hits and a .195 batting average with a .211 on-base percentage. But in the nearly two weeks since, he has been one of the toughest outs in baseball. He has a .385 average and .400 OBP over his past 10 games with seven extra-base hits (including two home runs) and 20 combined runs and RBI.

Those numbers could keep trending up with a seven-game slate awaiting Fuentes and the Rockies.

Miguel Rojas is a 32-year-old with a career .267 batting average and a single season with double-digit home runs (he topped out at 11 in 2018). If you're searching for waiver-wire excitement, this isn't where you will find it.

But if you're missing an impact bat, you might covet relative safety over risk-reward upside. That's how Rojas could catch your eye.

He is hitting .291 with a .360 on-base percentage, and both numbers are down from last season (.304 and .392). On Thursday, he hit his third home run of the season (and third of May). Throw in his four stolen bases, and there's an interesting power-speed blend for the bargain bin.

Rojas should keep this up in Week 8, as his Marlins face a seven-game schedule.