Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Through 21 weeks of the 2014 fantasy baseball season, SP Garrett Richards of the Los Angeles Angels was pitching like a true ace. He had a sizzling 2.61 ERA through in 168 2/3 innings of work. He also had a 13-4 record and was easily been one of the best steals of the entire draft.
Unfortunately, Richards, and fantasy owners alike, received some horrible news this past week. The right-hander was trying to cover first base on a potential double-play in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox, but the pitcher went down before even making the base. He was screaming in agony and was eventually carted off the field on a stretcher with an apparent lower leg injury. It was truly a hard to thing to see.
It later came out that Richards had a torn patella tendon in his right knee and would require season-ending surgery. He will be out at least 6-8 months as he recovers from patella tendon surgery and could even be questionable for the start of next season. It was a very abrupt end to a magical fantasy campaign.
Either way, it has completely devastated the title hopes of many fantasy owners. Richards has pitched like a low-end SP1 all season long and it will be hard for fantasy owners to overcome this blow down the stretch this fall.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
