PT Today

(*) PT TODAY: Franco lands in Baltimore

PT Today

BaseballHQ

Mar 18 2021 12:08am

(*) PT TODAY: Franco lands in Baltimore

BaseballHQ

Mar 18 2021

Team-by-team playing time allocation charts can be found in our Teamview pages.

American League \| National League

Orioles \| Maikel Franco officially signed
Free-agent INF Maikel Franco signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday, March 16. Financial terms were not disclosed. The team also placed RHP Hunter Harvey (oblique) on the 60-day injured list. Source: MASNSports.com - Roch Kubatko

BHQ take: Franco is expected to get the majority of the playing time at third for Baltimore. While he hasn’t delivered as much production as was hoped as he came up through the minors, he has delivered around 20 homers a season with a career .269 xBA. Losing time at third is Rio Ruiz who held down third for the Orioles in 2020; however, he has a .220 lifetime batting average (and a career xBA of .244). Ruiz has shown some decent power - a career xPX of 104 - so if Franco does get off to a slow start, Ruiz might get into a job share arrangement. Note, however, that while Franco bats right and Ruiz left, their career splits don't support a platoon. Historically, Ruiz has hit lefties better than righties, and Franco hits both lefties and righties about the same. As for Harvey, the latest news is prompting more reductions in his projected innings and saves. Who will now get the closing gig in Baltimore remains up in the air, but as we noted in a March 13th Playing Time Today note, Tanner Scott may have the best skills in the Oriole bullpen. —Phil Hertz

Impact: High
Harvey, Hunter	PT Loss: -1% SV Loss: -20%
Franco, Maikel	PT Gain: 10%
Ruiz, Rio	PT Loss: -35%


Unlock all of our insights on your way to a fantasy title! See what our season-long coverage offers and then subscribe to BaseballHQ.com.
Mariners \| Roenis Elías to undergo Tommy John surgery
Updating a previous report, Seattle Mariners LHP Roenis Elías (elbow) was recently diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will require season-ending Tommy John surgery. Source: The Seattle Times - Ryan Divish

BHQ take: Elias wasn't expected to fill a large role from the left side in the SEA pen, but he certainly won't now. The Mariners' main late-inning lefty is expected to be Anthony Misiewicz, who grabbed 8 holds in just 21 appearances in 2020. However, with a projected skill set on the lean side (97 BPV, 4.40 xERA projected), Misiewicz seems unlikely to grab any larger bullpen role in 2021. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: Low
Misiewicz, Anthony
Elias, Roenis	PT Loss: -3%



Rays \| Ji-Man Choi shut down
Tampa Bay Rays 1B Ji-Man Choi (knee) will be shut down for seven to 10 days due to right knee inflammation before being re-evaluated, according to manager Kevin Cash. It is uncertain if this setback will affect his availability for Opening Day. Source: MLB.com - Adam Berry

BHQ take: While Choi has not been ruled out for Opening Day completely, the Rays do have several ways to cover for his absence and will likely err on the side of caution, rather than bring him back too soon and risk re-injury. Were he to be having a better spring, Tsutsugo, the lone left-handed hitter of the trio of possible fill-ins, might get the bulk of the playing time. However, Tsutsugo is once again struggling mightily (1-for-13, 6 K). As a result, any at-bats a Choi IL stint would free up may be divvied between Diaz and Brosseau. —Kris Olson

Impact: Med
Diaz, Yandy	PT Gain: 5%
Brosseau, Michael	PT Gain: 5%
Tsutsugo, Yoshitomo
Choi, Ji-Man	PT Loss: -10%



Athletics \| Mike Fiers headed for MRI
Oakland Athletics RHP Mike Fiers (back, hip) will undergo an MRI Sunday, March 14, after suffering a setback. His availability for the start of the regular season is in question. Source: San Francisco Chronicle - John Shea

BHQ take: Fiers' MRI just showed some inflammation, so it's assumed he'll respond to an anti-inflammatory injection and some rest. For now, we're only projecting a small PT hit. If Fiers does have to miss more time than expected, the early leader to pick up the slack is prospect A.J. Puk. Puk has looked good in spring training, and still has the pedigree of a top-two starter. But with his significant injury history and low recent-year IP totals, expect OAK to handle Puk with kid gloves. He's still likely worth a long-term investment, but don't count on much from Puk in 2021. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: Low
Puk, A.J.
Fiers, Mike	PT Loss: -1%



Blue Jays \| Nate Pearson aggravates injury
Toronto Blue Jays RHP Nate Pearson (groin) aggravated his groin injury during a bullpen session Tuesday, March 16, according to general manager Ross Atkins. Source: Sportsnet.ca - Shi Davidi

BHQ take: Updating the March 10th Playing Time Today note on Pearson, the chances he’ll be ready for Opening Day are now somewhere between slim and none. Indeed, it might be May before he’s ready to pitch for Toronto. In the March 10th note, we suggested that Ross Stripling might be the choice to replace Pearson. The Blue Jays do have other options, including Anthony Kay, Trent Thornton, and Tyler Chatwood, so we’ll be monitoring as Opening Day approaches. —Phil Hertz

Impact: Low
Pearson, Nate



White Sox \| Billy Hamilton joins CWS
Free-agent OF Billy Hamilton signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox Tuesday, March 16. The deal includes an invitation to spring training. Source: The Athletic - James Fegan

BHQ take: This could just be a case of the White Sox adding some depth or there could be something happening with Luis Robert. Robert did not play Monday, March 15, and Tuesday, March 16, as a precaution after suffering a lower abdominal strain. No PT adjustments, as of yet, as we wait to see more news about Robert. Hamilton, who recently was released by CLE, offers speed and ... well, speed. If Hamilton makes the team, and everyone in the CHW outfield is healthy, he would be the fifth OF. —Rick Green

Impact: Low
Hamilton, Billy





National League \| American League

Mets \| Carlos Carrasco expects to be ready
New York Mets RHP Carlos Carrasco (elbow) said he expects to be ready for the start of the regular season. Source: The Athletic - Tim Britton

BHQ take: Updating the March 10th Playing Time Today note discussing Carrasco’s sore elbow, the news appears to be better than a week ago. Carrasco is reporting that the soreness is normal spring soreness. Nevertheless, until fantasy managers see the righty actually toe the rubber in a game, caution is probably in order. Of course, if the negative news drives his price down, Carrasco could turn into a bargain in some leagues. Stay tuned for further reports. —Phil Hertz

Impact: Med
Carrasco, Carlos	PT Gain: 1%



Reds \| Shogo Akiyama to miss time
Cincinnati Reds OF Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) is expected to be miss a few weeks because of a hamstring injury, according to manager David Bell. Source: The Athletic - C. Trent Rosecrans

BHQ take: Akiyama is likely to open the season on the IL, virtually ensuring both Jesse Winker and Nick Senzel will open the season as starting regulars. Akiyama was competing with Winker and Senzel for PT. Akiyama's health setback likely relegates him to a fourth OF role to open the season. He surged in September after a sluggish start in his MLB debut 2020 season. He showed good contact skill, a patient approach and a line drive stroke at the plate, though he lacks power. He also used his speed well, both on the bases and in the field. —Tom Kephart

Impact: Med
Akiyama, Shogo
Winker, Jesse
Senzel, Nick



Reds \| Sonny Gray scratched Sunday
Cincinnati Reds RHP Sonny Gray (back) was scratched from the spring training game Sunday, March 14, because of a mid-back injury. Gray said he expects to pitch in a game before spring training ends. Source: The Athletic - C. Trent Rosecrans

BHQ take: Gray's setback increases the probability he will not be ready for the season-opening rotation, with his first 2021 start possibly pushed into the season's second week, or perhaps even mid-April. With fellow rotation candidates LHP Wade Miley and RHP Tejay Antone also ailing, opportunity is knocking for RHPs Michael Lorenzen and Jeff Hoffman. It now seems likely both Lorezen and Hoffman will open the season in the CIN rotation. Neither has enjoyed much MLB success in a starting role. Hoffman has struggled with control and been HR-prone throughout his career. Lorenzen's control has also been problematic, though he sustained his 2019 gains in SwK%, K% and Dom in the short 2020 season. Lorenzen could be a deep league speculation, particularly for those with reserve slots, while Hoffman still needs to prove he is roster-worthy. —Tom Kephart

Impact: High
Miley, Wade
Hoffman, Jeff
Lorenzen, Michael
Antone, Tejay
Gray, Sonny



Rockies \| Brendan Rodgers leaves game
Colorado Rockies INF Brendan Rodgers (hamstring) was removed from the game Saturday, March 13, due to a right hamstring string. Source: MLB.com - Thomas Harding

BHQ take: No announcement yet as to whether this is major or minor, but we have injury time built into our current PT% projection--so no changes yet. A public service fantasy announcement for his owners and wannabe owners. —Jock Thompson

Impact: High
Rodgers, Brendan

News feed provided by: Fantasy.USATODAY.com

Playing Time Key

The playing time percentage changes at the bottom of most news items correspond to BaseballHQ.com's Teamview pages. The percentages approximate changes in AB, IP and Saves in the following manner:

For batters, each 5% of PT% ~ 31 AB (100% total for each position = 618 AB)
For pitchers, each 3% of PT% ~ 44 IP (100% total for a team's entire pitching staff)
For relievers, each 5% of Svs ~ 2 saves (100% of a team's total = about40 saves)

A complete explanation of BaseballHQ.com's playing time allocations can be found in the article "How the Projections are Created."