George Klassen solid over six to get first win

We saw a little bit of everything in Klassen’s return to the majors. He was expectedly erratic, barely throwing 40% of his pitches in the strike zone and missing some by a matter of feet rather than inches. He threw a first-pitch strike to just nine of the 20 batters he faced and his four walks made life difficult. Yet, he can really miss bats. His fastball had a few extra inches of hop and was effective in the zone. His slider was nasty too, forcing six of his 11 total swings-and-misses. The Marlins only mustered one hard-hit ball against him and their only run came via a bases loaded walk. If Klassen ever figures out how to throw strikes, watch out. He’s lined up to face the Rangers next time out should he stick in the rotation.

He’ll start tonight against the Marlins. Klassen has cut his walk rate of late and is an interesting streamer in deeper leagues, but most fantasy managers should monitor this start and see how it goes.

The 24-year-old was overwhelmed when he got the call to the bigs in April and walked 10 in 4 2/3 innings. He’s carried a 3.96 ERA for Triple-A Salt Lake City with 88 strikeouts in 91 innings over the last few months. While we don’t necessarily think Klassen is a must-roster, he’ll be worth monitoring.

The right-hander also struck out 11 and walked three on the day while throwing 61 of his 95 pitches for strikes. In four starts this month, Klassen has a 2.66 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with a 25/11 K/BB ratio in 23 2/3 innings. He still has only one start in his last five where he has walked fewer than three batters, so command remains a bit of a concern, but there is clearly MLB stuff here, and he is beginning to harness it a bit.

The Halos gave the 24-year-old hurler an opportunity to run with a spot in their starting rotation, but he stumbled to a 13.50 ERA, 3.86 WHIP and a 6/10 K/BB ratio over 4 2/3 innings through his first two starts. He’ll return to the rotation at Triple-A Salt Lake where he’ll attempt to get back on track.

A bruised fingernail doesn’t sound like a ton of fun. Klassen threw 72 pitches — 38 of them strikes — while allowing five runs over two-plus innings before exiting. Depending on the severity of the bruise, Klassen could be heading to the injured list. He also could be headed back to Triple-A based on how he’s pitched in these two starts.

Klassen threw 72 pitches in just two innings of work while allowing five runs. The right-hander will likely undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury — whatever that may be — and his status should be updated shortly. Even if Klassen is fine, there’s a good chance he’s sent down after this outing. Brent Suter has taken over on the mound.

Klassen’s MLB debut saw him initiate a bunch of self-inflicted damage. He walked five while throwing just 40-of-73 pitches for strikes before exiting. He also struck out four; reminding why he’s considered one of the better pitching prospects in the Los Angeles system. Klassen is much more of a long-term play, however, and can be ignored for now in fantasy redraft formats.

Left-hander Joey Lucchesi was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Klassen will be thrown right into the fire for the Angels, starting on Sunday against the Mariners. It’s unclear if Ryan Johnson is being bumped from the rotation entirely after his poor season debut, or simply getting pushed back. Klassen, 24, posted a 6.43 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 14/9 K/BB ratio over 14 innings during five appearances in Cactus League play.

There’s a case for Klassen in the rotation over either Ryan Johnson or Jack Kochanowicz, but he didn’t make the Angels regret their choice to send him down with his performance tonight. Klassen will probably open up in Triple-A Salt Lake’s rotation, even though the Angels typically try to limit their top pitching prospects’ exposure to such a tough environment. It seems likely that he’ll get a look at some point during the first half.