Everyone loves a good redemption story. Think of all the movies you’ve seen where a character is saved from sin or error, making a triumphant return to grace.

Every fantasy season, we are treated to a multitude of stories where a player, coming off a career year, struggles and is demoted to work on his craft and inevitably dropped by his owner (or benched and stashed, depending on the player). Then, months later, he returns with renewed vigor, performs the way he’s expected to and saves the day.

Enter Mike Foltynewicz, who came out of nowhere last year to go 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA, 202 strikeouts (9.9 K/9) and a 1.08 WHIP. He entered 2019 as the 28th-ranked pitcher (112th overall), according to FantasyPros.

Foltynewicz was supposed to be Atlanta’s Opening Day starter, but he suffered an elbow injury (bone spurs) during spring training and didn’t make his first start until April 27. He struggled early, allowing 23 runs (19 earned) over his first four starts, looking nothing like the guy who was named to his first All-Star team and finished eighth in Cy Young voting in 2018. He was 2-5 with a 6.37 ERA, 7.6 strikeouts per nine and a .275 opponent average over his first 11 starts. He also allowed 16 home runs, two shy of the number he had allowed in 31 starts in 2018.

Something had to be done to help Foltynewicz regain confidence in his elbow. After a miserable outing against the Nationals on June 22, in which he gave up eight runs over four innings, he was demoted to Triple-A.

That demotion may have saved Foltynewicz’s season. In six minor league starts, he went 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA and no homers allowed. He had a 1.13 ERA over his final three starts before returning to the majors Tuesday, when he picked up his third win of the season against the Twins.

Though Foltynewicz allowed two homers and required 61 pitches to get through the first three innings, despite only one runner advancing past first base, there were positive signs that something clicked for the 27-year-old while in the minors.

Most importantly: He regained confidence in his slider.

Foltynewicz dominated opponents with his slider in 2018. Hitters were 24-for-225 (.107) with 104 strikeouts against the pitch he used 27.2 percent of the time. He also held opponents to a .225 average with 48 strikeouts while using his 95-98 mph fastball.

It was a great sign Tuesday when Foltynewicz threw 42 sliders, making up 46.5 percent of his 101 pitches. He had 16 swinging strikes, 10 of which came on the slider. He also struck out 30.4 percent of the batters he faced, and his fastball hit 95 mph.

Now that it’s August, it’s also worth noting how stellar Foltynewicz was over the final two months of last season, going 6-3 with a 2.55 ERA, 69 strikeouts and a .175 opponent average over 11 starts. It’s the perfect time for his return to fantasy grace.

The Braves entered Friday ranked seventh in batting average, sixth in RBIs, homers, hits and OPS, and fifth in runs scored and on-base percentage, so providing Foltynewicz with support will not be an issue. He will face some tough lineups, starting with the Dodgers on Sunday and the possibility of facing the red-hot Mets in his following start (and the Nationals two starts after that), so it may be wise to proceed with caution against those teams. But he’s also in line to face the lowly White Sox, the struggling Phillies (twice) and either the light-hitting Giants or Royals before the playoffs.

Fantasy owners lost faith in Foltynewicz after his early-season struggles, which is why he remains available in 45 percent or more of ESPN leagues. If he can build off the success of his last start and continue to get results from his slider, there’s no reason Foltynewicz can’t restore faith in his arm and become a great redemption story.

Big Hits

Mike Tauchman, OF, Yankees

After hitting .228 in the first half, he’s gone 30-for-72 (.417) with eight homers, 24 RBIs, four stolen bases and 22 runs over his first 21 second-half games.

Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves

Entered Saturday on a seven-game hitting streak, going 17-for-34 (.500) with three homers, six RBIs, three stolen bases, 11 runs and a 1.485 OPS in that span.

Nick Castellanos, OF/DH, Cubs

Entered Saturday with a 10-game hitting streak, and was 15-for-40 (.405) with four homers, six RBIs, 10 runs and a 1.342 OPS in his first nine games with the Cubs.

Big whiffs

Jorge Alfaro, C, Marlins

He struck out at least once in 30 of his past 35 games (44 total), and hit .237 with a .588 OPS in that span. He had just four hits over his past 33 at-bats before Saturday.

Alex Gordon, OF, Royals

Entered Saturday hitting .081 (3-for-37) with one homer, three RBIs, one run and seven strikeouts over his past 10 games.

Check Swings

Amed Rosario has been a big contributor to the Mets’ hot streak, as he has at least one hit in 20 of his first 25 games since the Midsummer Classic. He has gone 35-for-98 (.357) with three homers, six RBIs, four stolen bases, 16 runs and a .945 OPS in that span. Amazin’ly, he’s still available in more than 30 percent of ESPN leagues.

Khris Davis, who hit .247 and smashed 42 or more homers each of the past three seasons, has hit one home run since June 19. In the 36 games he has played since, he hit .203 with 13 RBIs, 37 strikeouts and a .540 OPS.

Since Gerrit Cole’s last loss on May 22, the 28-year-old Astro has gone 10-0 with a 1.98 ERA, 126:22 strikeout-walk rate, .186 opponent average and .585 opponent OPS. He allowed more than two earned runs to score in a game only once in that span.

Team Name Of The Week

Do Not Pass Gomes