Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey is back from the disabled list and didn’t look too bad in his first win since 2014.
Bailey has started three games in the last two years because of injury issues, but in his return from the DL this week, he earned a victory while going 5.2 innings and allowing two earned runs. He wasn’t perfect, but effective enough that fantasy baseball owners should pick him up not only for a back-end start to this week, but also for another week to see if he can return to form.
Bailey has undergone forearm and elbow surgeries since he rattled off four above-average seasons as a starting pitcher for the Reds from 2011 to 2014.
During those four seasons, his win/loss record was above .500 and his ERA was generally in the 3.50 range. He also limited walks, with about 2.5 walks per nine innings, while compiling a decent strikeout-per-nine-innings total in the high 7’s, low 8’s.
The biggest issue with Bailey is if he can return to that kind of a pitcher. He hasn’t been a regular starter since injuring himself in 2014 and that’s a lot of time on the shelf. For this week, he makes sense as a starter since he toes the rubber against Pittsburgh.
The Pirates haven’t done a lot offensively, ranking last in runs scored since the All-Star break and hitting .224, also ranking toward the top of offensive futility.
They aren’t getting on base, and even when they do, Pittsburgh hitters have been the worst since the All-Star break of actually driving home runs, netting only 40 RBIs since the All-Star game.
But it’s not just about this week with Bailey. He’s owned in less than 20 percent of leagues on ESPN.com, and he’s one of those rare late-season finds on the waiver wire who has actually produced on a consistent level in the past.
Pick him up this week and carry him on your roster for at least another week to see if he can boost your fantasy roster.
