Fantasy baseball is all about the long game. Players you drafted early who struggle are not suddenly untalented bums who should be dropped to the waiver wire at a moment’s notice. There is a method to the madness of this game and baseball as a whole. Slumps happen, and when a talented player gets out of one, they typically do so in a glorious manner.
Fantasy Baseball 10 Burning Questions
We have to be patient unless something substantive, like injury or age concerns, becomes evident. Without either of the two, we are merely a month into a grueling, 162-game season, which can only be conquered through a diligent process.
This week’s ’10 Burning Questions’ are below. For any questions or concerns, contact me on Twitter/X (@RotoSurgeon).
Tyler Glasnow: 6/10
Shoulder injuries are never good, but at least this was reported as “inflammation” rather than a strain, and Tyler Glasnow even stated this was overall body soreness. Teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto dealt with a rotator cuff strain last season and missed three months.
The Dodgers are planning to shut Glasnow down for two weeks and re-evaluate from there. If he is cleared to ramp up, we can expect a return to action come mid-June. Unfortunately, Glasnow is compounding injuries after dealing with an elbow sprain, which ended his 2024 season and did not allow him to pitch in October.
Logan Gilbert: 8/10
Elbow sprains are borderline death (fantasy-wise) for pitchers. Logan Gilbert has been a workhorse starting pitcher since his call-up to the Majors, but this flexor tendon strain is a problem, even at Grade 1.
Gilbert will be shut down for two weeks, similarly to Glasnow, but his return will depend on how the sprain is healing and could require management in the form of an injection. This is all a means to delay what could inevitably result in surgery, however, he could still provide value this season if he pitches through it.
2.) Is Cole Ragans going to bounce back?
Yes. Cole Ragans will be fine and remains one of the better buys in fantasy baseball. Ragans’ 4.40 ERA is far from his 2.59 xFIP and 2.41 SIERA. He is pitching well, yet dealing with a heavy run of bad luck across the past few starts, especially with an injury involved.
Luckily, his groin issue is not a major concern unless it is reaggravated. Luckily, this next start comes against the Baltimore Orioles, who rank last against left-handed pitching in 2025.
This is a fair question to ask in fantasy baseball, given Adley Rutschman’s disappointing production relative to the price in recent seasons, but he appears to be close to that tantalizing breakout.
- Rutschman’s 2024 batting average: .222
- Rutschman’s 2024 expected average: .292
- Rutschman’s 2024 slugging percentage: .364
- Rutschman’s 2024 expected slugging: .504
If Rutschman performs up to his expected numbers sooner rather than later, we are getting an elite offensive player at an oftentimes low-value position like catcher. The Orioles’ offense is performing poorly to date, but there is talent in the lineup, and a Rutschman breakout would help take them to another level.
4.) Who should we buy low?
The aforementioned Adley Rutschman and Cole Ragans are good options, but target Bo Bichette if your current shortstop is performing poorly. Bichette’s numbers, like Rutschman’s, are well below the expected values and should bounce back sooner rather than later.
The Blue Jays are underperforming as a whole, which is even more beneficial for Bichette, who can break out alongside the offense and bolster fantasy lineups. If the offense overall continues to disappoint, there is a good chance Bichette is traded at the deadline to a contending roster.
5.) Who should we sell high?
Victor Scott is having a great start to the season, but his bat is still below par, despite a 109 wRC+ to start the season. The speedy centerfielder is batting well beyond his expected stats and may become worse than a replacement player down the line.
Scott cannot hit lefties (78 wRC+ and a 32.1% strikeout rate) and is reliant on speed to retain fantasy value. In H2H fantasy leagues, steals are generally much less valuable than in roto formats, which makes Scott a premier selling option.
Brenton Doyle just knocked his first extra-base hit since April 10th earlier this week. He is slashing .100/.176/.200 with a 38.2% strikeout rate since then, and had to show some sign of life. Sadly, Doyle dealt with an injury bug (hip) and a stint on the Bereavement List over the past few weeks.
The Rockies have not wavered in their placement of Doyle as their leadoff bat, which is promising, along with the fact he has been making quality contact all season with a career-high 18% barrel rate, 91.2 average exit velocity and 44.3% hard-hit rate. Doyle is a potential fantasy star at full strength and could be getting back there now. Give him some more time to keep getting it right.
There was allegedly a bogus report going around last week that Ronald Acuna Jr. would be assigned to the Minor Leagues soon and activated following a short stint. This does not appear to be the case, and the initial timeline of Acuna’s early-to-late May return is pushing closer. It is officially early May, and he has not played in a game since tearing his ACL early last season.
The best bet is that nothing has changed on the Braves’ end, given the lack of news, and we should expect a mid-May return. This would likely lead to a late-May return to the Atlanta lineup after a proper stay in the Minors to ramp him up. Acuna will be a welcome addition to a Braves roster that ranks last in runs among the American League East.
8.) Will Devin Williams get the closer role back?
This is the million-dollar question. Devin Williams has not just been bad, he has been horrible. The closer known for his air-bending change-up could not be worse. He has allowed nine runs in 10 innings and walked nearly as many batters (eight) as he has struck out (10).
Williams is an elite reliever at full strength, but did undergo back surgery early last season. He returned in the second half and posted a 1.25 ERA with 14 saves in 22 outings. New York gave up a quality prospect in Caleb Durbin to acquire him, but they cannot trot Williams out for the sake of it. His past two outings have come in close games against the Baltimore Orioles, but while the Yankees trailed. He did not give up a run or hit in these games and struck out two batters while walking just one.
If Williams sustains this success for a few more appearances, he should be named the closer again. If not, the Yankees are comfortable with Luke Weaver in the ninth inning after his 2024 postseason run. They could stick with Weaver all year as they focus on another American League pennant.
9.) What’s going on with the Rangers’ offense?
Everything except Wyatt Langford, Jonah Heim and Josh Jung. The Rangers have demoted veteran slugger Jake Burger to Triple-A, as they attempt to create anything close to an average offense. Texas ranks third-worst in runs per game to start this season, just ahead of the Rockies and Royals.
The 2023 World Series champions are riding their talented pitching rotation to a .500 record, yet sliding quickly as the lack of run support is suffocating. Corey Seager is yet again on the Injured List (IL), Marcus Semien is showing his age, Joc Pederson is arguably the league’s worst regular batter and Adolis Garcia is severely underperforming.
There is not much in the Minors to help either, as former top prospect Evan Carter is putting up pedestrian numbers and other bats like Justin Foscue and Ezequiel Duran lack the necessary juice. Either Texas needs to trade for a bat (preferably a lefty) or Seager’s hamstring needs to magically heal because Garcia’s expected regression will not be enough to carry this clunky roster.
Maybe. The ever-frustrating Buxton is having an electric start to this fantasy season with six home runs and seven stolen bases. Buxton has tied his 2024 stolen bases total in just 28 games. The question with Buxton is never talent, but health, as the star centerfielder is plagued by a variety of injuries every season. His 102 games played in 2024 were the highest mark in a given year since 2017,
Regrettably, he is another player to consider selling high, given his history and the fact his 33.6% strikeout rate is his highest mark since 2016.
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