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When will Triston McKenzie return from injury? What should fantasy baseball managers do until he returns? Pranav Uppalapati takes a deeper look at how McKenzie return impacts fantasy baseball.
After he missed the first two months of the season for elbow soreness, Triston McKenzie surprisingly returned to the injured list on June 14 after just two starts. The Cleveland Guardians revealed that it was a UCL issue.
Many assumed the worst, with a Tommy John surgery seeming the likely and looming option. But the Guardians aren't opting for surgery and are instead taking a route that could have McKenzie back by the season's end.
When will McKenzie return to a major league mound? What are the fantasy implications? Let's take a look at the latest reports and find an answer.
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Triston McKenzie Injury Update
When it was first learned that McKenzie had partially torn his UCL in mid-June, many assumed Tommy John surgery was in the cards. But The Athletic's Zack Meisel recently reported that McKenzie will go the non-surgical route. McKenzie will end continue his month-long shutdown for another three weeks, with a rehab program beginning shortly after.
A Tommy John surgery isn't out of the picture, as that will be the next solution if rest and rehab don't work. There are many cases of pitchers putting off Tommy John and ultimately succumbing to the surgery. But as of now, Triston McKenzie expects he'll be back by the end of the regular season.
Triston McKenzie Fantasy Baseball Outlook
With a top-100 ADP, McKenzie was a premier starting pitching option in fantasy. The 25-year-old was coming off his best season yet, with a 2.96 ERA, 25.6% strikeout rate, and 5.9% walk rate.
He only made two starts this season, but he pitched lights-out in those two starts with a 2.79 FIP and 35.7% strikeout rate.
After McKenzie landed on the IL, the Guardians went to top pitching prospect Gavin Williams. Williams has only taken three starts, with a 3.79 ERA and 16.7% strikeout rate for the talented rookie. With his current solid performance, he should continue to develop at the major-league level for the rest of the season.
The current expectation is that McKenzie will return in the last weeks of the regular season. While it may be tempting to drop him if you are running out of IL spots in fantasy, Cleveland's somewhat favorable playoff schedule makes McKenzie a good injured-list stash. Your current roster situation will ultimately determine whether you can stick with McKenzie, but his current timeline means he should get preference over less talented pitchers.
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