Danny

Salazar

Salazar again battled health problems this summer in the Yankees’ minor league system, logging only 2 1/3 innings over two appearances at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 32-year-old former All-Star with the Guardians hasn’t pitched in a game at the MLB level since August 2019.

Salazar hasn’t pitched since an injury-plagued 2019 campaign when he made four major-league appearances for Cleveland and was limited to just eight starts in the minors due to persistent injuries. It would be a remarkable comeback story if the 32-year-old right-hander, who was one of the most exciting young pitchers in the game last decade, were able to make it back to the majors.

Salazar was outrighted off the 40-man roster after being activated from the 60-day injured list. He opted to test free agency. He’s the ultimate lottery ticket at this point, appearing in just one game since the 2017 playoffs.

It officially ends Salazar’s season. The enigmatic, injury-prone right-hander made just one appearance for the Indians this season before suffering a groin injury. He’s arbitration-eligible for a final time this winter.

Salazar will throw one inning in the outing, which would seem to suggest that the Indians plan to bring him back as a reliever. The right-hander strained his groin earlier this month in his first appearance this season for the Indians.

Salazar finally made it back to the majors Thursday, only to suffer another injury that will cause him to miss more time. He will undergo an MRI before it’s determined how long he might be out. It’s hard to have any faith that he’ll be of use in fantasy leagues.

His fastball topped out at a concerningly low 88.3 mph on Thursday night, which Salazar attributed to groin pain. The injury worsened as the game went on, prompting the Indians to pull him after 66 pitches. Salazar didn’t seem overly concerned, though the right-hander’s grim injury history doesn’t allow much room for optimism. Thursday was Salazar’s first big-league start since September of 2017.

He served up solo home runs to George Springer and Alex Bregman to account for all of the damage. He surrendered four hits total and three walks while striking out two in the losing effort. This was Salazar’s first appearance in the majors since the 2017 playoffs. He missed all of 2018 and most of 2019 due to elbow and shoulder injuries. Prior to his injuries he was one of the best strikeout artists in the league. It remains to be seen how effective he will be moving forward. Fantasy owners with a spare roster slot may want to take a flyer on him.

Salazar will make his season debut on Thursday against the Astros. It’ll actually be his first major league game since the 2017 ALDS. The 29-year-old right-hander has battled serious elbow and shoulder issues and there is no guarantee that he will be able to stay healthy, but he’s worth a flier in fantasy leagues because of his excellent swing-and-miss stuff. Salazar put up a 2.60 ERA and 28/5 K/BB ratio over 17 1/3 minor league rehab innings.

Indians manager Terry Francona explained Tuesday that Salazar will be used as a “modified opener,” covering the first three or four innings of Thursday’s series finale verus Houston. It’s a bad matchup and probably won’t be very fruitful for fantasy purposes given the workload restriction, but Salazar pitched well on his minor league rehab assignment -- 2.60 ERA, 28/5 K/BB ratio in 17 1/3 innings -- and could certainly carry some value down the stretch.