Logan Allen DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports that pitcher Logan Allen will be the Cleveland Guardians' fifth starter in the rotation. Triston McKenzie will begin the year in the bullpen. The 26-year-old wasn't particularly effective during the 2024 season, bolstering a 5.73 ERA in 97.1 innings (20 starts). However, he's had a strong spring, authoring a 1.89 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 19 innings with a 19:4 K:BB ratio. Allen is an afterthought in drafts right now, which is fair based on his production a season ago. Still, his changeup and sweeper generated whiffs at 27.1% and 33.1%, respectively, with Cleveland last year. If he can get his fastball to play up, he could provide some value for fantasy managers while he's got a spot in the rotation.

The Cleveland Guardians recalled left-hander Logan Allen from Triple-A Columbus on Monday and optioned right-hander Connor Gillispie to Columbus in a corresponding move. It will be Allen's first start in the big leagues since July 6 with the Guardians still needing some starting rotation help with Tanner Bibee dealing with a shoulder injury. The 25-year-old Allen went 8-4 with a 5.67 ERA (5.45 FIP) and 1.55 WHIP with 76 strikeouts and 35 walks in 87 1/3 innings over 18 starts earlier this year before he was sent to the minors. In three starts for Columbus, Allen was better with a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 12:7 K:BB in 16 1/3 innings pitched. The D-backs are sitting notable left-handed hitters Corbin Carroll and Joc Pederson on Monday, but fantasy managers should still consider Allen to be a pretty shaky streaming option in deeper leagues in his return to Cleveland's rotation.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Logan Allen lasted just an 1 2/3 innings in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Rockies. The lefty allowed seven earned runs on six hits and two walks in the abbreviated outing while striking out just one batter. The former second-round pick has seven starts where he has allowed three earned runs or less, but has five starts in which he's allowed four runs or more. So despite the 6-3 record, the southpaw has a bloated 5.83 ERA (5.22 FIP), 1.55 WHIP, .301 opponent's average, and a league-leading 12 home runs allowed. Allen's next start lines up with the Royals at home next week, a team that has the fourth-best batting average against lefties this season, so it might be best to stay away for fantasy purposes.