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Fantasy Baseball Depth Chart Review: Week 17

Fantasy Baseball Depth Chart Review: Week 17

Welcome to another Depth Chart Review! I’ll break down all the major (and sometimes minor) transactions, injuries, and notable lineup changes around the league from Week 17, including some deep-dive analytics, to evaluate how they affect the fantasy baseball landscape.

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Rockies transfer Brendan Rodgers to 60-day IL
This injury is most unfortunate for the top prospect. He can safely be dropped in all re-draft leagues, but he makes for an intriguing trade target in dynasty leagues if a competing team owns him and needs help elsewhere.

Rangers place Shawn Kelley (right biceps muscle soreness) on 10-day IL; select Rafael Montero from Triple-A; designate Carlos Tocci for assignment
Tough break for Kelley, who had solidified his grip on the closer role. Expect Chris Martin and Jose Leclerc to share closing duties in Kelley’s absence. The Rangers have gone from buyers to sellers this year, and it’s possible Martin gets the bulk of opportunities to enhance his trade value while the team refrains from applying too much pressure on their young closer of the future in Leclerc. Both are viable adds if you are desperate for saves.

Nationals recall Erick Fedde from Double-A and option Adrían Sanchez to Double-A
Fedde will serve as a spot starter for Wednesday’s doubleheader. He makes for a decent streaming option with limited strikeout upside. Oddly enough, Fedde is the last Nationals’ starter to go six innings pitched (against Baltimore, where he only struck out two batters).

Royals place Adalberto Mondesi (left shoulder subluxation) on 10-day IL; recall Humberto Arteaga from Triple-A; add Mike Montgomery; option Jake Newberry to Triple-A
A flurry of moves here, but the important one is Mondesi. The shoulder injury is the same one that Michael Conforto had in 2017, and it cost him the rest of that season before eventually leading to surgery. Cody Bellinger suffered the same injury as well, though he was able to return to the field two days later. For now, it’s a waiting game to determine how Mondesi responds to the injury. For a player with a less than a stellar track record of health, it’s hard to be optimistic. Regardless, prepare to be without Mondesi for a while, and be grateful if we see him again this season.

Padres reinstate Eric Lauer from the bereavement list and option Robbie Erlin to Triple-A
While it’s true that Lauer had a 2.94 ERA and 1.13 WHIP outside of his two disasters at Coors, don’t be misled. He was far from dominant in those 91.1 innings pitched, collecting only 76 strikeouts. Furthermore, according to this piece by Dan Szymborski over at FanGraphs which analyzes how many home runs a pitcher “should have” allowed based on advanced data, Lauer has been extremely lucky in that he “should have” allowed 7.8 more long balls. Unsurprisingly, he gave up a grand slam to Anthony Rizzo in his first start back from the bereavement list. Having just lost his father, Lauer is an easy player to root for as a baseball fan, but it’s unwise to trust his performance on your fantasy team moving forward.

Diamondbacks reinstate Taylor Clarke, Jon Duplantier from IL; option Duplantier to Triple-A
Duplantier is the name to watch here despite losing some pedigree with injuries. The talented prospect could find himself back in the Arizona rotation at some point this year, so watch him for now.

Angels recall Jaime Barria and designate Matt Harvey for assignment; place Andrew Heaney on the 10-IL with shoulder discomfort
The Angels may regret letting Harvey go after their rotation took another hit with Heaney’s injury. Harvey is probably best utilized in long relief at this stage of his career, and some team will most likely take a flier on him. Barria has seen a rise in his K/9 (6.82 in 2018 compared to 9.27 in 33 IP this year), but control remains an issue (3.00 BB/9). He hasn’t been good enough to own in most leagues with a 7.36 ERA.

Red Sox reinstate Nathan Eovaldi from 60-day IL and option Ryan Weber to Triple-A
It was presumed Eovaldi would slide into the closer’s role once when returning as a member of Boston’s bullpen. While his velocity sat in the upper 90s, he couldn’t locate during his first game back off the IL, tossing a wild pitch and giving up five hits and three earned runs in 0.2 IP. Perhaps it was rust, but manager Alex Cora insisted on using Brandon Workman for a six-out save the next day. Workman promptly blew the save. This may present another opportunity for Eovaldi, and the Red Sox would be wise to now see if he’s capable of closing with the trade deadline fast approaching.

White Sox place Kelvin Herrera on 10-day IL, retroactive to 7/18 and recall Jimmy Cordero from Triple-A
Herrera has little fantasy value, but his injury solidifies Aaron Bummer as the handcuff behind closer Alex Colomé, who seems likely to get dealt before the end of the month. Now might be the best time to stash Bummer if you need saves.

Tigers place Spencer Turnbull (upper back strain) on 10-day IL, retroactive to 7/18; recall Gregory Soto from Triple-A
Turnbull heads to the IL for the second time in the last month, and it’s tough to recommend holding onto him in standard re-draft leagues playing for a terrible Detroit team that figures to get worse once it sells off a few pieces at the deadline. Turnbull sports a healthy 3.65 ERA, but the 4.76 SIERA portends regression. A pedestrian 8.03 K/9  and bloated 3.47 BB/9 make Turnbull difficult to trust, even when he is healthy.

Brewers reinstate Gio Gonzalez from 10-day IL and option Burch Smith to Triple-A 
Gonzalez has a career-low 6.94 K/9 and a 4.82 SIERA. He returns to the Brewers’ rotation, but that does not mean he should return to your fantasy lineup. Consider him a decent streaming option in the right matchups, as the Brewers are a potent enough offense to provide run support for wins.

Twins place C.J. Cron (right thumb inflammation) on 10-day IL; option Zack Littell to Triple-A; recall Lewis Thorpe from Triple-A; select contract of Cody Stashak from Triple-A
Cron is most likely owned in deeper leagues, as 18 home runs will play if you need power. Hold on to him for now if you have room on the IL, and consider picking him up and stashing him if dropped. His exit velocity and hard-hit % are both in the 70th percentile, and his xSLG sits in the 93rd percentile. He’s hitting the ball hard, and his .263 batting average is not a fluke. Cron’s .814 OPS ranks inside the top 75 in baseball.

Brewers place Brandon Woodruff (left oblique strain) on 10-day IL and recall RHP Burch Smith from Triple-A 
Woodruff was in the midst of a breakout season, but he’s expected to miss six weeks with his oblique strain. He should return right before the fantasy playoffs, but after such an extended absence, he’ll probably be on a short leash while he builds his arm strength back up. Depending on what the Brewers do at the deadline, they may get creative with Woodruff’s role as well. With a 4.69 K/BB ratio, Woodruff is an obvious hold. Just keep expectations in check.

Reds recall Sal Romano from Triple-A and place Tyler Mahle (left hamstring strain) on 10-day IL
Romano has pitched to a 1.59 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 17.0 innings in Triple-A this month. He makes for a decent streaming option in quality matchups to see if he can carry over the momentum. As for Mahle, believers will have to wait even longer for the young hurler to deliver on his potential. He gave up four runs in a no-decision during his last start, but he has maintained a healthy 9.32 K/9 to go along with a 3.80 xFIP and 4.02 SIERA thanks in large part to a reduction in his fastball usage by over 10% in the last year. He makes for a perfect low-cost, high-upside target in dynasty leagues, and he may yet provide value down the stretch in re-draft leagues as well.

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Paul Ghiglieri is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Paul, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyGhigs.

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