Shane Bieber (SP-CLE) will miss the rest of the 2024 season and at least a chunk of the 2025 campaign as he is set to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a damaged ligament in his right (throwing) elbow. This is a major blow to his fantasy owners, as Bieber appeared to recapture his old form in the early going of the current season after working with Driveline during the offseason to regain some velocity. The 28 year-old was electric in his first two starts of the campaign, firing 12 shutout IP in which he issued just one walk while racking up 20 strikeouts and scattering 10 hits. With his average fastball velocity up to 92.5 mph - up a full tick from where it was at in 2022 and 2023 - Bieber recorded a robust 17% swinging-strike rate while his contact rate dipped to only 64.5%. There surely would have been some correction as the season progressed, but he was again flashing his Cy Young form.
Spencer Strider (SP-ATL) will undoubtedly miss considerable time after an MRI revealed damage to the UCL in his right (throwing) elbow on Saturday. The hard-throwing righty felt discomfort in that elbow during his rough start against the Diamondbacks on Friday, a rough outing in which he coughed up 5 runs (all earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks while fanning 4 over 4 IP. He was scheduled to take on the Mets in New York this coming Wednesday, that will obviously not happen as Strider could very well be looking at the possibility of undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. For what it's worth, Strider's fastball was sitting at 95-96 mph in Friday's outing as compared to last year's 97.5 mph while he was uncharacteristically wild, so the outlook is certainly not good.
Paul Blackburn (SP-OAK) blanked Detroit over 6 innings of work on Saturday afternoon, allowing just 3 hits while walking none and recording 4 punchouts. The 30 year-old righty threw 59 of his 85 offerings for strikes in the outing. Blackburn has enjoyed a strong start to he new season as he has now thrown 13 shutout innings in which he's issued just one walk and struck out 7. A 3.96 xFIP does indicate that he's run into some good luck along the way, as a .154 BABIP, 100% strand rate, and 0% HR/FB are all going to correct to the mean going forward. But he's certainly useful in fantasy for the time being, especially as he's looking at a favorable matchup at home against the Nationals next Friday.
Spencer Steer (OF-CIN) had a big day against the Mets on Saturday as he went 2-3 with a 3-run homer and a steal (of home!). The 26 year-old seems intent on proving that his productive 2023 campaign (.271 average, 23 dingers, 86 RBI, 74 runs scored, and 15 steals across 665 PA) was no fluke, as he's raked in the early going of the new season. Through 34 PA, Steer is batting .448 with 3 homers, 12 RBI, 8 runs scored, and 2 steals. It's a very small sample size, but his 15% strikeout rate, 87% contact rate, and his Statcast metrics - which include a 57% hard-hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 90.5% - are all encouraging.
Alex Kirilloff (1B/OF-MIN) went 1-4 with a 3B, an RBI, and a walk against Cleveland on Saturday. The 26 year-old has started the season strong and is batting near the top of the Twins lineup, batting .385 with 2 RBI, 4 runs scored, 3 3B, and 2 2B in 30 PA. In that small sample sample size, Kirilloff has drawn walks at a 7% rate and fanned in only 10% of PA. The Statcast profile is strong so far, with a 43% hard-hit rate, 14% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 93.5 mph. The season is very young, so those numbers can certainly change in a hurry, but it's good to see Kirilloff healthy and producing, as the former has been the biggest obstacle to him being a reliable fantasy contributor so far in his career. Perhaps that can change this season.
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