Rubby De La Rosa

De La Rosa's 2017 outlook is a bit murky due to the status of his right elbow. He was shut down in September and ended up meeting with Dr. James Andrews, the well-known orthopedic surgeon who performed De La Rosa's 2011 Tommy John surgery. In an effort to avoid another surgery, De La Rosa decided to undergo stem-cell treatment. The best-case scenario is that this allows De La Rosa to get back on the mound faster than he would've been able to if he had gone through with surgery. Of course, there's also a chance that the treatment is not effective and De La Rosa ends up needing another Tommy John procedure, which would knock him out of action for at least a year. Things will begin to clear up as De La Rosa moves through the rehab process. A former top prospect for the Dodgers, De La Rosa is off the fantasy radar for now given the uncertainty of his health.

De La Rosa is still looking for a breakthrough performance to meet the expectations set for him as a prospect. He is with his third organization since signing as an amateur free agent in 2007, having previously been traded by the Dodgers and Red Sox. In five seasons, De La Rosa has a 4.51 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. In 2015 — his first season in Arizona — De La Rosa had a 4.67 ERA, though he did lead the club with 14 wins, 188.2 innings pitched, and 150 strikeouts, but that’s more of a testament to how bad the D-backs’ rotation was. Scouts have long raved about De La Rosa’s stuff, though his career rate of 7.2 K/9 leaves quite a bit to be desired. Arizona will likely give him another shot to start in 2016, but he could be nearing a move to the bullpen if his struggles continue.

De La Rosa was one of several young starters to receive an audition at the major-league level for Boston in 2014. There was some initial success, suggesting De La Rosa could be a part of the 2015 rotation, but he also had bouts of control problems and didn't hold up well over 160 innings, a career-high for the right hander. He had some experience pitching out of the bullpen for Boston, including his final appearance of the season when he struck out four of the five batters faced. There's always been some thought to letting him become a late-inning reliever, a role in which he doesn't need to rely on his secondary stuff, and one that allows him to uncork a mid-to-high 90s heater. Traded to Arizona in December, the Diamondbacks will likely give him every opportunity to secure a rotation spot during spring training before a move to relief work is considered.

The Red Sox had De La Rosa on a pitch count in spring training, limiting the right-hander who was heading into his first full season since Tommy John surgery in 2011. It was a prudent approach for a pitcher who had never thrown more than 110 innings in a season. He struggled early on at Triple-A Pawtucket and coaches quickly learned De La Rosa needed to learn how to pitch instead of throwing fastballs all the time. Once he started incorporating his secondary stuff and locating his fastball, the results were better. In June, the Red Sox called him up to throw out of the bullpen. He bounced back and forth between Boston and Pawtucket and eventually pitched exclusively out of the bullpen. He's looking at the possibility of staying in the bullpen and could open the 2014 season in Boston.

De La Rosa came back last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011. He made a handful of appearances in the Dodgers' organization but was shut down after he was included in the deal to acquire Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. He was shut down because the Dodgers could not move De La Rosa until after the season. With Boston, the young righty with the power arm and plus changeup will get a serious audition among the mix of starters competing for the final spot in the rotation during spring training. If he can not harness the fastball command or develop a legitimate third pitch, De La Rosa could be moved to the bullpen as a late-inning reliever, a transition that would likely start at Triple-A Pawtucket.

De La Rosa jumped from Double-A to the big leagues last May, showing flashes of his top-of-the-rotation type ability by averaging 96 mph with his fastball on his way to a 3.71 ERA and 8.90 K/9IP in 60.2 innings. As so often happens with young arms it seems, De La Rosa then got hurt and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery in early August. It's far from a death sentence given he's just 23, but don't expect to see De La Rosa back on a big league mound until August at best. He's a guy to target in keeper leagues with an eye toward 2013 and beyond.

Named the organization's minor league pitcher of the year, 2011 is shaping up to be De La Rosa's year to burst onto the prospect scene. In 110.1 innings between Low-A and Double-A, De La Rosa posted a 2.37 ERA and 94:38 K:BB while reportedly hitting as high as 102 mph with his fastball. He'll open 2011 in Double-A, but this is a guy to watch in keeper leagues.