Kyle Harrison Returns to Form, Cramping Issue Not a Concern

When a pitcher is coming back from a forearm or elbow injury, you’re just holding your breath with every pitch. And when Kyle Harrison left Wednesday’s start early, it was hard not to fear the worst. However, the team announced shortly after that he left with cramping in both of his calves – so, nothing to do with his arm.

Fortunately, the calf cramping issue didn’t seem to affect Harrison’s performance, as he looked about as good as ever, limiting the Pirates to just one hit over five innings, walking just one and striking out 10 for his fourth double-digit strikeout effort of the season. He struck out eight straight to close out the start, even.

While his velocity was down a bit on his four-seamer and a bit more on the breaking ball, neither was terribly concerning, especially with how effective he was. Harrison doesn’t need to sit 96 to dominate, thanks to the combination of his delivery from the left side of the mound and the movement profile on the four-seamer, both of which were intact in his return from the injury.

Is Harrison Back to Being a Must-Start Pitcher?

That’s not always guaranteed to happen, but Harrison looked so good Wednesday that I think we can be pretty confident he’s going to be good moving forward. If healthy, of course, but that’s always the concern. We can’t guarantee that’ll be the case moving forward, but he sure looked healthy in Wednesday’s start, and unless that cramping issue is hiding something more serious, it sure looks like you can get back to treating Harrison as a must-start pitcher.

Other Notable Performances

Other notable performances from Wednesday’s action include:

• Angel Genao, SS, Guardians (15%): Genao’s promotion was announced, and he spoiled expectations by going 4 for 5 with a run and an RBI in his MLB debut. He was hitting .300 with 13 homers and 11 steals in the minors and has played his way into top-25 global prospect consideration.
• Noah Cameron, SP, Royals (74%): Cameron struck out nine in eight innings Wednesday against the Twins, giving him 24 strikeouts in 23 innings over his past three starts – his previous high for a three-start stretch was 22 strikeouts and 20.2 innings, respectively.
• Jacob Lopez, SP, Athletics (14%): Lopez had a 12-start stretch from June through August last season when he had a 2.30 ERA with 10.8 K/9 before an elbow injury ended his season. He hasn’t been anywhere near that good so far this season, but he’s showing some signs here lately, striking out nine over five innings while allowing two earned runs and walking just one.
• Endy Rodriguez, C, Pirates (21%): Rodriguez might just finally be healthy and figuring it out, homering in consecutive games Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing him to seven homers and six steals in 43 games. Project that over 129 (roughly a starting catcher’s usage and an easy multiplication for me to do) and you’re looking at a 21-homer, 18-steal pace from a catcher hitting .269 with really good plate discipline.
• Mitch Bratt, SP, Diamondbacks (3%): Bratt dominated against the Padres, striking out nine over seven shutout innings with just three walks. That did only come with eight whiffs on 92 pitches, so he wasn’t necessarily quite as dominant as the box score would make you think.
• Cody Bradford, SP, Rangers (8%): Bradford was never a dominant pitcher, but he was a pretty effective one back in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. And he mostly looked like himself in a brief return to the mound Wednesday, scattering five hits and two walks over 4.1 innings of work while striking out five.

Conclusion

Harrison’s return to form is a welcome sight for fantasy owners, and if the calf cramping issue doesn’t become a recurring problem, he’s likely to be a must-start pitcher again. Other notable performances from Wednesday’s action include Genao’s impressive MLB debut, Cameron’s dominant start, Lopez’s promising signs, Rodriguez’s breakout, Bratt’s surprising performance, and Bradford’s encouraging return.