The Toronto Blue Jays are starting to get healthy, with seemingly every few days one of the team's starters coming back. On Friday, Toronto activated starting pitcher Francisco Liriano off the disabled list. Liriano missed more than a month with left shoulder inflammation, he'll start on Friday against the New York Yankees.
Liriano, 33, struggled before he hit the disabled list. A 6.35 ERA and 1.91 WHIP weighed down Liriano's fantasy value and his 30/23 K/BB ratio across 28 1/3 innings pitched. Consistency remained Liriano's issue, both in his ability to work deeper into games and with runs allowed. While Liriano has held opponents to three or fewer runs in five innings, he's gone four-plus innings in just four of his nine starts.
Fantasy owners will certainly want to avoid this matchup against the New York Yankees. A lineup that possesses multiple power bats, can draw walks and get on base is the worst-case scenario for Liriano. While for many years he used to be a fantasy starter, those days seem to be in the past and Liriano's fantasy role now is an extreme outcome spot starter.