Tanner Scott: The Strikeout Surge Is Real, But the ERA Isn't Cooperating Yet

Tanner Scott is punching out batters at a 41.7% clip over the last seven days — up significantly from his 31.9% rate over the past 30 days — and his 1.77 FIP suggests the underlying skills are far better than the surface-level numbers indicate. Early signs suggest something is clicking for the Dodgers' reliever, but the small sample demands patience before you commit a roster spot.

The Strikeout Spike in Context

Let's walk through the rolling windows. Over the last 7 days, Scott has been dominant: a 0.00 ERA, a 15.0 K/9, and a 1.77 FIP across 3 innings pitched. That K/9 is elite-tier relief production. But zoom out slightly to the 14-day window and you see a 6.28 ERA with an even higher 16.74 K/9 and a 1.47 FIP across 4.3 innings. The 30-day picture tells a similar story: a 6.12 ERA paired with a 13.11 K/9 and a 1.35 FIP over 10.3 innings.

The pattern is clear — Scott is missing bats at an extraordinary rate, but his ERA has been inflated by results that don't match his peripherals. A FIP under 2.00 across every rolling window while the ERA sits above 6.00 over 14 and 30 days screams bad luck, sequencing issues, or both. That gap tends to close over time, and it usually closes in FIP's direction.

Why This Isn't on Anyone's Radar

No major fantasy publications are currently highlighting Scott. That's the kind of gap WaiverScout exists to fill. We've been tracking this player since late May, first flagging him as a Watch on 2026-05-24 when his ownership sat at 47%. After a rocky stretch through the summer that earned multiple deprioritize classifications, we upgraded him back to Watch on 2026-09-09 at 54% ownership. The strikeout rate has only strengthened since that signal, jumping nearly 10 percentage points in the most recent seven-day window.

At 53% rostered with essentially flat ownership velocity (+-1% over the past week), there's no rush happening. If this strikeout surge continues — and the FIP suggests the underlying skill is legitimate — that ownership number will move. The window to act on a watch-list add is before the crowd arrives.

The Concern

We're working with just 3 innings in the 7-day window and 10.3 innings over 30 days. That's a small sample, and the ERA-FIP divergence could resolve in either direction. A reliever's stat line can flip on one bad outing. The confidence level here is early signal, and we're treating it accordingly.

If you're in a league where relievers carry significant value — particularly in categories like K/9 or strikeouts — Scott's recent dominance is worth monitoring closely. In the Dodgers' bullpen, he's competing for high-leverage innings alongside arms like Jeff Hoffman and Raisel Iglesias, which means the opportunity for saves or holds could be volatile. But the raw stuff — a 41.7% strikeout rate with a sub-2.00 FIP — is the kind of profile that earns more trust from a pitching staff over time.

Verdict: Watch

Tanner Scott is a hold if you have him and a watchlist add if you don't. The strikeout surge could be emerging as a sustained skill shift, and his FIP has been screaming undervaluation for weeks. Don't overreact to 3 innings — but don't ignore a 41.7% K rate and a 1.77 FIP either. Monitor the next two to three appearances. If the ERA starts converging toward that FIP, the classification will change, and so will his ownership. WaiverScout flagged this player early. The signal is strengthening. Stay ready.