Josh Collmenter (SP-ARZ). Collmenter owners had to be a bit disappointed, as he lasted only 4 innings against the Marlins in Miami on Sunday afternoon, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits while striking out 4. This should be about the end of Collmenter's regression to the mean, as his ERA now sits at 4.28 and he entered the game with an xFIP of 4.27. Although Collmenter has been a godsend to the decimated Diamondbacks rotation, he should not be a part of your fantasy rotation, even in the deepest of leagues, as he provides little help in any fantasy category with his below league average ERA and less than mediocre strikeout rate (5.96 K/9). Collmenter cannot even be reliably deployed as a streaming option against theoretically weak offenses, as the matchup with the Marlins was such a matchup and Collmenter got lit up.
Jorge Soler (OF-CHN). The Cubs have indicated that Soler is likely to receive a September call-up. This makes him a recommended stash in NL-only leagues, as he will likely receive virtually full-time duty if he is called up. In 82 PAs since his promotion to AAA, Soler is triple-slashing .257/.366/.586 with 5 HR and 18 RBI. The BA is being negatively impacted by a .265 BABIP and Soler has shown impressive plate discipline with a 4:3 K/BB ratio. Soler has yet to steal a base this year, so he shouldn't be added with the expectation that he will help in the SB category, but his power should play at the major league level, while not hurting your fantasy team's BA. The time to stash Soler is now.
Tom Koehler (SP-MIA). Koehler was solid in picking up his 9th win against the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon. Koehler pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 Snakes. Koehler's ERA now sits at 3.82 for the season. Koehler has been a nice revelation for both fantasy owners and the Marlins this year, but he is pitching over his head and probably should be utilized sparingly for the rest of the season. He is benefiting from a below average 7.3% HR/FB rate (some of which can probably be explained by his home park) and if this normalizes, his ERA will increase to something closer to the vicinity of his 4.31 xFIP. Koehler does not strike out enough batters (6.89 K/9) to justify the risk of the potential ERA explosion. Koehler is only recommended as a streaming option when pitching at home against weaker offenses.
Jake Arrieta (SP-CHN). Arrieta was dominant against the Mets on Sunday afternoon, but the Cubs bullpen conspired to deny him a win. Arrieta pitched 7 innings of shutout 2 hit, 2 walk ball and left with a 1-0 lead, only to see Pedro Strop cough up a run in the 8th to deny Arrieta the victory. Arrieta continued to be a strikeout machine, K-ing 9 Mets over his 7 innings, and actually improving on his 9.22 K/9 rate. Other than a clunker a couple of outings ago in Colorado, Arrieta has been consistently dominant and, as surprising as it is to say this, his performance is not a fluke, as it is completely supported by his peripherals. The only possible areas of concern are that his 25.6% K rate is not quite supported by his 9.9% swinging strike rate and his 4.7% HR/FB rate is likely not sustainable (11.0% career rate). However, even an increase in ERA to his 2.87 xFIP would not be catastrophic. Fantasy owners can continue to start Arrieta with confidence.
Gerrit Cole (SP-PIT). The Pirates placed Charlie Morton on the DL on Sunday. His place in the rotation will be taken by Cole, who will be activated to start against the Braves on Wednesday. Although Cole has to be considered a mild disappointment to this point, Cole owners should get him back in their lineups immediately. Cole pitched to a 2.01 ERA over four AAA rehab starts and his current 3.78 ERA is being impacted by an 11.6% HR/FB rate. Cole has improved his K rate from 2013 (7.67 K/9 in 2013 to 8.19 K/9 this year) and this, plus his expected ERA improvement, should make him a fantasy stud from here on out.
