The last week of the fantasy baseball regular season is upon us. Next week the playoffs begin. Is your team ready? As usual, pitching is a valued commodity, both in the real and fantasy worlds. Managers are always looking for an edge over their opponents on the mound. However, there are pitchers out there that are fool’s gold and will not help a playoff push. Let’s dive right in and find out who these fantasy baseball droppable pitchers are.

Dylan Bundy, SP, Los Angeles Angels

Unfortunately, the first pitcher is one in which I recommended for a spot start just last week. That player was Dylan Bundy. The only reason for that was he was pitching against Baltimore. It did not go well and now Bundy is on the IL with a right shoulder strain. Even if that wasn’t the case, managers need to stay well clear of Bundy the rest of the way.

It has been a disastrous 2021 for Bundy. He goes on the injured list with a 2-9 record and his 6.06 ERA is a true eye sore. In addition, he has pitched at least five innings only once since June 7. Just about everyone’s IL slots are full at this time of year. Even if there was an open spot, no manager should use it for Bundy. He needs to go to the wire immediately and managers can worry about what kind of season he will have next year.

Jon Gray, SP, Colorado Rockies

When July was coming to a close, life looked like it could get pretty sunny for Jon Gray. He didn’t lose a game in the month and there was a distinct possibility he could be traded to a contender. How times have changed for Gray, and not in a good way. The Rockies decided not to make a deal and Gray remained with the team. Then August hit and the downward spiral really began.

Entering his final start of the month, Gray has gone winless in August. He has pitched at least five innings only twice while giving up 15 earned runs in only 20 innings. Even worse, Gray has provided his fantasy managers with a grand total of four fantasy points during that stretch. And worst of all, Gray was removed form his Saturday start against the Dodgers with right forearm tightness. Whatever the result of his injury turns out to be, Gray needs his home to be on the wire the rest of the way.

Rich Hill, SP, New York Mets

Granted, Rich Hill turned in a solid pitching line his last time out against Washington. Hill allowed two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks. Sounds great, right? However, consider who the opponent was. The Nationals were gutted at the trade deadline and don’t have many major league caliber hitters outside Juan Soto. It is Hill’s work prior to that start that has to give fantasy managers pause.

In his three previous trips to the mound prior to Friday, Hill provided his owners a total of three fantasy points. Further, Hill is nothing but a five inning max pitcher at this point. He hasn’t reached the sixth since June 29. In fact, since being traded to the Mets from Tampa, Hill has clearly regressed as his 4.83 New York ERA demonstrates. Hill doesn’t pitch long enough or consistently enough in games to earn a spot on a fantasy roster. There has to be a more reliable starter out there. Find him as Hill is one of the fantasy baseball droppable pitchers.

David Price, SP/RP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Another pitcher who isn’t providing quantity or quality is the Dodgers’ David Price. With Trevor Bauer having his well chronicled issues and Clayton Kershaw’s injuries, the Dodgers hoped that Price could plug a hole in their rotation until things settle. Without question, it hasn’t happened. Price went the entire month of August reaching the sixth inning only once.

Even worse, Price hasn’t pitched five innings in either of his last two appearances. For the month, Price sports a poor 4.37 ERA in 22.2 innings. For his fantasy managers, his performances have been especially bleak as Price has scored 16 fantasy points in his last four trips to the mound. As with Hill, there are more reliable pitchers on the wire than Price. Go get one and send Price to the shower.

Dallas Keuchel, SP, Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are sprinting toward winning the American League Central Division, with a 10 game lead over Cleveland as of Monday. Unfortunately, they are doing it without much contribution from Dallas Keuchel. The last two starts by Keuchel clearly demonstrate how far he has fallen in recent weeks. His latest start against the cross town Cubs, who have been simply awful since the trade deadline, was especially disastrous. Keuchel managed just a single inning, allowing five earned runs on seven hits.

Those numbers gave Keuchel a -14 score, the third time in four starts he has managed negative fantasy points. In addition, Keuchel has lost three of his last four decisions and has only won once since July 9. His season ERA is an ugly 5.00. It is only the White Sox’ offense that has ensured things aren’t even worse for Keuchel than it is. A pitcher on a contender that has disappeared from the win column won’t help a fantasy manager push into the postseason. The wire is the proper place for Keuchel right now.

Jesus Luzardo, SP, Miami Marlins

When the month of August began, Jesus Luzardo turned in a fairly solid start against the Mets. Since then, though, things have certainly not gone well for him. In his last four starts, Luzardo has pitched at least five innings only twice. Significantly worse, however, is the 21 earned runs he has allowed in only 17.1 innings before his last start.

Every possible statistic has gone off the rails for Luzardo this month, as he has 15 strikeouts and 14 walks prior to Sunday. No explanation is needed about how awful a stat that is. On top of all that, it isn’t like Luzardo has pitched well at all this entire season. He enters the final week of August with a 4-7 record with an explosively high 7.91 ERA and 1.82 WHIP. There is no guarantee Luzardo will be in the rotation going forward and there is no reason for him to occupy a fantasy roster spot.

That is especially true for a manager trying to fight into the playoff mix. Even after Luzardo’s outstanding start against Cincinnati on Sunday, he has to show much more consistency going forward to earn trust. Luzardo has certainly earned his place on this fantasy baseball droppable pitchers list.

Yusei Kikuchi, SP, Seattle Mariners

No question, Yusei Kikuchi began this season as an outstanding starting pitcher for the Mariners and his fantasy managers. This is a player that made the All-Star team, after all. However, Kikuchi has fallen on hard times of late. He, like Keuchel, is pitching for a team in playoff contention. Also like Keuchel, Kikuchi has been an invisible asset in recent weeks. In his last two starts over 7.2 innings, Kikuchi has allowed 11 earned runs on 11 hits and four walks.

Against Houston, Kikuchi was saddled with -19 fantasy points. In his other two recent starts, he provided just eight fantasy points total. The second half has been especially brutal for Kikuchi, as his 6.46 ERA and 1.67 WHIP clearly show. He has also won only one start since the calendar flipped to July. Owners would have been much better off if they had traded him when his value was high. However, it is too late for that now. Managers clearly can’t trust Kikuchi at this stage and he should be stashed on the bench or dropped if a better alternative exists.

Matt Barnes, RP, Boston Red Sox

A list like this wouldn’t be complete with a relief pitcher, right? In this case, that pitcher is Matt Barnes. The tumble has been especially hard for Barnes, who hasn’t notched a save since August 4. He also hasn’t been credited with a win since August 7. In the meantime, Barnes has two loses and two blown saves. In addition, Barnes has been saddled with negative fantasy points four times and has made consecutive appearances only once. Manager Alex Cora has talked about using Barnes in low leverage situations for the foreseeable future.

However, that hasn’t helped Barnes in recent days. Such a development is a long fall for someone who has six wins and 24 saves on the season. Indicating just how bad it has been for Barnes in August is the fact that he has had an ERA of 54 in a game three times and also had an ERA of infinity once. No other statistic should be necessary to prove that Barnes definitely heads the list of relievers on this fantasy baseball droppable pitchers list.

Other droppable pitchers:

Drew Smyly, given an excellent chance to pitch well recently against Baltimore, only managed a 5.40 ERA in five innings. He has pitched into the sixth only once in his last six starts. In addition, he hasn’t pitched since the 21st. Avoid him until further notice.

For the Oakland A’s to get back into the wild card race, they need their starters to pitch better. Cole Irvin is example one of a starter that needs to trend upward quickly. He has provided negative fantasy totals in two of his last three starts and only pitched three innings his last time out.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball droppable pitchers edition! As always, I welcome input and suggestions from all of my readers. Have other players to include? Disagree with the selections? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Picks for all the latest MLB and sports news!

The Belly Up Fantasy Live baseball show is on every Monday at 8 est. If you haven’t checked out the show yet, scoot on over to Facebook, YouTube or Twitter and give it a look. Our episode from this week is available here. This episode, we discussed Miguel Cabrera’s historic home run, the state of the Orioles, Padres falling, players to pick up, drop or hold and many other topics. Hope to see you stop by.

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