May is breezing along as we see some more prospects get the call, a seemingly endless supply of closers biting the dust, and some familiar faces returning to the mound. Let’s take our weekly trip around the league, and look at the latest in depth chart changes.
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Welcome to The Show, Bradley Zimmer
With injuries to outfielders Abraham Almonte, Brandon Guyer and Austin Jackson, the Cleveland Indians promoted 24-year-old Zimmer to the majors on Tuesday. One of the Indians’ top prospects, Zimmer is an enticing power/speed combo — last year he had 15 dingers and 38 stolen bases in the minors — but he also has some serious strikeout issues. Before his call-up from Triple-A, he was batting .294/.371/.532 with five home runs and nine stolen bases but also had a 29.9% strikeout rate.
The punchouts could prove troublesome at the highest level. Batting ninth in his debut, Zimmer wasted no time whiffing in all three of his plate appearances. He may struggle to pay immediate dividends and could be sent back down if things go particularly poorly, but the potential for double-digit homers and stolen bases makes him worth snagging in deep leagues. Zimmer is no sure thing, but you rarely find these sorts of power/speed packages off the waiver wire.
Meanwhile, Chicago Cubs prospect Ian Happ is doing his best Cody Bellinger impression with two bombs in three games since joining the big league club on Saturday. He’s expected to be sent back down later this week when Jason Heyward returns, but considering they’ve slotted Happ second and fourth in the order, they’re not exactly afraid of throwing him into the fire.
As we saw with Bellinger, you just never know. So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Edwin Diaz Joins the Ex-Closer Club
Another week, another closer change. Diaz is the latest in a long line of ousted closers this year and is expected to be replaced by a committee. However, the good news is it’s meant to be a temporary reprieve so he can work on his mechanics. On the year, he has a 5.28 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with seven saves in nine chances.
He needs to cut down on the walks (14.7% rate), but he’s had a 29.4% strikeout rate and a decent 3.80 SIERA. He’s worth holding onto in all leagues with the hope that the demotion is brief.
In the meantime, those desperate for saves can take a chance on Tony Zych, Steve Cishek, Nick Vincent, and Mark Rzepczynski. Zych picked up the save on Monday night, but Cishek got the nod on Tuesday, promptly blowing a one-run lead. Zych may have gotten the opportunity if he hadn’t pitched three days in a row, but regardless, this could prove to be a frustrating and fluid situation, as closer-by-committees often are.
It’s worth noting that Cishek has plenty of experience (120 career saves), although he may have already blown his chance to take the reins. Hopefully, it will become more clear in the coming days who will be the primary beneficiary of Diaz’s hiatus.
In other closer news, Aroldis Chapman is expected to be out for about a month with a shoulder injury. As one would expect, Dellin Betances will slide into the role. Given Betances’ .075 ERA, 43.1% strikeout rate and 10.0% hard-hit rate, the New York Yankees shouldn’t miss a beat in the ninth inning.
The hits keep coming for the New York Mets, who lost Jeurys Familia for three-to-four months following surgery for a blood clot. Addison Reed will be the closer during that span, but keep in mind he could become a trade candidate this summer with the Mets looking unlikely to be contenders this season.
Carlos Gomez Out With Bum Hammy
On Monday, it was announced Gomez will miss the next four-to-six weeks with a strained hamstring. Although it’s unlikely we’ll ever see the elite Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers days, he was off to a reasonable start, slashing .246/.331/.423 with four bombs and five swiped bags.
He’s received a PRP injection and hopes to return sooner than expected, but hamstring injuries can be terribly tricky. He’s worth holding onto where possible, but given the plethora of injuries around the league, you could be forced to drop him in shallow formats given his presumed extended absence.
Gomez’s injury opens the door for Jared Hoying, who is expected to hit against righties in a platoon with Ryan Rua. In Triple-A, he’s shown a little power/speed skill set of his own with two 20/20 seasons, and nearly a third last year with 16 homers and 18 stolen bases across 435 plate appearances. This season, he was hitting .242/.336/.447 before his promotion with seven homers and three stolen bases.
Hoying will turn 28 on Thursday, so he doesn’t have the potential impact of a hot-shot prospect like Zimmer, but there’s enough here that it could be worth speculating in deep leagues. At the very least, he’s worth keeping an eye on to see if he performs well enough to maintain regular playing time.
Rich Hill Survives First Start
Hill returned to the mound on Tuesday to make his third start of the season, giving up one run in five innings with six strikeouts. He only threw 82 pitches, but owners will gladly take the successful outing after a lengthy DL stint dealing with his frequent blister issues. He now has a 2.77 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 24.5% strikeout rate through 13 innings.
During his absence, the Los Angeles Dodgers were considering a move to the bullpen to help keep him healthy, which would have been a tough pill to swallow in fantasy. For now, though, his spot in the rotation seems safe, and he should get higher pitch counts as he gets more starts under his belt.
Still, with the emergence of Alex Wood, and their overall depth at starting pitcher, it’s unlikely owners will truly feel safe about the Hill situation anytime soon. You knew he was risky going in, but things have gotten hairy rather quickly.
Amir Garrett Back in the Bigs
It was expected that Garrett’s trip to the minors would be brief, and sure enough, he will return to the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation on Thursday to start against the Chicago Cubs. The demotion was merely a way to limit Garret’s workload to keep him available late in the season. He didn’t miss a beat in Triple-A, striking out all six batters he faced in a brief two-inning outing.
Garrett has been a pleasant surprise in the early going, notching three wins in six starts with a 4.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 18.9% strikeout rate. Aside from a disastrous outing against the Brewers, in which he gave up 10 runs (nine earned) in 3 1/3 innings, Garrett has given up two or fewer runs in each of his other starts. He still more of a deep league asset and his 4.61 SIERA isn’t very appealing, but chances are you paid little to get his services and are happy with anything you get from him.
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Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin.
