Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Feeling Fulmer
Follow @Rotoworld_BB and @RyanPBoyer on Twitter.
If not for Shane Greene developing a blister, Michael Fulmer might still be in the minors. After Fulmer’s first four starts for the Tigers, it looked like he’d be sent back down. Now it looks like he could be up for good.
Fulmer continued his excellent recent string of starts with another gem against the Blue Jays on Monday. He held the imposing Toronto lineup to just two hits – both singles – and three walks across six shutout frames, recording five strikeouts along the way. Not bad for a guy who said he’s didn’t even have his good stuff.
After the aforementioned first four starts of his major league career, Fulmer held a 6.52 ERA and 1.97 WHIP, not going deeper than five innings in any outing. Since then, the young right-hander has permitted just one run over 28 1/3 frames, good for a 0.32 ERA. He also boasts a 0.64 WHIP and impressive 27/7 K/BB ratio over the stretch.
Speaking of remarkable stats, credit ESPN for this one: Fulmer became the first Tigers pitcher in the last 100 years to go three straight scoreless starts while yielding three or fewer hits. Not bad for a 23-year-old rookie.
Up next for Fulmer are the Yankees in the Bronx and then another one on the road against the reigning champs in Kansas City.
Editor’s Note: Don’t whiff on this special FanDuel offer: win your first contest or get your money back (up to $10) to keep playing. Try FanDuel now.
Wong Gone
For obvious reasons, fantasy owners are always intrigued by guys that possess power and speed.
Kolten Wong is one of those guys. However, he hasn’t shown either of those skills or simply gotten on base enough recently, and that’s why he now finds himself in the minors.
With Jhonny Peralta poised to be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, Wong was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday. It’s a move that doesn’t come as a surprise, as the Cardinals find themselves overloaded with infielders with Peralta back in the fold. However, it’s a bitter pill to swallow for those of you who used a mid-round pick on Wong in fantasy drafts this spring. St. Louis surely isn’t thrilled with having to make the move, either, after inking Wong to a five-year, $25.5 million contract extension in March.
Simply put, Wong has been hitting very poorly for a while now. He started last season off with a bang but tailed off in a major way, batting .235/.296/.307 with just two homers over the final three months. The Cards felt a factor in his production dropping down the stretch is because he wore down, which is a big reason why they brought in Jedd Gyorko over the winter in order to lighten Wong’s workload a bit. It didn’t help, as he’s sported an awful .222/.306/.286 batting line with one homer over 144 plate appearance this season.
Wong has nothing left to prove in the minors, but he’ll at least get to play regularly there. The Cards will keep Aledmys Diaz at shortstop, shifting Peralta over to third base and Matt Carpenter to second. It’s probably going to take an injury or Diaz or Matt Adams hitting a wall in order for Wong to get another shot at a starting job anytime soon.
Bad News for Brantley?
The Indians are atop the American League Central standings in spite of being without star Michael Brantley for basically the entire season. Will they have to continue to make do without him for the long haul?
Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reported Monday that there is “serious concern” among the Cleveland brass that Brantley is “going to miss a significant amount of time” with his nagging right shoulder issues. The outfielder had an operation last November to repair a torn labrum, had a setback late in spring training when he felt fatigue and had to be placed back on the disabled list nearly a month ago with more fatigue.
For what it’s worth, when contacted by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, president Chris Antonetti didn’t confirm Passan’s report but didn’t outright deny it, either.
“Nothing really new,” Antonetti said. “We are focused on working with Michael to help him get to the point where he’s not only healthy but strong enough to make a meaningful impact on the balance of our season. We don’t have a clear timetable for that yet but are encouraged by the progress he continues to make.”
Passan’s report, if true, isn’t terribly surprising. Just over a week ago, manager Terry Francona admitted that the club was going to take a more “conservative” approach with Brantley than they did this spring, adding that they “didn’t put a timetable” on the outfielder’s return. Brantley himself said at the time that it was “going to take a little bit of time” before he returned to action.
So what are fantasy owners to do here? Obviously those who have a DL slot available and aren’t pressed for roster spots can continue to keep Brantley stashed. However, there certainly appears to be potential for Brantley to be out months, not weeks, longer. And, given the kind of operation he’s coming back from, it’s far from a guarantee that he’ll provide Brantley-like production when/if he does return (he’s batted .231/.279/.282 in 11 games this season). I think it’s certainly justifiable to cut ties with Brantley in a redraft if you’re in a roster crunch.
The Indians will continue to roll with a Jose Ramirez/Rajai Davis combination in left field with Brantley out indefinitely and Marlon Byrd suspended. However, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they’re in the market for a bat next month.
National League Quick Hits: Jon Lester punched out nine batters over eight scoreless frames in Monday’s victory over the Phillies … Tyler Chatwood permitted just one hit over eight innings of one-run ball in Monday’s win over the Dodgers … David Peralta homered in his return from the disabled list, but the Diamondbacks fell to the Rays on Monday … Scott Kazmir (leg) expects to make his next scheduled start Saturday against the Giants … Jorge Soler will undergo an MRI on Tuesday after departing Monday’s contest with a strained left hamstring … Juan Lagares has been diagnosed with a partially torn ligament in his left thumb … Trevor Story slugged a three-run homer in Monday’s win over the Dodgers … Brandon McCarthy (elbow) is ready for a rehab assignment … Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder) hasn’t resumed throwing to hitters … Yangervis Solarte singled and smacked a three-run homer in Monday’s victory over the Braves …
American League Quick Hits: Trevor Bauer struck out 10 while tossing 7 2/3 frames of one-run ball in a win over the Mariners … Rougned Odor hit a solo home run and smacked a walk-off RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning of Monday’s win over the Astros … Danny Salazar’s next start has been pushed back to Sunday due to shoulder fatigue … Mark Trumbo singled and slugged his major league-leading 19th home run in Monday’s win over the Royals … James Paxton whiffed 10 while allowing three runs – one earned – over six frames against the Indians … Chris Archer gave up three runs but struck out 12 versus the D’Backs Monday … Jose Altuve went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in Monday’s loss to the Rangers … Justin Upton had an RBI single, a two-run homer and a stolen base in Monday’s win over the Blue Jays … Mike Wright allowed just an unearned run across seven innings in a win over the Royals … Danny Duffy struck out nine while holding the Orioles to two runs over 6 1/3 frames Monday … Carlos Beltran singled and ripped a go-ahead, three-run homer in Monday’s comeback win over the Angels … Logan Forsythe (shoulder) is on track to return during the Rays’ homestand from June 10-19 …
