Fantasy Fallout: Scoop Up R.A. Dickey to Replace the Injured Nick Tropeano
Here are the fantasy repercussions following the Los Angeles Angels' decision to place SP Nick Tropeano (shoulder) on the 15-day DL:
Nick Tropeano has been placed on the DL. Deolis Guerra up to replace him. The Angels will need a starter for Tuesday's game in New York.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 4, 2016
Season-Long Fantasy
Tropeano joins Andrew Heaney, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards and Cory Rasmus to create what could be a full rotation of starting pitchers on the disabled list for the Angels. The man replacing Tropeano, 27-year-old Deolis Guerra, has a career ERA of 4.65 in the minors and has no fantasy value whatsoever.
Tropeano, 25, was a pleasant surprise for the Halos this season. He was 3-2 in 10 starts with an ERA of 3.25 and 54 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. His high WHIP (1.55) and walk total (29) are quite alarming, but he was nonetheless worthy of fantasy ownership in any league.
It isn't expected that he will stay on the disabled list any longer than 15 days, so he is well worth the two-week stash even if you're out of DL spots. If you have a DL spot open, use it on Tropeano and add one of the following starters as a replacement:
Waiver Wire Targets
- SP R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays: Dickey, a former NL Cy Young Award winner, is owned in just 17 percent of leagues. The knuckler is coming off 6 2/3 scoreless innings against baseball's best offense, the Boston Red Sox. He got off to his usual slow start, but he can be a long-term fix for your fantasy team. Here is a look at Dickey's ERA by month from 2013-2015:
| Month | ERA |
|---|---|
| April | 4.62 |
| May | 5.17 |
| June | 3.68 |
| July | 3.39 |
| August | 3.80 |
| September | 2.83 |
As you can see, Dickey can put your fantasy team on his back in the fantasy playoffs.
- SP Doug Fister, Astros: Fister's career with the Astros got off to a very turbulent beginning. However, from his third start of the season and onward, Fister has pitched his way to a 2.73 ERA and held opponents to a .224 batting average. With the Astros having gone 9-2 in their last 11 games, the gangling righty can provide a boost to your fantasy team.
- SP Martin Perez, Rangers: Perez won't wow anyone with his strikeout numbers, but the ground ball specialist can be a nice fill-in while Tropeano is out. He has an ERA of 3.12 and a WHIP of 1.32 in 66 1/3 innings this season. The 25-year-old is available in 89 percent of leagues.