Roto Riteup: April 10, 2016

Today’s Roto Riteup is all about stuff.

On the agenda:
1. Robinson Chirinos out for a month
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Robinson Chirinos out for a month
Chirinos has hit by a pitch yesterday, and an x-ray revealed that he has a fractured forearm. While recovery time is listed as a month, perhaps this will take longer since he would be more prone to re-injury as a catcher in the line of fire. One of the players in the trade that sent Matt Garza to the Cubs, Chirinos never found a home with the Rays, but he settled in nicely with the Rangers over the past two seasons, flashing power that plays well in the heat deep in the heart of Texas. While not a mixed-league option, Chirinos was worth having in AL-only formats this year, and this loss will not go unnoticed. Bryan Holaday will take over for the Rangers, and he’s nothing to be excited about, as both his extensive minor league track record and brief MLB time have been, shall we say, not so impressive. AL-only owners will have to look outside of Arlington to find their replacement.

Various News and Notes
Tyler White has taken his hot spring and carried it over to April, as he hit his third homer in as many games yesterday. While White is seen more as an OBP focused first baseman and not a massive power threat, it’s awesome to see that the boomstick is in his repertoire. He still probably should remain on the waiver wire in standard leagues, but someone will get excited and give him a shot.

Vincent Velasquez shined in his Phillies debut, striking out nine Mets in six innings of work. He also walked three, which is certainly not ideal, but still manageable if you’re K/BB ratio is three. Velasquez will be especially interesting outside of Philly this year.

Jacob deGrom will be skipped his next turn through the rotation, with Logan Verrett taking his place. deGrom left his first start early due to a lat strain, and there are currently no talks of a DL stint.

Despite being Eric Surkamp and pitching poorly in his first outing, Eric Surkamp will get another shot as a member of the A’s rotation. If he can’t put together a quality outing, expect Jesse Hahn to be on his way up to take his place.

Max Kepler was recalled by the Twins last night after Danny Santana landed on the DL. Kepler, a back end top-100 prospect on some lists, will just serve as depth in Minnesota for now, which is certainly not the right thing for his development. Kepler had a nice season in Double-A ball last year, but still needs time at Triple-A this year.

Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Tom Koehler at WAS (Joe Ross)
Justin recommended his teammate Jarred Cosart yesterday, and we were in agreement until a rainout changed the schedule. Stick with the Marlins righty, or turn your focus to Jeff Locke at the Reds.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Shane Green vs PIT (Jonathan Niese)
Green will make his first turn in the rotation, and while it’d be better if it were at Pittsburgh and there was no DH involved, he doesn’t get that luxury here.