Spring injuries are just plain cruel.

Marcus Stroman's 2015 season came to a screeching halt Tuesday morning after he suffered a torn ACL while participating in fielding drills. While the young right-hander will receive a second opinion, it's expected that he'll undergo surgery to repair the tear.

As Dave Cameron suggested in a piece at FanGraphs, the injury may prompt the Jays to make a push for Cole Hamels.

Stroman flashed plenty of promise in his debut for Toronto in 2014, showing a mix of control (1.9 BB/9), with the ability to induce grounders (53.8% GB%) and miss bats (7.7 K/9), and the results included a 3.65 ERA supported by a 2.84 FIP. It wasn't out of the question to think that he may have ascended to the top of the Jays' rotation over the course of this season, perhaps working his way into consideration for the Opening Day nod in 2016.

Keeper league owners should still try to target Stroman at a heavily discounted price with the aim of benefiting next season and beyond, but the loss of Stroman is a tough blow to those in one-year formats (Eno Sarris paid $20 for him in NL LABR this weekend) that have already conducted an early draft or auction.

Left to pick up the pieces with an internal options -- at least for now -- the Jays will have to consider the following:

• Taking a chance on Aaron Sanchez as a starter to begin the year (he was stretching out anyway to get a look in the rotation).
• Marco Estrada
• Daniel Norris
• Johan Santana
• Other trade targets: Dillon Gee, Travis Wood, Hector Santiago?

Of course, Norris may be the most intriguing of the above options, especially given the hitter-friendly nature of Rogers Centre. Estrada could emerge to take on the job by default, although Sanchez still possesses a significant amount of upside, particularly if some of the mechanical adjustments he made upon promotion last summer enable him to keep his walk rate down in a starting role.

For now, increase the value of Norris by $4-5 in AL-only formats, and $1-2 in deep mixers.

Tuesday's Barometer

Falling

Cliff Lee, SP, PHI -- Needless to say, it wasn't a great day on the injury front. An MRI revealed that Lee has a torn flexor tendon, an injury that would require a six-to-eight month layoff if he undergoes surgery. For now, the Phillies are adamant that he'll attempt to throw with the discomfort and work through it, but this situation has quickly become an ominous one.

Devin Mesoraco, C, CIN -- Monday's note from C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer included a reminder that Mesoraco has suffered now suffered three concussions since the start of the 2010 season. The third, which he sustained over the weekend, was the result of a foul tip to the mask. Mesoraco was limited to walking on a treadmill Tuesday. Given that the effects of concussions are cumulative, it may be more than a few days before he's cleared to rejoin his teammates.

Drew Smyly, SP, TAM -- Smyly progressed to a throwing drill Tuesday that included working with a ball in a sock. He's currently in the process of recovering from tendinitis in his shoulder.

Yu Darvish, SP, TEX -- As you likely learned over the weekend, Darvish has a torn UCL. A decision regarding a course of action for the Rangers' ace is expected to come from the team Wednesday.

Mike Minor, SP, ATL -- Minor will be shut down for two weeks due to rotator cuff soreness. According to the Braves, there is no structural damage in Minor's shoulder, but this development seemingly pushes the left-handed onto the 15-day DL to begin the season for the second year in a row.

Jacob Turner, SP, CHC -- Currently dealing with a flexor strain and a bone bruise on his pitching elbow, Turner may be forced to start the season on the disabled list. Tsuyoshi Wada and Travis Wood are the current favorites to take over the fifth spot in the Cubs' rotation to begin the year.

Rising

Only one small piece of good news here. Burch Smith, a hard-throwing right-hander acquired this offseason by the Rays (from San Diego) may have a shot at pushing his way into the Tampa Bay rotation depending on Smyly's progress, and the readiness of Alex Colome, who has been slowed by visa issues this spring.

Worth Watching

Jonathan Lucroy (hamstring) could begin playing in Cactus League games by the end of the week. All signs are currently pointing toward Lucroy being ready for the start of the regular season.

Glen Perkins will be sidelined at least one week with oblique strain. If the injury doesn't linger, he may still have enough time to be ready to roll on Opening Day. Put Michael Tonkin on your radar as a possible option to step in for Perkins, while Alex Meyer would have immediate appeal in a bullpen role (see Sanchez, Aaron - 2014) if the Twins forgo using him as their fifth starter.

Lance Lynn's MRI revealed a minor hip strain.

An MRI of Pat Neshek's foot came back clean.

Edwin Encarnacion will be sidelined for a few days due to inflammation in his back.

Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, and Kris Bryant went back-to-back-to-back off of Trevor Bauer on Tuesday.

View the montage in this piece from Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

These topics and much more are included in Tuesday's installment of the RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Podcast hosted with Clay Link.

https://podcast.rotowire.com/podcast/FantasyBaseballPodcast031015.mp3

You can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.