Max Kranick Down For A While Due To Hamstring Strain
New York Mets right-hander Max Kranick (hamstring) is dealing with a left-hamstring strain and will "be down a while," according to manager Carlos Mendoza. It effectively takes Kranick out of the competition for the fifth starting spot to open the 2024 season. The 26-year-old could eventually join the Mets' rotation eventually, but he's going to be on the injured list on Opening Day in late March. Kranick wasn't a realistic fantasy target, even in NL-only leagues, anyway, as he's only pitched in 11 big-league games (nine starts) for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021 and 2022 and has a 5.56 ERA (4.49 FIP) and 1.65 WHIP with 22 walks and 36 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings pitched.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Max Kranick (1-3) allowed five earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out over 4 2/3 innings in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox. He was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of Wednesday's start and struggled in Wednesday's loss. The 24-year-old surrendered a three-run blast to Gavin Sheets and exited in the fifth frame after 83 pitches. Kranick has had a disappointing rookie campaign, owning a 7.66 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings. It's unclear if Kranick will stick in the Pirates' rotation, and fantasy managers can leave the right-hander on the waiver in most leagues.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Max Kranick struggled on the mound against Milwaukee on Wednesday, allowing six runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings of work. He looked solid through his first five innings, but a three-run sixth inning chased him out of the game. After tossing five perfect innings in his major league debut, Kranick has struggled over his last three appearances, going 0-2 with a 10.64 ERA and 2.364 WHIP over 11 innings of work. He's shown in the minors potential to be a backend rotation guy, but until he starts producing on the mound he has no value in redraft leagues.
The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned right-hander Max Kranick to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday and activated right-hander Luis Oviedo (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Kranick was solid in his major league debut on June 27 in five shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, but he's come back down to Earth in his two most recent starts against the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing seven earned runs while walking four and striking out eight in six innings. The team's No. 26 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, will likely be back this year and can throw strikes, but he doesn't have a pitch that jumps off the page just yet, limiting his fantasy upside as a streamer.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Max Kranick will take the mound for the series finale with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. He's made two starts for the Pirates so far this year, going 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA, 0.875 WHIP and 25.8 percent strikeout rate over eight innings of work. He gained national attention for his first start, in which he threw five perfect innings against the Cardinals. While the Diamondbacks have won the first two games of this series, Wednesday's matchup could make Kranick a decent streaming option, as Arizona is hitting worse against right-handers this year (.229/.304/.360) than against left-handers (.246/.325/.418).
The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned right-hander Max Kranick back to Triple-A Indianapolis after his second career start in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the New York Mets on Saturday. Kranick, the team's No. 26 prospect per MLB Pipeline, wasn't as successful in his second career major league start. The 23-year-old allowed three earned runs on four hits (one homer) while striking out five and walking three in the loss to New York over three innings. With the All-Star breaking coming and the team not needing another starter for a while, Kranick will go back to the minors for now, but there's a good chance he'll be back up again for another start in the second half. Kranick has never been a big strikeout pitcher in the minors, but he might be worth a spot start in deeper leagues whenever he makes it back to the Show, depending on the matchup.
Updating a previous report, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Max Kranick, the team's No. 26 prospect, is expected to make his second major league start in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the New York Mets on Saturday. It was originally reported that Kranick will start on Friday, but that was before the team's game with New York was postponed on Thursday. JT Brubaker will be pushed back to Friday. Kranick tossed five perfect innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in his MLB debut, but he hasn't been terribly sharp in the minors this year and doesn't have a true out pitch, although his slider has improved. There is some intrigue here against a Mets offense that has struggled at times this year, but Kranick will be a dicey streaming option in his second big league start.
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Max Kranick will be recalled from the minors to make his second major league start on Friday against the New York Mets on the road, according to a source. JT Brubaker was scheduled to start on Thursday night before the contest was postponed, so it looks like he'll be skipped. Kranick was great in his first career major league start on June 27, when he tossed five hitless innings while walking none and fanning three against the St. Louis Cardinals. He hasn't been so hot in eight starts with Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona this year, though, posting a 5.21 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 37 K's in 38 innings. The Mets have had their offensive issues at times this year, but Kranick will be a pretty dicey streaming option in deeper leagues. The 23-year-old doesn't have one pitch that is amazing, and he hasn't missed a ton of bats so far in his career.
The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned right-hander Max Kranick to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, one day after throwing five perfect innings with three strikeouts in his major league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals. The performance surely earned him some more chances later this year. The 23-year-old was sporting a 4.37 ERA in the minors before his call-up. Right-hander Cody Ponce was called up from Indianapolis in a corresponding move. He'll provide the Bucs with some more bullpen depth.
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Max Kranick is being promoted to the big league roster on Saturday, according to a source. It's likely that Kranick will make his major league debut and start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Kranick, listed as the team's No. 26 prospect on MLB Pipeline, doesn't have one pitch that stands out, but he has good feel for all of his offerings and can throw strikes with all of them. In seven starts at Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis this year, the 23-year-old has a 4.37 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 36:9 K:BB in 35 innings pitched. He has gradually added velocity to his fastball, which sits in the mid-90s. Kranick hasn't missed a ton of bats in his career (7.4 K/9), but his slider is slowly developing into an out pitch. It's unclear if he'll get a chance to stick in the Bucs rotation if he pitches well on Sunday, but fantasy managers should consider him too risky to stream in his major league debut.
Max Kranick
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Mets
