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Shane Baz has recently recovered from the Tommy John surgery that he underwent in September of 2022 and is nearing a return to the major leagues. The right-hander was sidelined through all of the 2023 season and recently was officially activated off the injured list.
Baz was dealing with an oblique injury during Spring Training, which ultimately delayed his 2024 debut even further.
Now that he is back with Triple-A Durham and showcasing his elite potential, it is only a matter of time before the former 12th-overall pick returns to the major leagues.
Shane Baz Prospect Update for Fantasy Baseball
Baz has logged 34 1/3 frames at Triple-A this season with a 4.19 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and a 21:37 BB:K ratio. However, his ratio is inflated due to a few poor outings when he first returned to the mound in May.
All 🔟 of Shane Baz's strikeouts tonight for your enjoyment
(yes, we know Crash once said strikeouts were boring but just go with it) pic.twitter.com/k491T1Hr4A
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 9, 2024
Since June 2, Baz has made four starts to the tune of a 1.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a stellar 8:28 BB:K ratio. On June 8 he posted the best start of the season where he struck out ten batter across five one-run frames.
Shane Baz Outlook for Fantasy Baseball
Baz has only pitched 40 1/3 innings at the major league level in his career with a 4.02 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. However, in this small sample size he has held an above average 30.6% whiff rate and 25.6% K rate which suggests that he could post elite strikeout numbers over an extended period.
Shane Baz made his debut on 9/20 and showed everyone why he was one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. He pitched 13.1 innings in the regular season with a 2.03 ERA, .68 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts.
Here are all 18 of those major league ks. Absolutely filthy. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/rHCmKajPoK
— Samuel French (@SamSFrench) April 1, 2022
Currently, the Rays have a five-man rotation that is expected to welcome back Jeffrey Springs (elbow) sometime in July as he is nearing the end of his Tommy John recovery plan. While this does not look promising for Baz's fantasy value in the short term as he may have to wait for an injury to get the call to the majors he is still worth paying close attention to.
There may not be a starting pitcher on your waiver wire at this point of the season who carries as much strikeout potential as Baz possesses. He is worth stashing in all standard formats as he could emerge as a viable starter during the final months of the season.
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