10-Team League
Eduardo Rodríguez , SP BOS - ERod got back on track in his last start, holding the Astros to just one run on four hits over six innings while striking out five. It ended a two-game skid in which he allowed 11 runs over 11 innings to the Rockies and Blue Jays. His start this week comes against a Royals team in Kansas City which will be a positive ballpark shift for ERod to work with. The Royals themselves have struggled against southpaws this season, ranking 28th in wOBA with a near 25-percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitching.
Rich Hill , SP LAD – It has never been a question of talent with Hill just his health and right now he is healthy and rolling having tossed three straight quality starts while allowing just three runs and striking out 23 over 18 innings during that span. His start this upcoming week will be against the woeful San Francisco Giants offense in the league’s best pitchers park in Oracle Park. The Giants rank 29th in wOBA & 29th in ISO while striking out nearly 25-percent of the time against left-handed pitching this season.
12-Team League
Lance Lynn , SP TEX – Holy strikeouts, Lynn has notched 28 K’s over his last 19.1 innings. After a rough go to start the season he has settled down nicely, posting a 2.97 ERA while striking out 41 over 33.1 innings which spans over his last five starts. In his start this week he will face off against the A’s who rank 20th in wOBA against right-handed pitching this season while striking out in a tick over 20-percent of their at bats.
Andrew Heaney , SP LAA - Heaney has made two solid starts for the Angels since coming off the IL but what has been the most impressive thing about his two starts are the strikeouts. Over 11 innings Heaney has 18 strikeouts in his two starts which came against the Rangers and Mariners. His start this week will be a bit of a tough one as he faces an A’s team that has solid numbers against left-handed pitching this season but if you need strikeouts, I think he is worth the stream and potential longer term add to your fantasy rotation.
Julio Teheran , SP ATL – Any time we can find a pitcher to use against the Miami Marlins we should be all in. What is even better when we can find a pitcher like Teheran who is sitting around 50-percent ownership after allowing three total runs over five starts during the month of May. The Marlins rank 28th in wOBA and 30th in ISO against right-handed pitching this season while striking out in 22.7-percent of their at bats.
15-Team League
Griffin Canning , SP LAA – Angles rookie has it going right now, allowing just two earned runs over his last three combined starts spanning 18 innings. His most recent start was against the A’s whom he will face again this week but this time in his home ballpark. As I mentioned during the Lance Lynn analysis, the A’s have struggled against RHP this season, ranking 20th in wOBA. Canning should be a part of most if not all rotations in leagues this deep.
Dakota Hudson , SP STL – Hudson is coming off the best stretch of his young career which saw him post a 2.80 ERA over six May starts. During those six starts only once did he allow more than two earned runs and only once did he pitch fewer than six innings. He will face a Reds lineup during his start this week which certainly has some holes in it and ranks towards the middle of the pack against right-handed pitching. The one downside with Hudson has been the lack of strikeouts this season but when you are in deeper leagues any pitcher still on the wire will have their flaws.
Player News
Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder) returned to the Padres’ starting lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Rockies.
The 26-year-old superstar wound up missing just one game after tweaking his surgically-repaired right shoulder on Tuesday. With Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth on the shelf, the Padres will need Tatis to carry even more of the load over the next couple of weeks. He’ll bat leadoff against right-hander German Marquez on Friday evening in San Diego.
Zach Neto (shoulder) is playing shortstop once again at Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday, marking the first time that he has done so in back-to-back games.
Angels’ manager Ron Washington is already on record saying that he wanted Neto to play nine innings at shortstop in back-to-back games before he rejoins the Angels. Neto played six innings on Thursday night and hasn’t played more than seven, so it’s going to take him at least a few more games before he’s able to check off that box. If all goes well, there’s a chance that he could be ready to return by the end of next week.
Astros’ general manager Dana Brown told reporters on Friday that they’re hopeful Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) will be able to return in six weeks.
Arrighetti suffered a broken right thumb when he was hit by a line drive while playing catch in the outfield during batting practice on Monday. If he is able to reach that optimistic timeframe, he could be back in the Astros’ rotation before the end of May. Fantasy managers in leagues that don’t feature an injured list may have some tough decisions to make on whether or not to cut bait or wait it out.
Padres’ manager Mike Shildt told reporters that he expects Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder) to return to the lineup on Friday night.
While the Padres have yet to release their lineup, it sounds like their superstar outfielder will be in there after sitting out Wednesday’s game after he tweaked his surgically-repaired right shoulder. Things could still change before gametime, but fantasy managers should expect to have Tatis at their disposal on Friday evening.
Dodgers activated 1B Freddie Freeman from the 10-day injured list.
As expected, Freeman will make his triumphant return to the Dodgers’ lineup on Friday night against the Cubs. The 35-year-old slugger told reporters that he’s feeling as good as he has felt all year and that he feels like he could steal a base. The Dodgers probably won’t be giving him that green light as he eases back into action, but it’s nice to hear that he’s feeling spry as he returns to action.
Brewers optioned RHP Elvis Peguero to Triple-A Nashville.
The Brewers needed to send someone out to make room on the active roster for Jose Quintana’s debut and unfortunately Peguero was the odd man out this time around. The 28-year-old hurler posted a 5.68 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and a 3/4 K/BB ratio over 6 1/3 innings in his five appearances with the Brewers.