Roto Riteup: April 28, 2015

Today’s Roto Riteup was made with a secret formula, one even more secret than the Krabby Patty formula.

On today’s agenda:
1. Adam Wainwright and Brandon McCarthy’s season ending injuries
2. Take another look at Nori Aoki
3. Francisco Lindor Watch
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Adam Wainwright and Brandon McCarthy’s season ending injuries.
As speculated by Zach Sanders in recent Roto Riteups, both Waino and McCarthy are set to miss the remainder of the season. Waino went down to a torn Achilles and an MRI revealed a torn UCL in McCarthy, almost assuredly requiring Tommy John surgery. Best wishes to both of them as they begin the long road to recovery, and here is to hoping they make a strong comeback in 2016.

For those scrambling for their replacements in the here and now, A.J. Burnett is able to provide strikeouts and can be found in over 50% of both ESPN and Yahoo! formats, though just 27% of CBS leagues. If you’re in the hunt for ratios rather than raw strikeouts, Dan Haren could be worth a shot as he owns a 15th best K/BB and the 12th best BB/9 in baseball since 2013. Haren is available in 57% of CBS leagues and over 80% of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues. For fellow super-deep leaguers, Alex Colome and A.J. Cole are both free to pickup in over 93% of the three major fantasy sites. Colome is set to join the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend and Cole will make his major league debut today against the Atlanta Braves.

Take another look at Nori Aoki
Aoki is currently sporting a .313/.396/.388 line, however some of that is inflated by his .362 BABIP. To be fair, he is drawing walks at an 11% rate in the early going, 3% better than his career average. Six steals in the first month of action is also a good start for an outfielder who has seen his stolen base totals fall for three consecutive seasons. While he may be at risk in losing playing time when Hunter Pence returns, it seems as though Pence is still a week away from batting practice, let alone a rehab stint. Until Aoki does lose playing time, make use of his prime spot as a leadoff hitter and let his legs go to work for you. Count on an average more like .275 going forward, but if his double digit walk rate holds, he still has value in on-base percentage leagues. Somehow Aoki can be plugged into your lineup in 25% of ESPN leagues plus over 50% of CBS formats and 70% of Yahoo! leagues.

Francisco Lindor Watch
After a bumpy first two weeks of Triple-A action this season, Lindor is now hitting a robust .302/.380/.429 line with one home run and six steals. Add in eight walks against 10 strikeouts and Lindor’s plate discipline is shining once again. As the Cleveland Indians find themselves in the cellar of the competitive American League Central, the tribe may be inclined to give Lindor a shot in order to help right the ship. Current shortstop Jose Ramirez has put together a .185/.237/.259 line with two extra-base hits on the season. It may be some time before the Indians call him up, but make sure to keep an eye on Lindor’s Triple-A numbers and add him to your watch lists.

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Streaming Pitching Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: A.J. Cole at ATL (Julio Teheran)
As previously mentioned, Cole is making his major league debut today. The Braves have scuffled against right-handers in the early season, compiling a team 92 wRC+, rating 19th in baseball. I really like Rafael Montero against the Miami Marlins, but Sanders stole my thunder on that pick yesterday.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Kyle Hendricks vs PIT (Gerrit Cole)
Though the prospect for a win may be tough as the Cubs go up against Cole, I really like Hendricks’ ground ball rate and control. The Pirates rate as the 22nd best team against right-handers via wRC+ and own the ninth highest strikeout rate against them.