Just when the Oakland Athletics rotation seemed to finally be clicking together with good healthy and everyone together, the team had to scratch scheduled starter Kendall Graveman before Friday's start. No word has been provided on what led to the scratch, but Sean Manaea will take his place as the Friday starter.
Manaea, who returned from the disabled list last week, has seen mixed results in his two starts back on the mound. His first start yielded poor results with four runs and five walks allowed in a five-inning start against the Seattle Mariners. Five days later, Manaea allowed just three hits and two earned runs in five innings against the Boston Red Sox but only struck out three.
Now he'll take on the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, a deathtrap for pitchers. Manaea only owns a 0.79 HR/9 this season, an outstanding rate, but that number could go up against an aggressive, power-hungry Yankees' lineup.
It's probably best to avoid Manaea in this one given his inconsistent command and the short porches that could turn easy fly outs into home runs. There's plenty to love about Manaea long-term and even the rest of this season, but he's someone to avoid in DFS today.
If Graveman winds up on the disabled list, we'll provide a further update when more information becomes available.