Roto Riteup: April 10, 2013

Today is Wednesday, and this is the Roto Riteup.

On today’s agenda:
1. Jered Weaver to the DL, Garrett Richards to rotation
2. Hanley Ramirez still on track for mid-May
3. Reds’ Pitching Prospects dominate
4. Matt Harrison likely to miss tomorrow’s start

Jered Weaver to the DL, Garrett Richards to rotation
In an effort to avoid a ball smacked right back at him, Weaver went to the ground and broke his left elbow. Luckily for Weaver and the Angels, the right-hander won’t have to rehab his pitching arm during his time on the DL, and a little bit of rest could actually do the hurler some good. Weaver will likely miss over a month’s worth of games, and replacing him will be Richards.

For those of you without a FanGraphs+ subscription, you can go to hell here’s the quick version of what I said about Richards: “Richards will likely start the season in the minors, but if he makes it back to the majors as a member of the rotation, he’ll be worth a look for owners playing matchups and streaming pitchers.” I’m not changing my opinion on Richards, but I would note that I watched him pitch to a couple batters the other night, and came away pleasantly surprised.

Hanley Ramirez still on track for mid-May
I bet y’all and the Dodgers would like him to return sooner, but Hanley is still on track for a mid-May return. The shortstop is removing his cast this week, at which point he’ll be able to begin his rehab in earnest. Hanley’s replacement have hit .057 as of writing, but your roto replacement is likely performing a bit better. With Hanley and one Derek Jeter returning to the bigs in early and mid May, fantasy infields are going to become much more interesting.

Reds’ Pitching Prospects dominate
For those of you who weren’t Riteup readers last year, from time to time I like to probe into the minors and talk about the performance of prospects. Well, last night, two of the Cincinnati Reds’ top prospects were on the hill, and here’s how they did:

• Tony Cingrani, AAA: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
• Robert Stephenson, A: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Cingrani is just steps from the big leagues, and with Mike Leake somehow failing to impress the brass in Cincy, the left-hander could have a rotation spot open up in a matter of weeks. Stephenson, on the other hand, is further from the majors. Look for him to hit the scene in July 2014.

Matt Harrison likely to miss tomorrow’s start
The Rangers’ left-hander is probably going to be out Thursday due to back problems. There’s still no word as to who would start in his place, but stay tuned to the newswire. Or, perhaps you should check Thursday morning’s Roto Riteup for an update?