Ross Stripling DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling announced his retirement from professional baseball on Monday with a post on X. Stripling will call it quits after failing to make the Opening Day roster with the Kansas City Royals this spring out of camp. The 35-year-old veteran was originally a fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 out of Texas A&M. He spent the first four years of his major-league career with the Dodgers and also made his lone All-Star appearance with the team back in 2018, when he went 8-6 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 136:22 K:BB in 122 innings pitched. Stripling really struggled on the mound in his final two years with the San Francisco Giants and Athletics, posting a combined 5.68 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 174 1/3 frames. He ends his nine-year MLB career with a 4.17 ERA (4.06 FIP), 1.24 WHIP, 20.9% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in 846 1/3 regular-season innings.

Right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling signed a minor-league deal with the Kanas City Royals on Wednesday. This contract includes an invitation to spring training. Stripling spent the entire 2024 campaign with the Oakland Athletics, holding a poor 6.01 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP across 85 1/3 innings. He tallied strikeouts at a poor 12.9 percent rate but showed a strong command of his pitches with a 5.8 percent walk rate. He also generated a 35.3 percent hard-hit rate and a 6.8 percent barrel rate, which placed him in the 78th and 69th percentile, respectively. He posted a career-best 3.01 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP across 134 1/3 innings with the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2021 campaign. Fantasy managers should expect Stripling to compete for a long-relief role during spring training. However, given his struggles last season, he will likely open the campaign at Triple-A.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Ross Stripling (back) faced hitters in a live batting practice session on Tuesday, and the A's hope to activate him off the injured list in time for their final series of the 2024 regular season against the division-rival Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, which starts this Friday and runs through Sunday. The 34-year-old will likely be available out of the team's bullpen this weekend in the final series of the regular season, but fantasy managers should stay away in all formats if they are still playing for something. Stripling has been injured for a good chunk of his first season with the A's and hasn't been good when he's been available, sporting a 2-11 record, 6.08 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 49 strikeouts and 21 walks in 84 1/3 innings pitched over his 21 appearances (14 starts). He hasn't pitched since Sept. 8 and hasn't started a game for the A's since Aug. 6.