Graham Ashcraft DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft (elbow) was seen throwing a live batting practice session at spring training on Thursday. A right-elbow strain prevented Ashcraft from pitching in the second half of the 2024 season for the Reds, but he appears to be recovered from that injury and a full-go in camp. The 27-year-old is going to have to pitch much better than he has the last three seasons in Cincinnati if he wants to earn a rotation spot on Opening Day, especially after the Reds acquired Brady Singer from the Royals this offseason. Ashcraft started the year with a 5.05 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in his first 12 starts, so the Reds sent him to the minors. He's produced an unattractive 4.91 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with a well below-average 16.6% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate in his three seasons in Cincy with no evidence of a turnaround coming.

According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, the Cincinnati Reds may opt to deploy right-handed pitcher Graham Ashcraft out of the bullpen. Rosecrans noted that the team has always viewed Ashcraft as a reliever since he was drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft. However, throughout his three-year MLB career, the right-hander has only seen opportunities in the starting rotation. If Ashcraft struggles during spring training and is viewed as the No. 6 option in the rotation, the team could then transition him to a relief role. The 26-year-old had the worst season of his career last summer, posting a 5.24 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP. In 2023, the Alabama - Birmingham product posted a 4.76 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP across 145 2/3 innings of work. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the Cincinnati rotation during spring training as if they are all healthy, Ashcraft would likely shift to the bullpen.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that right-hander Graham Ashcraft (elbow) will throw off the mound on Sept. 17 and also has a live batting practice session scheduled for early October. Ashcraft resumed throwing in late August but is not going to return from the 60-day injured list before the end of the 2024 regular season after missing more than two months with a strained right elbow. The 26-year-old will have plenty of time to recover during the offseason, though, and should be fully ready for the start of spring training next February. The hard-throwing right-hander wasn't really impressing anyone this year before his elbow injury, going 5-5 with a 5.24 ERA (4.84 FIP), a 1.50 WHIP and a 57:27 K:BB in 77 1/3 innings over his 15 starts. For how hard Ashcraft throws, it remains disappointing that he has a 16.6% strikeout rate in his three major-league seasons.

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Monday that they transferred right-hander Graham Ashcraft (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Ashcraft now will not be eligible to return to the Reds until September, but there's a good chance that he won't make it back at all this year due to a strained right elbow. The 26-year-old should have been dropped in fantasy leagues a while ago. Before going down with an elbow injury, Ashcraft went 5-5 with a career-worst 5.24 ERA (4.80 FIP) and 1.50 WHIP with only 57 strikeouts and 27 walks in 77 1/3 innings over 15 starts in his third year in Cincinnati. Despite throwing his high-velocity offerings, Ashcraft has only been able to generate a 16.6% strikeout rate in his three years in the big leagues, leaving a lot to be desired fantasy-wise.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft (elbow) may potentially miss the rest of the 2024 season. According to Reds manager David Bell, Ashcraft could return at some point in September if all goes well. Ashcraft had been going back and forth between the majors and the minors after having a very spotty 2024 season, posting a 5.24 ERA in 15 starts. The 26-year-old may have been trying to pitch through his elbow discomfort as he didn't mention his injury until being optioned earlier this week. If Ashcraft is able to return in September, he likely will not provide much fantasy value. Fantasy managers may now want to instead turn to Carson Spiers, who is now 3-2 with a 3.83 ERA after picking up the win on Friday against the Miami Marlins. With five starts in a row now, Spiers will continue to take the bump for the Reds and would make a fine pickup for fantasy managers looking for starting pitcher help.