Atlanta Braves reliever Jonny Venters was placed on the injured list Monday as he deals with a calf strain. The veteran has made six appearances out of the bullpen this season, recording a hold but allowing six runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. Venters, 34, spent six years out of the majors facing a rash of injuries, but made his return with Tampa Bay last year. The Braves are now down two men in their bullpen with Arodys Vizcaino(shoulder) also on the injured list. This will open the door for other members of the staff to record holds and saves, with Wes Parsons and Jesse Biddle poised for bigger roles.
The Tampa Bay Rays traded reliever Jonny Venters to the Atlanta Braves Thursday. It is unknown what his new role will be with the Braves but that will go a long way towards determining what his value will be going forward. If he is a late inning setup man, then he will have value in leagues that reward holds. He seems unlikely to be their closer but if he did, that would be the most likely path to relevancy outside very deep formats. He has been a heartwarming story this season due to his battling for more than three years to overcome injuries to return to the majors.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jonny Venters (hamstring) completed his second rehab outing Tuesday. Things seemed to go well and he could be activated as soon as Wednesday. He has filled multiple roles for the Rays this season as a part of the unorthodox system they have used to overcome the injuries to their starting pitchers. Venters simply has not had a role that would produce enough fantasy impact to justify owning him in most leagues.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jonny Venters (hamstring) will make his second rehab appearance for High-A Charlotte on Saturday. Prior to the injury Venters had thrown 13 1.3 innings in 21 appearances, including one start, in the major leagues. In those 13 1/3 innings Venters has 11 strikeouts and a 3.95 ERA. The Rays bullpen situation is so fluid that I do expect to see Venters back in the majors at some point once he is ready. It is also possible that Venters will serve as one of the teams openers this season, which actually harms any small potential fantasy value he may have.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jonny Venters (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Charlotte on Thursday. Venters has been sidelined since late June with a right hamstring strain. He should only need a couple of appearances before he's ready to rejoin the Rays bullpen. However, he's not worth owning in fantasy leagues right now. Venters likely won't be a late inning reliever, but does have one save this season.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jonny Venters(hamstring) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday. He has a right hamstring strain. There's no word on how long he will actually be gone. Venters made for a great comeback story, as he has been through three Tommy John surgeries, but the truth is that he is mostly irrelevant in the majority of fantasy leagues.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jonny Venters will serve as the team's opener Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. This will be the first time in the majors that Venters will start a game. As always with the opener role, Venters will be aiming to get through the first three to six hitters before handing it over to Ryan Yarbroughto handle the majority of the innings. In 10 1/3 innings this season, Venters has six strikeouts and a 0.87 ERA. Unfortunately, this role provides little fantasy value for Venters, who is likely not owned in many leagues currently.
Jonny Venters Earns First Save Since 2011 Monday Versus Oakland
Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jonny Venters earned a save versus the Athletics on Monday. It came in the 13th inning and only took one batter to earn the final out. He had not earned a save since the 2011 season with Atlanta. Venters has not pitched in the majors since the 2012 Wild-Card game. He has had four major elbow surgeries. Venters had three seasons in the majors during which he was a dominant late-inning reliever who struck out 258 batters in 229 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.00. It is way too soon to say he will remain a good reliever for the long haul, but right now he has a 1.04 ERA on the season after 10 appearances. He's unlikely to see many more save chances for a bad Tampa team, even with former closer Alex Colome now in Seattle.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jonny Venters has made it back to the major leagues. He appeared Wednesday versus Baltimore and retired the only batter he faced. He has not pitched in the majors since the 2012 Wild-Card game. He has had four major elbow surgeries. He had three seasons in the majors during which he was a dominant late-inning reliever who struck out 258 batters in 229 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.00. It is way too soon to say he will become a good reliever again, but for now, he likely does not have much fantasy appeal.
