Roto Riteup: April 2 2025

I love having baseball back:

On the Agenda: 

1. Closer Chaos
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Closer Chaos

Devin Williams was placed on the paternity list. He will miss up to three games. The Yankees signed Adam Ottavino to a one-year contract to take his spot on the roster. However, Luke Weaver or Mark Leiter Jr. will be the Yankees closing options while he is away from the team.  

David Bednar was optioned to AAA on Tuesday. Bednar has struggled this year and the Pirates have decided to send him down to get right. Colin Holderman and Dennis Santana are the likely candidates to replace him in the ninth inning in Pittsburgh. 

Tommy Kahnle threw a scoreless inning to register the save versus the Mariners on Tuesday.

Kahnle is a changeup artist that won’t overpower anyone but can keep hitters off balanced. He is likely to be in a timeshare for the ninth inning in Detroit, but he could be the preferred option for saves.

 

Quick Hits
Lance Lynn has retired from baseball. There was talk about Lynn trying to come back as a reliever but did not sign with a team in spring.

Various News and Notes
Thomas Harrington threw four innings versus the Rays on Tuesday, allowing six earned runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out two in the loss.

Harrington struggled with control during the outing which is unusual for him as he has shown to have pretty good control in the minors. The sinker and sweeper are good pitches and this outing may make him cheaper in FAAB this weekend. There is upside in his arm and he pitches in a good park, so he is a worthy gamble with a potential two-start week coming up.

Kyle Stowers went 1-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Mets on Tuesday.

Stowers has started off the season hot, hitting .313/.450/.500 with a home run and stolen base. However, he struggles with consistent contact and he is already striking out at a 30% rate. He will play regularly even if he struggles, but the average will likely crater at some point.

Shane Smith threw 5.2 innings against the Twins on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs on two hits and four walks while striking out three in the no-decision.

Smith was cruising until he lost his control a bit in the sixth inning. Smith’s changeup was especially impressive, getting a 36% CSW on the new pitch for the rookie. Smith was a Rule 5 pick so he will likely be in the rotation for the long haul in Chicago since the White Sox cannot send him down without giving him back to the Brewers.

Jordan Walker went 2-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base in the loss to the Angels on Tuesday.

Walker has been crushing the ball so far this year, but a lot of his hard contact is still on the ground. If he can learn to lift the ball, he could be a monster, but we will take an approved approach and less strikeouts.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: None

Only four pitchers qualify and all have tough matchups. 

High Risk Options: Landen Roupp at HOU, Ben Lively 라이블리 at SD, Connor Gillispie vs NYM. 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: None

Only three pitchers qualify and I don’t trust any of them. 

High Risk Options: Taijuan Walker vs COL

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 my recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”