Fantasy baseball: Anthony DeSclafani, Bartolo Colon worth looks

With Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke both hitting the disabled list last week, many fantasy owners are looking for reinforcements for their pitching staffs. There’s no replacing a Cy Young winner, of course but these pitchers can help ease the sting of losing one – and they’re all widely available on the waiver wire in both ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

For even more options, be sure to check out RotoBaller’s waiver wire rankings assistant tool, which is updated daily.

Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati Reds

DeSclafani was in line to be the Reds’ Opening Day starter, but an oblique injury cost him the first two months of the season. While he showed visible rust initially, DeSclafani has been excellent in his last three starts, posting a 1.66 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 19 strikeouts against just three walks. His overall numbers as a rookie last season are underwhelming at first blush, but DeSclafani’s peripherals down the stretch were excellent after refining his curveball. During the final two months, he ranked in the top 15 pitchers in K-BB% – and he’s picked up right where he left off.

Junior Guerra, Milwaukee Brewers

A 31-year old converted catcher who was out of organized baseball earlier this decade, it’s safe to say that nobody expected Guerra to be a factor in 2016. Yet here we are: Through 12 starts, he’s 6-1 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. If he had enough innings to qualify, his 22.3 K% would rank ahead of such notables as Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, and Carlos Martinez.

Bartolo Colon, New York Mets

At 43 years old, Colon just keeps finding ways to get the job done. He won’t give you many strikeouts, but the ratios have been tidy this year (2.87 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) thanks to his usual excellent control. Colon has allowed more than three runs only once all season, and has produced a quality start in seven of his last eight outings.

Jon Gray, Colorado Rockies

Despite a recent “dead arm” scare and some issues with the long ball, Gray has been solid lately. Since getting knocked around by the Cardinals on May 19, Gray has produced a 3.58 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in eight starts, striking out nearly a batter per inning. He also hasn’t struggled at his notoriously unforgiving home park, pitching to a 3.00 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 7.00 in his last four turns at Coors Field.

Kyle Bishop is a lead MLB columnist at RotoBaller.com. His articles are your secret weapon for winning fantasy leagues.