Roto Riteup: April 12, 2023

Best celebration of the year:

 

 

On the Agenda: 

  1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
  2. Quick Hits
  3. Various News and Notes
  4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Quick Hits

Brandon Woodruff was placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation. He stated in an interview that he expects to be back after a short stay on the IL.  

Gleyber Torres left Tuesday’s game with a hip issue. It is not expected to keep him out long. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Yandy Diaz was removed from the game on Tuesday with a shoulder injury. Diaz injured the shoulder while diving for a ball. 

He stated following the game that he would not miss their next game so at worst he is day-to-day.

Corey Seager left Tuesday’s game after injuring his hamstring.

He is expected to undergo further testing on it but it looked bad enough that he is probably headed to the IL.

Dansby Swanson left Tuesday’s game with side tightness. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Matt Manning left his start on Tuesday after being hit in the foot with a comebacker. X-rays after the game revealed a fracture in his foot. He will hit the IL and there is no timetable for his return as of yet.

 

Various News and Notes

Zach Eflin was placed on the IL with lower back tightness. The injury is not believed to be serious and he is expected to be back after a minimum stay on the IL. Taj Bradley will be recalled to take Eflin’s spot in the rotation. Bradley is the top pitching prospect for the Rays with two very good pitches and two that are still a work in progress. He was really highly regarded coming into last season before struggling with command and giving up 10 home runs in 59 AAA innings. If he can harness his stuff, he could be a really great pitcher in the Majors, but there is some risk that he struggles and gets sent back to AAA once Eflin returns. 

Joey Gallo was placed on the IL with an oblique injury. While these injuries often take 4-6 weeks to return from, this is reportedly minor and he hopes to return after a minimum stay. The Twins will reportedly recall top prospect Edouard Julien to take his place on the roster. Julien is a really interesting prospect that is known for his really high walk rate. He has never posted a walk rate below 19% in any stop in the minors. There is power and speed in the profile, but he is so passive at the plate, it prevents him from compiling home runs. He could play pretty regularly at second base or as a utility guy if he can hang defensively which is his biggest issue. He is a must pick up in OBP leagues and points leagues where there are points for walks. 

Ji-Hwan Bae went 1-for-5 with a walk off home run in the victory over the Astros on Tuesday. 

Bae has led off for the Pirates the last two days and should continue to play regularly now with Oneil Cruz out for the next four months. There is a good hit tool and speed here and if he continues to lead off, there is some sneaky value. Mostly, I just wanted to share the home run call.

Austin Hays went 4-for-5 with a home run and four runs scored in the win over the A’s on Tuesday.

Hays has been hitting the ball pretty hard recently and this was the first game of the season in which he led off with Cedric Mullins moving to the ninth spot versus a lefty. Hays is now up to three home runs on the season while hitting .333 and he should have four bombs if not for the reverse unicorn he suffered on April 10th:

Hays is a post-hype guy that is still available in a fair amount of leagues and should be picked up until he slows down.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Clarke Schmidt vs CLE

I know that Schmidt struggled in his first two starts, but the matchup is decent and I believe in the talent. 

High Risk Options: Eduardo Rodriguez at TOR, Brad Keller at TEX, Dean Kremer vs OAK. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Cole Irvin vs OAK

Irvin hasn’t pitched well through his first two starts, but nothing gets you right like pitching against the A’s. 

High Risk Options: Bailey Falter at CIN, Nick Martinez vs MIL, Spencer Turnbull at TOR. 

 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”





Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
murraygd13
11 months ago

Gallo has a strained intercostal , not sure how that’s different than oblique. Or what the timetable difference for return would be. Sounds like they expect him to start a rehab already though