Ottoneu Hot Right Now: August 11, 2026

Hot Right Now (HRN) is a weekly Ottoneu feature focused on popular players currently being auctioned or players who you should think about auctioning in your Ottoneu leagues. Even if you don’t play Ottoneu, we’ll be highlighting players you should be looking at in deeper and keeper formats. In this feature, we will break down players into two sections:

1. Current Auctions: A closer look at players being auctioned at a high rate.
2. Hot Performers: Players with a high P/G or P/IP over the last 14 days who are also rostered in 80% of leagues or less.

The RotoGraphs Ottoneu team plans to run this feature weekly, updating fantasy managers on the biggest movers in Ottoneu leagues with an analysis of how these players could or could not help your roster.

Current Auctions

Abimelec Ortiz — 40 current auctions — 27.0% roster%

Abimelec Ortiz was one of the prospects the Nationals received in the MacKenzie Gore trade over the offseason. A stout first baseman, he crushed 25 home runs in the minor leagues last year with a solid approach at the plate and enough bat-to-ball skills to avoid too high a strikeout rate. He was called up on August 3 and already has two home runs in seven games. He’s sat against the two left-handed starters the Nats have faced over the last week so it looks like Ortiz is stuck on the strong side of a platoon for now. That limited playing time hurts his value a bit and his limited positional flexibility doesn’t do him any favors either. There are probably other first basemen available in your league if you’re desperate for production, so any auction for Ortiz is a bet that he’ll continue crushing home runs in the big leagues, far outperforming the 40 FV grade he received on Washington’s preseason prospect list.

Kodai Senga — 31 current auctions — 16.3% roster%

On Monday, the Mets placed closer Devin Williams on the IL with a shoulder injury. Of course, the first save opportunity later that same day went to Kodai Senga. He converted the save in an 8-5 victory over the Braves, walking one and striking out two.

It’s been a rough couple of years for Senga. Injuries derailed his seasons in both 2024 and ‘25 and he just hasn’t looked right since returning from a hamstring injury in July of last year. His forkball has continued to befuddle batters, even if the rest of his repertoire hasn’t been very effective. The Mets had been working him in short relief stints since July but he’s allowed seven runs in 11 innings across seven relief appearances. It’s a bit of a surprise to see them run with him in high leverage situations but I suppose the team has nothing to lose by seeing if he can thrive in that new role. If he does, New York will have found a new relief option with one of the best swing-and-miss pitches in baseball.

Samy Natera Jr. — 31 current auctions — 64.2% roster%

With Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Brent Suter out of the picture in Anaheim, someone has to convert whatever save chances the team generates down the stretch. The Angels did activate Ben Joyce off the IL last week, but it seems like José Fermin and Samy Natera Jr. are sharing ninth inning duties for now. Joyce could pitch his way into that closer committee eventually, but those three relievers seem like the guys manager Kurt Suzuki trusts the most right now.

For his part, Natera has looked fantastic since getting called up in June. He’s struck out nearly 40% of the batters he’s faced and has allowed just a single run over his last 12 outings. He converted the second save of his career last Thursday and has also earned four holds on the year. The control isn’t perfect — a 10.3% walk rate is the only black mark in his profile — but his swing-and-miss stuff looks good enough to thrive in high leverage work.

Joyce has the electric stuff and looked like the Angels’ closer of the future before he injured himself last year. If Joyce can stay healthy and prove that his stuff isn’t diminished after his rehab, I’d expect him to claim the ninth inning role outright sooner rather than later. That would leave Natera as a high leverage setup man, but that only hurts his value in save-only fantasy leagues.

Hot Performers
Players with a high P/G or P/IP over the last 14 days rostered in 80% of leagues or less.

Yohan Ramírez — 8.0 FGPts/IP (last 14 days) — 1.7% roster%

Over the last two weeks, Yohan Ramírez has pitched 10 scoreless innings across five relief appearances, striking out 13. He’s allowed just four runs total in 32 innings since the beginning of June. The command leaves a lot to be desired; despite a solid 26.6% strikeout rate, his walk rate is an unseemly 13.3% this year. That’s been an issue throughout his career and he just happens to be pitching around all those base runners successfully right now.

The Pirates relief corps got really crowded with the additions of Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, Kirby Yates, and Lake Bachar at the trade deadline. Ramírez is seeing pretty limited high leverage opportunities at the moment. Instead, he’s filling a multi-inning fireman role, limiting him to just six holds and a single save on the season. He’s pitching extremely well right now, but the lack of a high leverage role and the command issues make me want to steer clear.