CBRACKE
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It starts early this year for Jays pitcher A.J. Burnett. I’m of course referring to his propensity for injury and the development of a torn fingernail on his right index finger that is preventing him from throwing his hammer curveball early on this spring.
“It makes it pretty tough to get to that pitch. It’s pretty tender,” Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg told the Toronto Star.
This is not as significant of an injury as we’ve become accustomed to with Burnett, and it shouldn’t be reason to worry or knock him significantly down your fantasy rankings…yet. Last year it was his fourth start before he threw a single breaking ball, so there is still time for him to adjust and be prepared for the start of the regular season. Nevertheless, it’s tough to remain optimistic about a player who has been on the DL four times in his two seasons with the Jays.
“It’s giving him a chance to work on his other pitches. But he’s a little frustrated with his change-up right now. We’ll probably go to the drawing board and see if we can come up with another grip,” Arnsberg added.
Arnsberg and Burnett are working to build a training regimen that will keep the veteran hurler healthier this season, but it remains to be seen if they can pull of that miracle. Despite the obvious risk, there are many people who remain quite optimistic that A.J. can build upon a solid stretch in August and September in which he went 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 2.7 K:BB rate, and 8.8 K/9IP. He’s a top 25 starting pitcher in fantasy leagues on upside alone, but could fall at least 10 spots if you factor in risk.
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