Athletics activate José Suarez from paternity list

Suarez will be away from the club for the next couple days on paternity leave. The 28-year-old lefty has pitched well with a 4.01 ERA across 24 2/3 innings for the Athletics since being acquired from the Mariners back on May 14.

That’s a third team in two weeks for Suarez, whom the Mariners claimed off waivers from the Braves on May 4. The left-hander has allowed a 6.38 ERA in 18.1 innings at the big league level this year and will likely claim a low-leverage role in the Athletics bullpen for the time being.

The Mariners needed space on the active roster for Bryce Miller (oblique) to be activated off the injured list, so Suarez was let go. The left-hander was claimed off waivers from the Braves on May 4th and made just one appearance for the Mariners, allowing one run on two hits in two innings. He has a 6.38 ERA in 18 1/3 innings in total this season.

Suárez will join Seattle’s active roster for Monday’s game against the Braves, ironically, after being removed from Atlanta’s relief mix last Friday. The 28-year-old southpaw holds a bloated 6.61 ERA across 16 1/3 innings this season.

After posting good results in a small sample last season, Suarez has a 6.61 ERA in 16 1/3 innings this year. He could rejoin the Braves on a minor league deal if/when he clears waivers.

It sounds like Weiss is considering flipping roles with Pérez and José Suarez after the latter gave up four runs over 3 2/3 innings on Tuesday against the Athletics. Pérez came out of the bullpen to spin 4 1/3 scoreless frames. Atlanta has a couple days to figure out their rotation plan. Regardless of their final decision, it’s a stay-away situation for fantasy managers.

Strider remains without a definitive return timeline after suffering an oblique strain during the late stages of spring training. The 27-year-old former fantasy ace has been one of the most polarizing arms in the entire fantasy landscape this spring. There should be a clearer timetable for his return to Atlanta’s injury-plagued rotation once he’s cleared to resume throwing. His absence puts José Suarez in the rotation with Didier Fuentes functioning as a multi-inning relief weapon.

The good news is that the injury is not related to his arm. The bad news is that, because of pitching mechanics, oblique strains can sideline pitchers for four to six weeks. Strider will not be able to throw while he manages the pain and inflammation. He will then begin some strengthening exercises and work his way back onto the mound and have to ramp up his pitch count again. Fantasy managers should expect Strider back in the rotation sometime in early May. Until then, the Braves will likely turn to either Jose Suarez or Didier Fuentes in their starting rotation; however, they could also decide to add any of Martin Perez, Carlos Carrasco, or JR Ritchie to their 40-man roster as well.

Fuentes has been one of the biggest revelations in the Grapefruit League this spring, compiling a sublime 17/0 K/BB ratio across nine perfect innings over three appearances, thanks mostly to a revamped slider. The wrinkle fantasy-wise here is that the hard-throwing 20-year-old rookie has made Atlanta’s season-opening roster as a reliever, not a traditional starter. That means José Suarez is likely going to wind up with the fifth spot in the rotation with Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Hurston Waldrep (elbow) and Joey Wentz (knee) on the shelf. The stuff should play up in shorter bursts out of the bullpen, which makes Fuentes an intriguing addition for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues. It wouldn’t be surprising if he made a handful of spot starts or eventually moved into the rotation full-time.

Fuentes has been an unexpected revelation this spring, posting a stellar 17/0 K/BB ratio across nine perfect innings over three appearances in Grapefruit League action. The hard-throwing 20-year-old clearly wasn’t ready when he was lit up during a brief four-game run with Atlanta last summer as a teenager. He’s looked magnificent this spring and has a decent chance at breaking camp in Atlanta’s season-opening rotation as their fifth starter. He’ll need to beat out veteran José Suarez to make that a reality. It’s too small of a sample size for fantasy managers to overreact but Fuentes is a talented pitching prospect that could be making a leap this spring. He’s worth rostering in deeper mixed leagues based on that possibility alone.