Fansided

JB’s Fantasy Advice: Slumping Stars to cut or ride out

By Justin Buckhanan

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 24: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians hits a two-run double during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Progressive Field on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Sargent/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 24: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians hits a two-run double during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Progressive Field on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Sargent/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON – JULY 29: Boston Red Sox player Jackie Bradley Jr. is pictured on the bench during the seventh inning. The Boston Red Sox host the Minnesota Twins in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on July 29, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON – JULY 29: Boston Red Sox player Jackie Bradley Jr. is pictured on the bench during the seventh inning. The Boston Red Sox host the Minnesota Twins in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on July 29, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Jackie Bradley, Boston — Bradley started slowly last year and ended up with a less-than-inspiring .234, 13 HR, 59 RBI statline. He’s clearly only around for his defense, so there’s not much to look forward to in upside. My advice: Let him go, his stolen bases aren’t enough to keep him rostered and robbing HR in center field isn’t a Roto stat.

Jurickson Profar, Oakland — After being the No. 1 prospect in baseball in 2013, Profar has been a total bust, mostly because of injuries. He had something of a breakout year in 2018 at the age of 25 (.254, 20 HR, 77 RBI). This season’s combo of .181, 2 HR and14 RBI isn’t cutting it for the A’s. My advice: Hold him for a little bit longer and see if he can get things going. He’s still only 26 and plays just about every position on the field, meaning he will get a lot of playing time. Monitor the A’s transaction wire and see if Franklin Barreto or Jorge Mateo get called up. If they do, that will surely cut into Profar’s playing time.

Chris Sale, Boston — Sale has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for awhile now, never having higher than a 3.41 ERA or 1.14 WHIP. So far this season, he is 1-5 with a 5.25 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, while questions about diminished velocity were brought up during spring training. His velocity fluctuated early this season, but has returned for the most part. My advice: Keep rolling Sale out there with confidence. He pitched a lot of innings last year with a deep postseason run. Hopefully he is just getting off to a slow start.

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