I wanted to give Brandon Pfaadt the benefit of the doubt that he could overcome his troublesome first stint in the majors, and I was fully ready to call him a post-hype Fantasy Baseball pickup if he showed some signs of figuring things out Thursday.
However, the Diamondbacks picked an especially tough landing spot for his return to the majors against the Rays, and he somehow managed to look even worse than he had in the first stint. He got through just two innings before the Rays absolutely teed off on him in the third, chasing him without recording an out. He was charged for six earned runs on seven hits, and it wasn't just bad luck – he gave an average exit velocity of 97 mph on nine balls in play. It was ugly.
Pfaad may still figure things out in the long run, but he's also going to be 25 shortly after the end of this season and has over 100 innings under his belt at Triple-A, so his margin for error as a prospect has lessened considerably. It's too early to declare him a Quad-A guy, but his low-to-mid-90s fastball just hasn't been good enough in the majors, and opposing hitters haven't been giving reason to fear his secondary pitches either.
Unfortunately, Pfaadt isn't worth adding in any Fantasy leagues after this latest start, and it may be a while before we see him even get another chance in the rotation for a Diamondbacks team with real playoff aspirations. This might have been his last chance to emerge as a Fantasy contributor this season.
Bello put the finishing touches on an incredible month of June Thursday, flirting with a no-hitter while limiting the Marlins to one run over seven innings. He finished the month of June with a 2.14 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, with 26 strikeouts in 33.2 innings over five starts, and while I think he's pitching a bit over his head, he clearly needs to be rostered in all leagues right now. He's shaved a few points off his walk rate, to the point where it's a strength, and while his strikeout rate remains below average, Bello's ability to limit line drives and generate ground balls helps make up for it. Bello looks like a solid mid-to-high-3.00s ERA guy now, and while that might make him a sell-high candidate based on his month of ace-like production, you have to have him on your team before you can trade him!
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Skubal isn't pitching this weekend, because he just made his third minor-league rehab appearance at Triple-A Thursday and continues to pitch very well. He's now up to 9.2 innings with two earned runs, 13 strikeouts, and just three walks, while his velocity has been up 1-2 mph coming back from surgery to repair a flexor tendon in his elbow. Skubal's fastball has been his biggest weakness as a major-leaguer, so the velocity bump is very intriguing. I think he's close to a must-add player as he nears his return, likely next week.
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Davis continues to not play catcher, and that continues to be just fine by me. His .351/.415/.486 line isn't sustainable, but he's playing everyday and looks like at least an average hitter, with some speed, which makes him a must-start player at catcher.
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We keep waiting for Torkelson to figure it out, and maybe Thursday's game will be the start of it, as he smacked a pair of homers and drew two walks. He hit seven homers in June, but has seen his strikeout rate spike, negating much of the gains. If he can cut the strikeouts while still hitting for power, there's still a path for Torkelson to be a difference-making hitter.
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Greene is heading to the Tigers Triple-A affiliate in Toledo to begin a rehab assignment in the coming days, a sign that his return from a stress reaction could be imminent. It might not happen until next week, but Greene was hitting .296/.362/.443 with a 15-15 pace before the injury. His 69% roster rate is way too low.
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