Roto Riteup: April 29, 2016

Mood:

On the agenda:
1. Dee Gordon suspended 80 games
2. Like a sprained ankle, boy
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Dee Gordon suspended 80 games
Well, this is a big one. Dee Gordon, a top-20 pick on draft day and the best source of steals in baseball, has been suspended for 80 games effective immediately after testing positive for PEDs. Needless to say, this is more actionable than the Chris Colabello news, though it’s no less disappointing for its potential to kill a fun story. Gordon, after all, was on the fringes of the league as recently as 2013 before stealing 64 bases in 2014, then becoming the NL batting champ in 2015, all while improving his defense. He was off to a chilly start – six steals and a .266 average – but this is a huge hit to many, many fantasy players who banked on Gordon to carry a category for them.

Whether or not you can hang on to Gordon depends entirely on your league format, and if you can, you should, considering he was a second-round pick. In the meantime, Derek Dietrich, who has a decent amount of pop for a middle infielder, is probably the everyday second baseman, with Miguel Rojas seeing a bit more time. There’s no immediately obvious prospect in the pipeline.

This PED shit is killing me. If u test positive u need to not play. You shouldn’t be allowed to effect games while appealing.

— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) April 29, 2016

Like a sprained ankle, boy
Kris Bryant underwent an MRI, revealing a “mild” ankle sprain, which is probably a best-case scenario given how it looked when he rolled it. The Cubs’ training staff will reevaluate him, but it’s safe to call Bryant day-to-day (unless “mild” winds up being changed to “high”). Watch the lineups closely this weekend with the hope that he heals quickly enough to not cause a difficult decision for weekly lineups next week. The 24-year-old has four home runs, 17 runs, and 15 RBI with a .289 batting average through 21 games, pretty solid production, if not quite up to the lofty expectations set for him just yet.

Various News and Notes
Bryant’s teammate, Jake Arrieta, was obviously upset, allowing a run at Wrigley for the first time since the mounds were lowered (or 52.2 innings). He also lost is quality start streak, allowing one run over five innings with six strikeouts. Scrub. Not scrubs: Jose Fernandez struck out eight in six innings, allowing two runs, Rubby de la Rosa fanned 10 in seven shutout innings, and Aaron Nola and Tanner Roark had a pretty epic battle, with both going seven scoreless.

Eduardo Rodriguez made his first rehab start, throwing 3.2 innings at Triple-A. He threw 75 pitches, which is pretty encouraging in terms of how far away he is. Henry Owens’ grasp on a rotation spot is week-to-week.

The White Sox put David Robertson on the bereavement list, opening up a chance for Nate Jones to nab a save or two.

Alex Rios has apparently received multiple overtures about a potential return, but it would take a nice situation and a deep league for him to factor in. He hit .255 with four home runs and nine stolen bases last year.

The Braves are reportedly tanking, looking to improve their own picks and acquire others for taking on salary. Well, yeah…they kind of have to leak that information, because if it’s not true and they’re really just this bad – a 59 team wRC+ – everyone would be out of a job. But hey, they won yesterday, and Mallex Smith had three hits and two RBI at the bottom of the order. He’s still stuck on two stolen bases, but at least he was on base.

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

A pitcher for today: Adam Conley @ MIL (Zachary Davies)
Striking out nearly 10 per-nine so far, Adam Conley’s 5.12 ERA has kept his ownership tag at 17 percent. His early home-run problem is one that’s never been an issue in the minors, and while Miller Park’s not exactly friendly, the Brewers and their 80 wRC+ and 26.1-percent strikeout rate are.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Kevin Gausman vs. CWS (Mat Latos)
Kevin Gausman remains just 36-percent owned and draws a middling White Sox offense (90 wRC+) at home. Chicago doesn’t strike out a ton, but they also don’t possess a great deal of power, and Gausman looked good his first time out. And yes, it took every ounce of will power not to go with Trevor Bauer.