Roto Riteup: April 21, 2026

Riley – 1, Wall – 0

On the Agenda: 

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

Closer Chaos

Edwin Díaz was placed on the IL with an elbow injury. He is expected to undergo surgery to clean up “loose bodies” in his elbow and will miss approximately three months. Tanner Scott would seem to be the lead closer candidate, but manager Dave Roberts stated that the Dodgers will not name a closer and will play matchups. 

Quick Hits

Sonny Gray left Monday’s start with a hamstring strain. 

Initially they said this was just hamstring tightness, but he is now expected to go on the IL. No word yet on who will take his spot in the rotation.

Mick Abel was placed on the 15-Day IL with elbow inflammation. This is disappointing news as Abel had been pitching very well as of late. There is no timetable for his return and reports are that the Twins do not believe the issue to be serious, but these injuries often are a precursor to Tommy John surgery.

Brendan Donovan was placed on the 10 Day IL with a groin injury. There is no timetable for his return, but the injury is not expected to be serious. Will Wilson was recalled to take Donovan’s spot on the roster.

Jonathan India was placed on the IL with a shoulder injury. There is no timetable for his return. Nick Loftin was recalled to take his spot on the roster.

Taylor Trammel left Monday’s game with a groin injury.

There is no update on his condition so consider him day-to-day at this time.

Ronald Acuna Jr. left Monday’s game after being hit twice with pitches during different at bats.


X-rays were negative so consider him day-to-day for now.

Tyler Freeman left Monday’s game with an illness. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Various News and Notes

Isaac Paredes went 3-for-5 with two home runs in the victory over the Guardians on Monday. 

Paredes had been struggling heading into Monday, hitting .190/.311/.254 so it’s nice to see him find his swing a bit here. Coming into the season, he was looking like the odd man out in Houston, but the overwhelming amount of injuries they have suffered has kept him in the lineup. There is a good amount of pop and his pull happy swing is perfect for the home park, so he is someone to track to see if this is the start of a hot streak.

Max Meyer threw 5.1 innings on Monday, allowing two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight in the no-decision versus the Cardinals.

Meyer pitched very well in this one, getting a 41% CSW on his sweeper which was his most used pitch. Meyer doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he does have a full arsenal of pitches that he can use to keep hitters off-balanced. The command has been great this season and if he can keep that in check, there is some decent mid-rotation upside in a great home park in Miami.

Dalton Rushing went 2-for-5 with two home runs in the victory over the Rockies on Monday.

Rushing has been insane this season, hitting .444/.464/1.296 with seven home runs in just 28 plate appearances. The problem for Rushing is there is just no place for him to play with Will Smith being the primary catcher and Shohei Ohtani locked in at DH. He might be a prime trade candidate for the Dodgers at the deadline if they want to go and get a star, but until he gets a change of scenery, there just aren’t enough plate appearances for him to be viable outside of deep leagues.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Steven Matz vs CIN

Matz has pitched well this season and gets a Reds team that hasn’t been great so far versus lefties. 

Other Options: Carmen Mlodzinski at TEX, Keider Montero vs MIL, Sean Burke at ARI.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Nick Martinez vs CIN

Not a ton of great options under 50% but the Reds have been worse versus righties than lefties so I will roll with Martinez who has pitched decently thus far and is at home. 

Other Options: Peter Lambert at CLE, Jack Leiter vs PIT, Janson Junk vs STL, Eduardo Rodriguez vs CHW. 

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 “Other Options.”