Erasmo Ramirez (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Pick him up in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 16% of Fleaflicker leagues

ANALYSIS: After starting the season pitching out of the bullpen, Erasmo Ramirez impressed in his first start, logging 5.2 innings of no run, three-hit ball against the Chicago White Sox. It was his second victory of the 2016 campaign. The only reason why he was assigned an early bullpen role was because the Rays held out on announcing a fifth starter and simply chose to go with a four-man rotation. Now, Ramirez is lined up for another start on Friday versus the New York Yankees, and will likely stick around the rotation for a while.

Ramirez is a strikeout threat, and could eat up innings for fantasy lineups. The Rays have seemingly sprouted solid starting pitchers out of the ground over the past couple of years. Despite beginning his career with the Seattle Mariners, the Rays have groomed Ramirez into an efficient starter. He won 11 games last season in 27 starts, posting a 3.75 ERA. Look for him to tiptoe around or potentially exceed those numbers. His only downside is that he plays for the Rays, a team that could struggle to hook him up with necessary run support.