Hanley Ramirez was off to a fantastic start to the year, but it may have been cooled yesterday as he exited the game following a HBP to the wrist from Sonny Gray. It didn't appear to be intentional as Gray showed immediate remorse, plus there was a runner on first in the first inning of the game. X-rays were negative; stay turned for updates. In 2016 Hanley hit 30 HR, which seems to be difficult to remember. Pending the results of this injury, he could be posed for a solid 2018.
Alas, Francisco Lindor hit his first home run of the season as part of a 2-for-4, 3 RBI 3 run day. His OPS remains below .600, but the season is young. He hasn't looked great through 13 games, but it's a seriously small sample size. Stay patient, more good things to come.
Michael Brantley was 2-for-4 yesterday, raising his average to .286 on the year. It's been an inauspicious six games for Brantley, but he's a guy you want on your roster given his upside. If things flame out and injuries prevent him from having a solid year, it's easy to cut bait. But he could very easily turn into a solid 5-tool player, paying serious dividends for very little investment.
Michael Fulmer had a night to forget. The 25-year-old allowed 6 ER over 3 IP registering just 2 strikeouts. His ERA remains solid at 3.86, but the peripherals are unfortunately far, far worse. We're barely 16 IP into the season, but the early signs are unfavorable to Fulmer. Coming off a fortunate 2017, Fulmer needed a step forward to become a valued fantasy asset. We haven't seen it thus far. At this point, I'm selling.
Sonny Gray managed just 3 IP with 6 ER against the Red Sox on a cold, rainy Thursday. His ERA is a lackluster 6.92 on the year. Last night was clearly an ineffective night for Gray, but the prior two starts were promising, so I'm not giving too much credence to the poor start.
