Roto Riteup: April 23, 2025

Just out here living his best life:

On the Agenda: 

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

 

Closer Chaos

Cade Smith threw a perfect inning versus the Yankees to register his second save of the season. 

The Guardians gave Emmanuel Clase the night off again which is somewhat concerning considering Smith pitched in three of the previous four days and was available. Clase has not been dominant and it does look like Smith would be the next man up in Cleveland if a change was made.

 

Quick Hits
Lane Thomas was placed on the IL with a bone bruise. There is no timetable for his return, but considering the Guardians waited three days before putting him on the IL, it is likely not as serious.

Cristopher Sanchez was removed from his start on Tuesday due to forearm soreness. This is not good as it is often a precursor to serious elbow problems.

Consider him day-to-day for now, but be ready to be disappointed.

Corey Seager left Tuesday’s game with a hamstring injury.

He will likely undergo further testing on Wednesday, so consider him day-to-day for now.

 

Various News and Notes
Noelvi Marte went 1-for-3 with a home run in the loss to the Marlins on Tuesday.

Marte has been great since his call up, hitting .346/.393/.692 with two home runs and two stolen bases in 28 plate appearances. He is making a lot of contact, but he is also running hot and still swinging outside the zone way too much. This will likely fall apart if he continues to chase, but rising the hot streak is worth doing while he is hot.

Agustín Ramírez went 3-for-3 with a walk and two doubles in the victory over the Reds on Tuesday.

Ramírez has started his Major League career hot with five hits and two walks in eight plate appearances. The offensive ability is not in question, but he has struggled defensively in the minors. On a team like the Marlins, he could get DH opportunities and play regularly, making him a very intriguing pickup in most formats.

Luke Keaschall went 1-for-2 with two walks and two stolen bases in the victory over the White Sox on Tuesday. Keaschall has been great since his debut hitting .357/.471/500 with three stolen bases in his 17 plate appearances. He isn’t a great defender, but he has hit at every level. He doesn’t have a carrying tool for fantasy so he will need to play regularly, but in Minnesota where everyone gets hurt all the time, he could find himself with plenty of opportunity.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: David Festa vs CHW

Festa may not go deep enough to get a win or QS so if you are streaming for that, look elsewhere, but K’s and ratios should be nice here versus a terrible White Sox team. 

High Risk Options: Andrew Heaney at LAA, Tomoyuki Sugano at WAS, JP Sears at TEX, Luis Ortiz vs NYY, Michael Lorenzen vs COL, Jack Kochanowicz vs PIT. 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Tyler Anderson vs PIT

High Risk Options: Anderson has pitched well as of late and gets a Pirates team that is struggling against left handed pitching this season. 

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.”