Daniel Lynch IV DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Kansas City Royals left-handed pitcher Daniel Lynch IV has put himself in the competition for the final spot in the rotation. According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, his strong showing in camp has put him in the conversation alongside Kris Bubic, who was initially viewed as a "frontrunner." During camp, Lynch has tossed 10 innings to the tune of a 1.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. He has tallied nine punchouts and not served up a free pass. Last season, Lynch logged 43 1/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He made three starts but was deployed primarily out of the bullpen. He generated an elite .213 xBA with a strong 46.2 percent ground-ball rate. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Lynch's progression during camp as he could be a viable target to improve your WHIP ratio if he begins the season in the rotation.

The Kansas City Royals called up left-hander Daniel Lynch IV from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday to make an emergency spot start against the Minnesota Twins after right-hander Brady Singer had to be scratched from his scheduled start due to an illness. Lynch will be making his second start of the season for the Royals. In his lone start in 2024, the 27-year-old left-hander threw five shutout innings with two walks and six strikeouts in a no-decision on May 5 against the reigning World Series-champion Texas Rangers. Lynch has only thrown seven innings in the big leagues this year, but he's yet to allow a run with six punchouts. At Triple-A Omaha, he's posted a less-exciting 4.76 ERA with 34 K's and 13 walks in 45 1/3 innings of work. Lynch just doesn't have much upside as a fantasy streamer on Thursday's small slate of games.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch IV (shoulder), who was held to 52 1/3 innings in 2023 due to a left-shoulder injury that first popped up in spring training, is healthy in camp and is building up as a starter to compete for a spot in the rotation. Lynch has also moved slightly on the rubber toward the first base side, which has allowed him to create different angles with his pitches to "maximize my arsenal." The 27-year-old southpaw is far from a guarantee to win a rotation job, though, and isn't fantasy relevant in single-year leagues. "It's probably the best I've felt in two years," Lynch said. He said he's put on 25 pounds as part of his rehab process, and he was able to throw two innings of live batting practice on Sunday afternoon. At best, Lynch will probably be a streaming option in AL-only leagues in 2024 if he's making starts.