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Aaron Ashby 2023 MLB Player Outlook: Injury Caps Fantasy Value And Adds More Question Marks About His Future
2 years agoAaron Ashby was coming into 2023 with uncertainty over his role. Then we heard the news that a shoulder injury will keep him sidelined for "a couple of months". That has already capped Ashby's value and adds even more uncertainty to his role this year with a distinct possibility that the Brewers take things extra carefully on his return. Last year, in 27 appearances (19 starts), Ashby had a 2-10 W-L record, 4.44 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 126 Ks (107.1 IP) but with a 3.75 xERA, 3.29 xFIP and 3.48 SIERA, it's fair to say he was a bit unlucky. He was something of a swingman last year and can still provide value out of the bullpen or as a spot starter, but Ashby will need better results than what he had in 2022 to provide value. Only six of his 19 starts in 2022 saw Ashby complete more than 5.0 IP and he had two IL stints with arm issues so this shoulder issue shouldn't come as a big surprise. With a 26.5% K% (73rd percentile), 29.4% Whiff% (75th percentile) and 34.1% HardHit% (80th percentile) last year, along with his expected numbers, it's completely understandable why you'd draft and stash Ashby. But how much fantasy value he provides in 2023 boils down to volume following Ashby's return from the injury and that's likely to be limited.
