Closing Time: Welcome back, Kevin Gausman
Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman entered spring training with plenty of breakout buzz this season — not for the first time in his career — but the right-hander developed shoulder tendinitis in mid-March, ultimately landing on the DL. At that point, he slipped off the radar for most fantasy owners.
Gausman finally made his 2016 debut for the O’s on Monday, and, well … it’s time to add him. Here’s all you really need to know:
He didn’t get the win on Monday night, because he was opposed by a lights-out Chris Archer. But Gausman was dealing, routinely reaching the high-90s on his fastball and mixing in a slider that coaxed plenty of ugly half-swings. It was a thoroughly impressive outing for the 25-year-old, who finished with seven Ks over 5.0 innings, allowing just three hits and one run.
We shouldn’t need to tell you that when a major league starter is hitting 97-100 and locating well in a successful appearance, that guy is basically an auto-add (even in the rough waters of the A.L. East. Sit him in the worst match-ups). Gausman’s next start will be at home in Baltimore on Saturday, facing the White Sox. He’s still unowned in 71 percent of Yahoo leagues. Go make the add, then return for bulleted fantasy content.
• Nathan Eovaldi carried a no-hitter into the seventh against Texas on Monday, before Nomar Mazara singled to lead-off the frame. Eovaldi still finished with an impressive line (7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 Ks) and the usual stellar velocity readings. We can’t endorse him as more than a matchup-based fantasy option, however, because nothing has happened this year to suggest Eovaldi’s well-established flaws are no longer a worry. Over the course of his career, left-handed batters have slashed .297/.355/.421 against him. This season, even with Monday’s gem in the books, it’s .300/.341/.550. That’s Masterson-level performance against LHBs. Eovaldi gets the Red Sox in his next two starts, then the Royals, then he’s at Arizona. No thanks.
• Jimmy Rollins filled the box score for Chicago, facing Marcus Stroman and the Jays. He went 3-for-5 with one double, one steal, two runs scored and two RBIs. He could get semi-interesting hitting near the top of the lineup, but he’s resting almost every-other-day because he’s ancient.
• Rick Porcello delivered yet another solid outing for Boston, in a very low degree-of-difficulty match-up with Atlanta. Good as he’s been, I wouldn’t mess with him against the Yankees next weekend. We’re not talking about a pitcher with overwhelming stuff. He’s throwing 89-90 mph, with a swinging-strike rate of 8.9 percent.
• Caleb Cotham’s recent usage certainly doesn’t suggest that he’ll get the next save chance for the Reds. He pitched the eighth inning against the Mets on Monday, trailing 5-3. Cotham also took the seventh inning on Saturday against the Cubs, entering with a 9-3 lead. Cingrani and/or Ohlendorf (yikes) are perhaps the options for speculators.
• Byron Buxton and his .208 OBP were sent to Triple-A on Monday, where he can harm fantasy owners no more. He’s still just 22, a prospect with plenty of long-term appeal. But you really need to drop him in mixers, if for some reason you had not already done so. Danny Santana played center for the Twins on Monday, batting ninth. Nothing to see there, either.
• Chris Owings went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who put up a dozen runs against St. Louis, mauling the Cards’ bullpen. Owings is now hitting .283, he’s swiped four bags in as many attempts, and he’s eligible at 2B, SS and OF.
• Evan Gattis appears to be waking up for Houston. He’s gone 4-for-10 over the past two days, with a pair of doubles. The Astros still intend to get him behind the plate this season, hopefully often enough to earn C eligibility in Yahoo leagues. (Five starts or 10 appearances are required.)
