Madison Bumgarner SP, Giants
The Giants ace pitcher returned to action Tuesday night and allowed two runs on eight hits and zero walks over six innings against the division rival Diamondbacks. Bumgarner looked sharp, threw all four of his pitches and generated a 17% swinging strike rate in his season debut. Bumgarner is completely recovered from the fractured left pinkie finger, which required surgery in March to install pins that secured the bone and helped to speed up healing. The pins were removed in mid-April, and Bumgarner began throwing to build up his arm strength and stretch out at the beginning of May. His Health Performance Factor is Above Average now and trending upward, though he remains at Elevated risk for injury for the time being. Bumgarner should be active in all fantasy formats if you have not already done so.
Adrian Beltre 3B, Rangers
Beltre suffered a hamstring strain in the second week of May and was sidelined a little more than two weeks. Inside Injuries’ algorithm calculated a four-week recovery time and a June 10 Return to Health date. However, the Rangers third baseman returned to the field May 31, nearly two weeks earlier than he medically should have. He’s appeared in four out of the five games played since his return and batted just .214/.250/.429 with one HR. That’s a far cry from the .314/.375/.422 production of his first 29 games he played this season, and he missed 13 games during that stretch, so he’s only played 33 of the team’s 63 games so far due to several nagging injuries.
Beltre’s Health Performance Factor remains Poor and his Overall Injury Risk remains High according to Inside Injuries’ algorithm, which makes him a risky fantasy play. He will remain a High Injury Risk every day that he continues to play at less than full health, and his performance will suffer as well. Fantasy owners of Beltre should strongly consider trading him if you can find a trade partner willing to assume the risk and give you a decent player in return.
Khris Davis OF, A’s
The A’s slugger suffered a pulled groin muscle on May 20 and was sidelined until May 31 when he returned to the field. Inside Injuries calculated a June 3 Return to Health date, so Davis did come back a few days sooner than recommended. He has disappointed at the plate since coming back, struggling to regain his hitting stroke with just two hits in 16 plate appearances until Tuesday night’s 2-for-3 performance with a double, a home run and a pair of RBIs.
Prior to the injury, Davis was batting .235/.307/.497 with 13 HRs, 38 RBIs, and 23 Runs scored. Since surpassing Inside Injuries’ June 3 Return to Health date, Davis’ Health Performance Factor is Above Average and trending higher. Groin injuries can be tricky, though, and Davis may require periodic rest to ensure he doesn’t re-injure himself, so he remains an Elevated Injury Risk.
Andrew Heaney SP, Angels
One has to go all the way back to 2015 to find any relevant statistics associated with Andrew Heaney.
Between Triple-A and MLB, Heaney tossed more than 180 innings that season, and he ended with a Major League record of 6-4 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. By far, it was the best professional season of his career to date. Then the elbow problems started and led to Tommy John ligament replacement surgery after just six innings pitched in 2016.
In 2017, he continued to have elbow discomfort and pitched just under 50 innings in 2017. He reported to Spring Training 2018 with high hope that his injury issues were behind him, but elbow inflammation and pain reared their ugly head in late March, delaying Heaney’s triumphant return a little longer. Then, the call to make his first start came for April 13 against the Kansas City Royals, a team expected to contend in the AL West. Again, Heaney had high hope for a strong debut.
Unfortunately, neither that first start, nor his second, unfolded the way he’d hoped. After two starts spanning 9.1 IP, Heaney had a record of 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and hitters were teeing off against him at a .325 clip. OUCH!
Beginning with his third start, though, Heaney’s stuff began to improve. His fastball picked up some more velocity and topped out at 94.4 mph a bit more often. His breaking pitches spun more and moved more as a result, and he was getting strikes and strikeouts from his changeup 75% of the time or better. Beginning with that third start and continuing through six starts through to May 25, Heaney rattled off 37.1 innings in which he allowed just six earned runs (1.45 ERA), struck out 38 batters and limited hitters to a .200/.279/.292 triple slash.
Then, after one tough outing against Detroit, Heaney took the mound against those same Royals; it was a rematch with his first opponent of the season. This time out, Heaney hurled a complete game one-hit shutout with four strikeouts and one walk. Overall, seven of his 10 total starts have been quality starts, which certain validates Inside Injuries’ Peak Health Performance Factor. Heaney’s Overall Injury Risk remains Low, so the expectation is that he will continue to pitch well and could also improve as the season progresses. Heaney is owned in just 68% of CBSSports.com fantasy baseball leagues, so he may be available on your waiver wire. Consider adding Heaney or making a deal to acquire him. Of course, he may be difficult to pry loose from his owner at this point, but it may be worth a little extra effort to get him.
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