4 years agoOakland Athletics right-handed pitcher Mike Fiers (back) has not yet appeared in a Cactus League game, which manager Bob Melvin confirmed Wednesday has been due to a lingering back ailment. Fiers has been pitching in sim games, but Melvin did state that Fiers would be behind the rest of the team's projected starting staff as it pertained to preparedness. With Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, and Jesus Luzardo making up the rest of the rotation, Oakland could get away with not needing Fiers out of the gate to begin the regular season. Teetering on not being drafted in most season-long formats, Fiers' back injury and career-low strikeout total (5.6 K/9) in 2020 are likely to make fantasy managers hesitant to add the veteran to the mix.--Jesse Borek
Source: Matt Kawahara