Welcome back to the Cut List. Each weekend from now until the end of the season, I’ll be offering my thoughts on players who don’t deserve to keep drawing a nonexistent salary on your fake baseball teams.

Now that we’re beyond most league’s trade deadlines, the only way to improve your team is via the waiver wire. It’s a sprint now, not a marathon. Ratchet up your ruthlessness accordingly.

In addition to the players on the Cut List, we'll also spotlight a player on the Hot Seat: Someone whose situation is worth monitoring, even if it’s not time to hit the ejector seat just yet. Without further ado, here are your Week 23 cut candidates.

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The Cut List: Week 23

Jonathan Lucroy, C/1B, Colorado Rockies

There’s really no other way to say it – Lucroy has been awful in 2017. His track record of success and the lack of appealing options at catcher kept him on most fantasy rosters throughout a disappointing first half. Then he got traded to Colorado, and most of us talked ourselves into a Coors-fueled bounceback. It hasn’t happened. Lucroy has done a great job getting on base since joining the Rockies (.382 OBP), but he’s done nothing else to help fantasy owners. It took him nearly a month after the trade to finally hit a home run, and he’s got just five all year. Lucroy has ranked outside the top 25 at his position on both Yahoo and ESPN basically all season. That’s impressive…but not the good kind, like you want.

Gregory Polanco, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Polanco is expected to be back in action within a week, but how long will that last? The soon to be 26-year-old has seemingly spent more time in the trainer’s room than on the field this season, landing on the disabled list with a gallimaufry of ailments. When he has managed to suit up, the results have been underwhelming. Despite a drastic reduction in strikeouts, Polanco’s average is stuck in the .250 range as usual, and he hasn’t produced enough in the other categories to make up for that.

Michael Fulmer, SP, Detroit Tigers

News broke on Friday that Fulmer will miss at least his next two starts, thanks to a recurrence of his elbow issue. This report included the most dreaded seven words in baseball, “is scheduled to see Dr. James Andrews.” Even if the diagnosis isn’t worst-case scenario, odds are we won’t see Fulmer throw another pitch this season. The Tigers have nothing to play for, after all. Fulmer also simply hasn’t been as good this year as last, so there’s not much upside to keeping him around in redraft leagues.

 

The Hot Seat: Week 23

Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Braun is hitting .270/.335/.488 with 13 homers, eight stolen bases, and 84 R+RBI in 79 games this season. Not bad, really, but a far cry from what we’re used to from a guy who’s been a reliable star for the better part of the last decade. And those respectable full-season numbers don’t show that Braun’s power has completely evaporated in the second half. He has one homer since July 22…which was also the last time he drove in multiple runs in a game. He’s also only stolen two bases (in four attempts) during that span, despite it being basically the only month-plus stretch where he played every day. I think Samuel L. Jackson said it best (NSFW).

 

Last Week

Kendrys Morales went berserk on Thursday, hitting three homers and amassing 11 R+RBI. If you cut him because of this column, I am very sorry.

Evan Longoria had back-to-back multi-hit games to start off the week, but didn’t do much else in the interim.

Jameson Taillon’s two starts were a mixed bag. He labored through four-plus innings against the Reds, walking four and giving up five hits but somehow only allowing one earned run. In last night’s rematch (this time at home), he breezed through six shutout frames. Baseball is ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

A.J. Pollock owners, please contact me privately to make arrangements for whatever gifts you’d like to send my way as a thank you for the reverse jinx. Pollock hit three homers (half of his season total entering the week), tallied 15 R+RBI and stole a base.

 

More Week 23 Lineup Prep