Roto Riteup: April 14, 2016

We’re learning plenty about MLB in the early going. The Minnesota Twins’ offense is bad. The Atlanta Braves are very bad. The Roto Riteup occasionally has authors working at 3 a.m. And most notably, Yoenis Cespedes is a huge Shinsuke Nakamura fan.

On the agenda:
1. A lot going on in Boston
2. A new story at Coors
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

A lot going on in Boston
It was a busy day in Beantown. The Red Sox put Pablo Sandoval on the disabled list with a left shoulder sprain, but there’s more to the story than that, it seems. While the team is saying Sandoval reported the injury Wednesday, they’ve also given the third baseman a conditioning program that they hope can help him cut back some weight. These things seem related, and it seems plausible that this is a bit of a mental-plus-conditioning break for Sandoval. For his part, Sandoval said he wants to stay in Boston if he can be an everyday player, not that there’d be a trade market for him.

Travis Shaw is the winner here, as he’s now the owner of an unimpeded full-time job. He’s also the owner of a 134 wRC+ so far, though he’s been pulled for a pinch hitter on three occasions. There’s 15-homer power here, which isn’t exactly exciting at the corners, but isn’t nothing.

The Sox also sent Rusney Castillo and his .265/.304/.383 career batting line to the minors. He was barely playing and shouldn’t have been owned in most formats. When can you drop him? How soon is now? There’s not much fallout here, as Castillo wasn’t getting regular at bats and Boston hasn’t announced a corresponding roster move.

One final note: Boston beat Baltimore, so defeating the Orioles in 2016 is a thing that’s actually possible.

A new story at Coors
So, that red-hot Trevor Story, uhh, story? It collided with another early-season story on Wednesday, when the Colorado Rockies shortstop had a pair of potential home runs hit off of the new, taller walls at Coors Field. On the one hand, it’s great that Story, who already has seven homers on the year, is hitting the ball so hard, and he still had a pair of triples, a single, and three runs scored. On the other, is this a sign that Coors will play a little less hitter-friendly? Maybe a bit, but it’s still going to be good hitting. Just check in on the run environment occasionally as the sample grows.

Various News and Notes
You know how Matt Shoemaker’s 2014 and 2015 tell very different stories and it’s tough to get a feel for the true talent in the middle? His first two starts of 2016 have mirrored that. Shoemaker threw six one-hit innings Wednesday, striking out five in the process. He remains worth keeping an eye on and might be undervalued in his next start, though I know there are some for whom there’s no coming back with Shoemaker.

Jacob deGrom will rejoin the Mets on Friday but it’s possible he could hit the DL. He’s scheduled for a bullpen session tomorrow, the first time he’s testing his right lat strain in that environment. Given the investment, this is obviously a must-follow affair, even if he’d only stand to miss another start.

Jerad Eickhoff racked up nine strikeouts without a walk over seven scoreless frames. He was middling in his first start, but there might be eight strikeouts per-nine in his arm. People and projection systems alike seem quite split on him, so if you’re a fan, there may be an opportunity to invest on the cheap. Adam Conley also whiffed nine, doing so over six scoreless innings to bounce back from a horrendous season opener. Eric Surkamp, meanwhile, was far less effective, and that rotation spot really should be Jesse Hahn’s soon.

Jake Diekman surrendered a walk-off pinch-hit home run to Dae-Ho Lee. Arquimedes Caminero imploded in the sixth against Detroit. Ken Giles took a loss from a tough eighth inning. Michael Blazek vultured a win by blowing a save in the eighth. All your sleeper closers in waiting were bad, basically. A former member of that group, Jeanmar Gomez, gave up a run but still managed a save to close out Eickhoff’s win.

Buster Posey didn’t return to action, as was originally expected. He remains day-to-day with a foot bruise. Missing a few games at Coors is unfortunate.

Quickly: Johan Santana wants to return by midseason. OK, bud. Marco Gonzales is undergoing Tommy John surgery and is done for the year. Hector Olivera was arrested and charged with assault and battery, and MLB is investigating. Jung-ho Kang is cleared for extended spring training without restrictions, putting him on track for a return later this month. The Yankees signed Nick Swisher to a minor league deal, bro.

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: Drew Pomeranz @ PHI (Vincent Velasquez)
The three walks in his first start of the season were a little concerning and his fly-ball profile isn’t the best fit for Philadelphia, but Drew Pomeranz has some nice strikeout potential and the Phillies are fairly punchless. He’s only owned in 19 percent of leagues.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Joe Ross @ PHI (Jeremy Hellickson)
Available in roughly half of leagues and likely to be a cheap DFS play on a day with plenty of good pitchers throwing, Joe Ross draws those same Phillies. Picking on them back-to-back isn’t my favorite approach, but I’m a believer in Ross.