Andrew Abbott DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott was brilliant on Friday, chucking six innings of one-run baseball while punching out 11. Abbott allowed just two hits and a walk, with the only damage coming off a Cedric Mullins solo homer in the second frame. Abbott has shown big upside in the past, but his consistency has been spotty at best. In today's game, he got whiffs on his fastball, curveball, and especially his changeup. If he can keep those pitches rolling, he certainly has the chance to be special. He's not widely rostered in fantasy, but that needs to change after this performance. Go out and grab him if he's out there in your league.

The Cincinnati Reds have officially activated left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott (shoulder) off the 15-day injured list ahead of his season debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday evening. Abbott opened the campaign on the injured list due to a rotator-cuff strain in his left shoulder. The southpaw has made two rehab outings and logged 10 innings of work to the tune of a 3.60 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP. He held a 5:8 BB:K and allowed three home runs. Last summer, the Virginia product logged a career-high 138 innings with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He tallied strikeouts at a modest 19.5 percent rate but was able to limit hard contact, as he generated a strong 33.5 percent hard-hit rate. Abbott is worth a look in DFS this afternoon while facing a struggling Pittsburgh lineup.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (shoulder) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to make his 2025 season debut on Saturday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Abbott wants to get off to a strong start and said the spin on his fastball was good during his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville, in which he allowed four earned runs on 10 hits (three homers) while walking five and striking out eight in two starts (10 innings). The 25-year-old southpaw is also excited about his new cutter becoming his fifth pitch. Abbott threw 92 pitches in his final rehab start, so he should be sufficiently stretched out, but he'll still be a risky deep-league streamer in his first start of the year after finally getting over shoulder issues that date back to last year. His strikeout rate will need to improve for him to become relevant in mixed fantasy leagues.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that left-hander Andrew Abbott (shoulder) will make another minor-league rehab start on Sunday. Abbott made his first rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday and gave up two runs in his 5 2/3 innings of work while also allowing two home runs, walking two and striking out four. The 25-year-old southpaw got up to 85 pitches and should be ready to make his 2025 debut with the Reds if he can get through his rehab start on Sunday without suffering any setbacks to his left shoulder. When Abbott is cleared to return to the Reds' starting rotation, Carson Spiers is expected to be the odd-man out. Abbott, a former second-rounder, will be a rotation regular for Cincy if healthy, but it was disappointing to see his strikeout rate drop under 20 percent in his sophomore season in 2024. A low strikeout rate and the fact he's a fly-ball pitcher in a hitter-friendly home park makes him pretty volatile in fantasy.

The Cincinnati Reds have told left-hander Andrew Abbott (shoulder) that he will begin the regular season on the injured list. As a result, right-hander Carson Spiers will serve as the team's fifth starter early on. Abbott's 2024 season came to an early end due to a left-shoulder injury, and he was still dealing with shoulder issues early in spring training, which put him behind the eight ball. The 25-year-old southpaw made his Cactus League debut earlier this week, but he simply ran out of time to get stretched out before Opening Day. If Abbott eventually can put his shoulder issues in the past for good, he should eventually return to their starting rotation in 2025. In the meantime, Spiers will be an option for NL-only fantasy managers after he posted a 5.46 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 80 K's and 27 walks in 90 2/3 innings over 22 outings (10 starts) for Cincy in 2024.