Reds: Anthony DeSclafani Suffers UCL Sprain, Fantasy Impact

The Cincinnati Reds got some unfortunate news on Monday, as right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will be shut down for at least four weeks.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his right arm. According to Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer, DeSclafani will be reevaluated in four weeks to see if any additional measures need to be taken.

Fortunately for DeSclafani and the Reds, Tommy John surgery is not expected to be necessary, though you should always be cautious any time a pitcher suffers an elbow injury.

Fantasy Implications

This comes as disheartening news for a Reds team that was already struggling with injured pitchers.

Veteran pitcher Homer Bailey is not expected to return to the Reds’ starting lineup until early June.

If all goes well over the course of this month, DeSclafani should still be the top target as far as Reds pitchers are concerned.

Only 26, the young righty showed a lot of promise in 2016. His third year in the league, DeSclafani went 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 123.1 innings pitched. One area in which DeSclafani needs to improve is against left-handed batters.

In the same year, lefties hit .300/.337/.500 against him. If he can find a way to increase his effectiveness against left-handers, he should find even more success in 2017.

Of course, this all depends on how he recovers from this injury. Even after recovering, elbow issues are notorious for flaring up in pitchers. Again, though it isn’t expected, you can never completely rule out the possibility of requiring Tommy John surgery.

For now, DeSclafani is worth stashing in your roster. If his reevaluation goes well next month, and he throws some bullpen sessions without any discomfort, then he’s the Reds pitcher to own.

But be prepared for the opposite outcome, as further complications are certainly a possibility. As with any elbow injury, you should always be somewhat weary, even when it doesn’t initially look serious.

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If all goes well, you should expect DeSclafani to return to the Reds’ rotation sometime in early to mid-May, as he’ll likely start the year on the disabled list.

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