Danny Salazar (SP, CLE) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 13% of leagues

ANALYSIS: It is a little surreal to think that we haven't seen Danny Salazar on the major league mound since the 2017 season, and we are already three years removed from his lone All-Star campaign. He has been in a setback saturated recovery process from arthroscopic right shoulder surgery, but he is slated to return very soon (possibly after just one more rehab stint), and at a pretty convenient time when considering the fact that so many Cleveland pitchers are dealing with health issues. With a starting slot likely waiting for him upon his return, given his track record, his second-half value for the Tribe is tremendous.

Salazar has always been a player of many drawbacks. For instance, his walk volume and WHIP figures have ballooned, confusingly since the start of 2016 when he was in the midst of his peak level of performance. This is in addition to the fact that "Sally" is not typically an innings eater, he has a 1.1 HR/9 figure for his MLB career, and his injury issues have kept him out of commission for far too long. Even with these nagging questions, there is still plenty of warranted excitement for a guy coming into the middle of a season who holds a 10.5 career K/9, with his career-best figure coming in his most recent season of 2017 at 12.7. By forcing opponents into 41.3% grounders and allowing just 29.9% hard contact over his body of work in the majors, that should be more than enough of a safety blanket to make Danny Salazar's strikeout upside too enticing to resist.