Dodgers Julio Urias: Must Own for the Rest of Season

By Bill Pivetz | Aug 29, 2016

Aug 27, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias (7) in the second inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

The Dodgers have suffered a lot of injuries to their rotation, which opened up some spots. Julio Urias will remain as a starter for the rest of 2016.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still winning games, despite losing half of their starting rotation. Luckily, the front office scouted well and has depth at the position. While fantasy owners wish this happened sooner, youngster Julio Urias will remain in the Dodgers rotation for the rest of the season. As a result, he becomes a must add in all league formats.

Urias has made 12 starts this season, and appeared out of the bullpen twice. The Dodgers were limiting his usage by skipping starts; he only made two in July. All in all, Urias is pitching well in his first season.

He has a 3.71 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 10.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. He struggled a bit at the beginning, but greatly improved in the month of August. In 22.0 innings, Urias allowed a total of five runs on 26 hits and eight walks while striking out 22. He is also on a four-game winning streak.

More from Fantasy Baseball

There are some negatives to Urias, though. As you can see, he allows a lot of men on base. While he does get out of jams, 75.0 left on base percentage, it doesn’t help that he gets them on base in the first place. If you need to improve your WHIP, then Urias may not be your guy.

Another negative is the lack of pitching deep into games. He has not pitched more than six innings this season. That does qualify him for a win and quality start, but if you use innings pitched as a category, Urias won’t contribute that much.

The Dodgers are doing everything they can to hold onto their division lead. With all of the injuries the team has had, their best chance may be to keep Urias in the rotation. He has one of the best ERAs among the healthy Dodgers pitchers.

Next: Russell Martin's Summer Power Worth Adding?

Urias is currently owned in just 25.9 percent of ESPN leagues. He’s been added in 6.4 percent over the last week. For someone with the skills Urias has and the guarantee of at least five more starts, he should be owned in more leagues. His next start comes Saturday against the San Diego Padres.

With about five weeks left of the season, there aren’t many other options available. Why not take a chance on Urias for at least his next start?

Home/Fantasy Baseball