Roto Riteup: April 24, 2026

Jazz, finally!

Expect Fernando Tatis Jr.’s first dinger of the season in Mexico City this weekend.

On the Agenda: 

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

Closer Chaos

Abner Uribe entered the bottom of the ninth in a tie game and served up the walkoff bomb to Spencer Torkelson.

Could it be Trevor Megill time in Milwaukee again, soon?

Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald entered Thursday’s tie game in the ninth and got hammered. He walked two batters and gave up a 3-run homer to Andrew Benintendi. Sewald has been lights-out in save opportunities. The lights are off when it’s not one:

Paul Sewald in tie games (3 G):
1.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3 HR.

Paul Sewald in all other games (9 G):
8.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 0 HR.

— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) April 23, 2026

White Sox closer Seranthony Domínguez stepped into the bottom of the ninth and protected their 4-1 lead with his fifth save.

Tanner Scott locked down his first save of the season in a 3-0 win over the rival Giants. Scott and fellow lefty Alex Vesia have manager Dave Roberts’ trust and will be the two relievers called upon for save chances. Vesia has yet to allow a run this season. He is an excellent relief pitcher but has running a bit hot (.111 BABIP, 100% LOB).

Quick Hits

Francisco Lindor‘s calf MRI did not supply Mets fans with the good news they were looking for. Lindor’s strain is considered worse than Juan Soto’s and it’s possible that Lindor will be out until after Memorial Day. I wonder if Juan will call and check in on Frankie from time to time.

Orioles righty Dean Kremer appeared to be on the precipice of a breakout season, rocking a 16:2 K:BB through his first two starts (11 innings). Unfortunately for those who acquired him over the weekend, Kremer was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right quadriceps strain. Lefty Brandon Young will be called up to start Friday’s contest.

The Marlins called up speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who stole 67 bags in 497 plate appearances for the Athletics in 2023. Veteran short-side platoon outfielder Austin Slater was designated for assignment.

Various News and Notes

Gerrit Cole is getting closer and closer. He looked good in his rehab start, throwing 42-of-52 strikes with four punchouts and two runs allowed in 4.1 innings. Cole will continue to build up his pitch count throughout his minor league assignment, which could last another two to three weeks.

Pirates righty Bubba Chandler continues to struggle. Rangers outfielder Evan Carter had a two-run, inside-the-park home run and Corey Seager hit a three-run home run, bringing Chandler’s ERA up to 4.88.

Meanwhile, Oneil Cruz continues to prove the draft season haters (including me) wrong. Cruz hit his eighth homer of the season in the fifth off Jacob deGrom. Cruz should re-take the top spot on the FanGraphs Player Rater after Thursday’s stats are are processed overnight. Konnor Griffin’s average dipped to .182 after another 0-4 afternoon.

It’s never too late for a breakout! Jayson Werth, er, Brandon Marsh crushed two home runs on Thursday:

Marsh brought his average up to .300 and his slugging percentage to .500. Manager Rob Thomson has so far kept his promise of letting Marsh face more left-handed pitching — he’s been in the starting lineup in six of the last nine lefties the Phillies have faced. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been that effective against them: 3-17 with 7 Ks and no RBIs. Rookie Felix Reyes could eat into some of Marsh’s playing time.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Max Scherzer vs. CLE

The Blue Jays are rare home underdogs as the Guardians come to town with a scorching Gavin Williams toeing the rubber on Sunday. We can’t confidently stream Scherzer like in years’ past, but on a slate with few sub-50% rostered options, a home tilt where the game’s projected run total is just 8.0 is certainly worth a shot.

Other Options: None, but be sure to stream hitters in the Miles Mikolas/Erick Fedde 페디 barnburner.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Kodai Senga vs. COL

It’s been a disastrous season for Senga so far (8.83 ERA), but it isn’t all on him. Senga has a 3.95 xERA, 4.04 SIERA, .413 BABIP and a 54.7% strand rate. His fastball velocity (96.3 mph) is up from last season (94.7) and he has 22 punchouts in 17.1 innings. A date with the Rockies in his home turf might be just what Senga needs.

Other Options: Walbert Urena at KC, Bryce Elder vs. PHI