Dane Dunning DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Texas Rangers and right-handed pitcher Dane Dunning have agreed to a $2.66 million contract to avoid salary arbitration. Dunning battled injuries this past summer and logged just 95 innings of work and held a mere 5.31 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. His 95 innings were his lowest total since his debut season in 2020. Under the hood, Dunning generated a rough 45.8% hard-hit rate, 10.9% barrel rate, and 90.4 mph average exit velocity, which were all significantly below the average marks. Given this contract agreement, fantasy managers should expect Dunning to compete for a spot in the Opening Day rotation. If he earns a spot, he could be worth a late flier in deep AL-only formats, as he held a modest 3.70 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 2023.

Texas Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday. Dunning has had a very underwhelming year for the Rangers, posting a career high 5.38 ERA in just 90.1 innings pitched. That would be the fewest amount of innings Dunning has pitched in a season since joining the Rangers in 2021. The 29-year-old has mainly been used out of the bullpen in the second half of the season, making just two starts since being moved to the bullpen in late June. He's also been dealing with a shoulder injury he sustained in July. With his 6.86 ERA in August, and the Rangers well out of the playoff picture, Dunning simply wasn't going to keep his spot on the club. Fantasy managers needing help with relief pitchers should turn to Rangers reliever Kirby Yates, who has posted a 2.08 ERA and recorded six saves over the last 30 days.

Texas Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning is making the start on Monday in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Globe Life Field. This will be Dunning's 14th start of the season and his second in a row after he had been moved to the bullpen. In his last start on Aug. 14 against the Boston Red Sox, he allowed four earned runs on five hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out three in five innings for a no-decision. Before that start, he hadn't started a game for Texas since June 16. The 29-year-old is getting a Pirates team that has really struggled of late, but he still won't provide much upside for fantasy managers as a streamer. In his 21 appearances (13 starts) this year, Dunning has pitched to a 4.92 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP and a 22.4% strikeout rate. His 10.5% walk rate is the highest of his career.