Daily Dose: Colby's Cheese
Follow @RyanPBoyer and @Rotoworld_BB on Twitter.
Most predicted doom and gloom for the Rangers’ rotation once Yu Darvish and Derek Holland went down. They’ve actually been pretty solid, though, and a major reason why is the re-emergence of Colby Lewis.
Lewis faced a Royals team on Monday that entered the day easily leading all of baseball with a .290 average as a team. The veteran right-hander held them to just three hits while walking two and striking out five across seven frames of one-run ball. Lewis has allowed just four runs over his last four starts and now boasts a 2.40 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 34/11 K/BB ratio over 45 innings this season.
You might be quick to dismiss Lewis’ hot start given last year’s 5.18 ERA, but let’s not forget that he was pretty good down the stretch in 2014 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 13 second-half starts. And, of course, there’s the three-year run with the Rangers from 2010-12 prior to his elbow and hip surgeries when he held a 3.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8.1 K/9 ratio. It’s possible the righty is finally feeling healthy now after all the missed time.
Ultimately, Lewis will surely come back to earth to at least some degree. He’s not striking a ton of guys out and has been lucky so far with the home run ball when compared to his track record. However, Lewis’ 3.36 ERA over his last 20 starts dating back to last season can’t be ignored. Fantasy owners need to stick with him for the time being.
Closing Thoughts
Help is on the way soon for those who drafted injured closers this spring, as not one, not two, but three ninth-inning men are poised for returns in the near future.
One guy whose return date appears set in stone is Kenley Jansen, who has been on the shelf since surgery in mid-February to remove a growth from his left foot. Jansen will make one final rehab appearance with High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday before being activated from the disabled list Saturday. He’s allowed three runs but holds a 6/1 K/BB ratio over 4 1/3 rehab innings to this point.
“I’m very excited,” Jansen told the Los Angeles Times. “I felt great.”
The Dodgers’ bullpen as a whole has pitched quite well in Jansen’s absence, although the club hasn’t settled on a regular closer. The plan is to ease Jansen back into closing duties, but it shouldn’t take long before he’s back in the ninth inning. Think next week sometime.
Also expected back at some point this weekend is Jake McGee, who underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery back in December. McGee made his fifth rehab appearance on Monday and it was another scoreless one. He’s allowed just one hit and no runs over five rehab frames and is slated for one more appearance at Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.
The Rays haven’t revealed a plan for how they’ll use McGee initially upon his activation, but don’t expect to see him in save situations right away. Brad Boxberger has been excellent, posting a 1.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 18 strikeouts over 12 innings while going a perfect 8-for-8 in save chances. Boxberger has been better against lefties and McGee better against righties in his career, although both have held batters from either side of the plate at bay quite well. Manager Kevin Cash might just mix and match with the two in the ninth inning and let things play out.
Sean Doolittle is a little behind Jansen and McGee on the comeback trail, but he’s about to take a significant step, as well. After a 23-pitch live batting practice session on Monday, Doolittle’s next appearance will come later this week in a rehab assignment.
"I was throwing pretty much as hard as I could, just like I would in a normal game," Doolittle told MLB.com. "Twenty-three pitches is a lot, and usually if I'm throwing 23 pitches in an inning we have problems, but I still felt like the last five or six I threw, I had enough in the tank to reach back and get a few by [Mark] Canha."
It’s not clear at this point how many rehab appearances Doolittle will require, but the A’s aren’t expecting him back until towards the end of the month, so it will be a handful. Making his way back from a left shoulder strain, Doolittle also figures to be eased back into closing duties once he’s rejoined the Oakland bullpen. Tyler Clippard has had just four save chances so far this season as the interim closer, converting three of them while posting a 1.93 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.
Franco on the Way
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro hinted prior to Monday’s game that top prospect Maikel Franco was close to receiving a promotion. After the game, word broke that the 22-year-old was indeed on his way to the majors.
The Phillies have optioned Cody Asche to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he will begin making the transition from third base to left field. That opens up the hot corner for Franco. They’ll wait until Friday to recall him, as they need to bide a little extra time in order to delay his free agency. Cesar Hernandez and Andres Blanco will hold down third base for the next few days.
Franco certainly earned the promotion. The young infielder slugged his fourth home run of the season on Monday and also added a single, pushing his average for the season up to .341. Power is Franco’s calling card, as he’s smacked 50 homers while driving in 181 runs over the last two seasons in the minors.
Knowledge of the strike zone is still a work in progress for Franco, though. He had a 13/1 K/BB ratio over 58 plate appearances with the Phillies during his cup of coffee last season when he hit just .179/.190/.214. And, for as well as he’s hit overall this season at Triple-A, he still has a 24/5 K/BB ratio. The 22-year-old seems unlikely to hit for average at this point. He’s going to play every day, though, and the power is real, making him a worthy flier in most formats.
National League Quick Hits: Matt Carpenter (fatigue) will rejoin the Cardinals on Tuesday in Cleveland ... Archie Bradley (head) has officially been cleared to rejoin the rotation on Saturday against the Phillies ... Yunel Escobar went 5-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored Monday in what was his second five-hit game in the last week ... Shelby Miller tossed seven innings of one-run ball but settled for a no-decision in Monday’s win over the Reds ... Max Scherzer struck out six while spinning seven frames of one-run ball in a victory over the Diamondbacks ... Christian Yelich singled and had a go-ahead, two-run homer on Monday versus the Dodgers ... Kris Bryant hit his first homer at Wrigley Field in Monday’s win over the Mets ... Carlos Gomez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday’s victory over the White Sox ... Melvin Upton (foot) played in his first extended spring training game on Monday ... David Wright (hamstring, back) hasn't been cleared to resume baseball activities yet and is at least a week away from being activated from the disabled list ... Aramis Ramirez (back) sat out again Monday but is expected to avoid the DL ... The Cubs signed Felipe Paulino to a minor league contract ... The Giants signed Ricky Romero to a minor league contract ...
American League Quick Hits: Masahiro Tanaka (forearm, wrist) will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday ... The Rangers optioned Rougned Odor to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday ... Prince Fielder went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday’s win over the Royals ... Adam Eaton went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Monday’s loss to the Brewers ... Carlos Beltran went deep for the second straight game in Monday’s win over the Rays ... Mark Teixeira had four hits – including his 11th homer – on Monday ... The Twins will promote Aaron Hicks prior to Tuesday’s contest ... Ubaldo Jimenez recorded nine strikeouts while yielding only two runs in seven innings Monday versus the Blue Jays ... Chris Taylor's right hand is expected to be OK after he was spiked over the weekend ... Danny Duffy was tagged for six runs across 3 2/3 innings in Monday’s loss to the Rangers ... Jeff Samardzija was touched up for seven runs -- five earned -- over six innings against the Brewers on Monday ... Ryan Flaherty will undergo an MRI Tuesday after aggravating his groin injury again ... Chris Davis went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run as the Orioles defeated the Blue Jays on Monday ... Ike Davis exited Monday's game with a strained quad ...
