X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Baseball Advice: Impact Players Coming Back from Injuries, and Other Musings

Click here to get expert fantasy baseball advice about injured players on the verge of returning. Billy Bruce lends his expertise to help you win your league! Check it out!

With June call-ups chomping at the bit, everyone is looking for the next Shelby Miller or Matt Harvey at a bargain price. And a couple of solid pitching prospects are already on their way to The Show. But before we get to the might-be-studs, let’s peak at a few proven pitchers who will be coming back from the DL in the near future.

·         Colby Lewis – The former Ranger front-liner recently suffered a set-back in his attempt to recover from Tommy John surgery. Preliminary reports say he’ll be shut down for at least two weeks. He’s certainly a risky bet, but so was Mine That Bird in the ’09 Kentucky Derby.  Don’t let him fall off your radar.

·         Brandon Beachy – He completed his second rehab start on Tuesday and is likely just a few more minor league games away from joining the Braves rotation. He’ll be a nice addition to your roster, too. Stash and wait.

·         Josh Johnson – The 29-year-old two-time All Star is slated to toe the rubber for the Blue Jays next Tuesday against the Giants. I’m not as high on Johnson as some, but Toronto really needs some good luck….however, he’s going to get some bad draws (Giants, Rangers, Tigers, and the Orioles twice) prior to the All Star break. I’m flipping a coin here and it keeps landing on its edge.

·         Chris Carpenter – He’s throwing the ball and stretching his arm muscles as we speak. Can the 38-year-old return to dominance…or, at least to fantasy relevance? I think not, but I’m a Reds fan with a Cardinal chip on my shoulder. Just remember he’s out there.

·         David Price – Following his 51-win/611 K dominance from 2010-12, including a Cy Young last season, this home-grown Ray flopped in the sand to begin the ’13 season. Across the board, his stats were very un-Price-like. He hit the shelf in mid-May with a left tricep strain. He’s likely out until mid-June at the earliest. Call me crazy, but if I owned him I’d be shopping him for some young studs in return.

Michael Wacha makes his debut from the bump tonight for the Cardinals. Is the 2012 top draft pick the next big thing? Probably not, but scouts love his tools. If Wacha sticks in the rotation, his starts up to the All Star break are extremely favorable. Aside from a tough June 9 start in Cincinnati (he might even be skipped in this turn for protection), he gets the Royals and Astros once and the Cubs and Marlins twice. As a result of facing less-than-fearsome offenses, his numbers at the midway point may look awesome….which may make him excellent trade bait amongst your less-studious peers.

Zack Wheeler will likely make his anticipated debut for the lowly Mets sometime in June, but will be limited to about 100 innings with the big club. I’m not a fan of the innings cap (I still believe Washington’s insistence on shutting Stephen Strasburg down last year cost them a trip to the World Series and equate this innings cap nonsense to fear killing prosperity), but with the Mets, who can blame them? Along with Matt Harvey, Wheeler could make up the second-half of an awesome one-two punch for New York in the very near future. He’ll likely help you down the stretch, with little run support (few wins), but in keeper leagues, if you don’t have him already, stock up.

Tyler Lyons – As much as I hate it, the Cardinals seem to own a stud-pitcher mega mall. One goes down, another one who is just as good fills his spot. With Jaime Garcia on the shelf for the season, the lineup behind Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller is presently Lyons and Wacha (and don’t forget about Carpenter). Lyons has looked very sharp against the Royals and Padres (14 IP/1.29 ERA/0.57 WHIP/ 9 K) but we’ll have a better idea of his effectiveness following his next two starts – Sunday at home against the Giants and Friday at Cincinnati. Just like Wacha, after next week he’s going to benefit from pitching against some weaker offenses leading up to the break.  

·         Matt Kemp can’t get any love these days, but my soft heart roots for him simply for this. I know he’s struggling at the dish, but he’s not having any trouble dishing out love for others who are struggling. I own him and I’ll continue to own him just because I believe good things happen to good people. Try out my theory on this and let’s compare notes at the end of the season.

·         Jarrod Parker drove all of his owners nuts early in the season. I held him due, mostly I think, to stubbornness. Well, he’s paying us back for our patience. In his last four games, Parker has turned in four straight quality starts. He still leaves a little to be desired in the WHIP categories, but my stubbornness is going to remain for a few more starts.

·         Kendrys Morales, as RotoBaller’s Raphael Robe pointed out recently on The Fantasy Alarm Show with Jeff Mann, should be owned in way more than 51% of Yahoo! leagues. The not-yet-30-year-old is hitting .300 with 6 HR and 28 RBI and is only four unfortunately unhealthy seasons removed from a .306/34 HR/108 RBI campaign. Get rid of your dead weight and add this guy before somebody else does.

The past week threw me plenty of curves and off-speed stuff. I had a week-long training in Cincinnati with Hell’s Snore Captain as a roommate, a baccalaureate and graduation on consecutive nights for my oldest daughter and an interview for a prominent position at my workplace dominate my cognitive abilities. Along the way, I also had an article I am most proud of published by Yahoo! called The Greatest At-Bat in Baseball History. Click, read, and throw me some feedback….but I must warn you, if you are a Yankees fan this story may induce regurgitation.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cal Raleigh

Continues Historic Homer Pace Tuesday
Jacob Wilson

Exits Early On Tuesday With Left Hand Contusion
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
Laken Tomlinson

Confident in Texans Offensive Line
J.K. Dobbins

the Starter in Denver?
JT Woods

Seahawks Release JT Woods
Darren Waller

Trade to Miami Becomes Official
Asante Samuel Jr.

Dolphins Interested in Asante Samuel Jr.
Nyheim Hines

Seeking Return to NFL
Dak Prescott

Expects to be Full-Go for Training Camp
Ajay Mitchell

Posts 16 Points in Summer League Win on Monday
Milwaukee Bucks

Vasilije Micic Waived by Bucks
Brice Sensabaugh

Logs 37 points in Summer League Win on Monday
Luis Garcia

Fans Four in Rehab Outing
GG Jackson II

Collects 27 Points in Summer League Loss
Ace Bailey

Scores 18 Points in Summer League Victory
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Kobe Bufkin

Cleared for Summer League Action
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Milwaukee Bucks

Vasilije Micic Agrees to Contract Buyout with Bucks
PGA

Sungjae Im Still a Liability at Scottish Open
James Wiseman

Pacers Bring Back James Wiseman
Ludvig Aberg

is a Solid Option at Scottish Open
Tyrese Haliburton

to Miss Entire 2025-26 Campaign
Paolo Banchero

Signs Historic Five-Year Extension with Magic
Anthony Santander

Hoping to Hit Soon
Luis Robert Jr.

Returning in Short Order
Alex Bregman

Could Return Later This Week
Ketel Marte

Day-to-Day with Groin Tightness
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Hunter Greene

Suffers Setback on Monday
Kyle Lowry

Staying With 76ers
Kyle Anderson

Lands in Utah
Kevin Love

Traded to Jazz in 3-Team Swap
Norman Powell

Traded to Miami
John Collins

Dealt to Clippers
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied For 14 at Travelers Championship
Xander Schauffele

Finishes Tied For 61 at Travelers Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Tied For 17 at Travelers Championship
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For 11 at John Deere Classic
Viktor Hovland

Withdraws From Travelers Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For Second at Travelers Championship
Brian Campbell

Wins John Deere Classic
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 10 Points
Harrison Ingram

Limited on Sunday
Golden State Warriors

Isaiah Mobley Drops 16 Points
Ryan Rollins

Staying with Bucks
T.J. Watt

Pittsburgh Still Not Close on New Contract
Terry McLaurin

Still Not Pleased with Contract Situation
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Yu Darvish

to Make Season Debut on Monday
MLB

Nationals Fire Dave Martinez, Mike Rizzo
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
KaVontae Turpin

Arrested on Two Charges
Cole Ragans

to Begin Throwing on Monday
Theo Johnson

Prioritizing his Health this Offseason
Andrés Giménez

Andres Gimenez Hits 10-Day Injured List
Jermaine Burton

Continues to Show Growth
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF