Roto Riteup: April 9, 2018

The Roto Riteup is flying into the work week like:

The Eagle has landed. pic.twitter.com/fJVJxEGcJU

— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) April 5, 2018

On the Agenda:

1. On The Mend

2. No Longer Just for Farmers Only

3. Tossed Out Like Bad Egg Salad

4. Various News and Notes

5. Streaming Pitchers

 

On The Mend

According to manager Scott Servais, Nelson Cruz and Mike Zunino are both expected back this week for the Mariners. This is good news for fantasy owners who are anxiously awaiting their returns, but in weekly leagues, it can be a dicey proposition to throw them back into your lineups considering that they may not be back until the weekend series at the earliest.

Aaron Hicks appears to be on track to rejoin the Yankees this week. He is eligible to return on April 10th. The Yankees will likely reinsert him back into their regular lineup which has been hampered by injuries to Brandon Drury, Greg Bird, and Jacoby Ellsbury as of late.

According to manager Bruce Bochy, Giants starter Jeff Samardzija is on track to return to the mound on April 19th after being shut down with pectoral inflammation. He will throw in an extended spring training game on Monday and is expected to throw about 50 pitches. He is worth an add in any format he was dropped in.

 

No Longer Just for Farmers Only

Franklin Barreto was recalled by the Oakland Athletics. He will replace Chad Pinder who was placed on the 10-Day DL. Barreto is arguably the A’s top prospect for fantasy, but struggled in his cup of coffee last year with the big league club. He has nothing left to prove in AAA after going .290/.339/.456 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 111 games last season. His ability to play different defensive positions should get him enough at bats to be interesting in 15-team mixed leagues.

Eugenio Suarez will be placed on the 10-day DL with a thumb fracture. There is no current timetable for his return. It appears that Alex Blandino will be the replacement in the meantime as he was pulled from his AAA game after the injury and top prospect Nick Senzel has mostly been playing second base. That could change if this is a longer injury for Suarez as the date of clubs gaining an extra year of service time is April 14th and we could see senzel up after that. Senzel is worth a stash in most format just on the upside.

 

Tossed Out Like Bad Egg Salad

Totally not fantasy related, but there were some fun ejections over the weekend…

First Anthony Rendon was tossed for the world’s worst bat flip:

Anthony Rendon gets tossed for the first time in his career & he didn’t even say a word #OnePursuit #UmpShowpic.twitter.com/u5BIch8ulx

— Around The Bases POD (@AroundBasesPOD) April 7, 2018

Then Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was tossed for accusing Yadier Molina of having ducklings:

Bah, FSA has the audio on Lovullo, but wouldn’t air it pic.twitter.com/dPBz5h96Uk

— VanHickslestein (@VanHicklestein) April 8, 2018

Man, I missed baseball…

 

Various News and Notes

Scott Schebler missed another game for the Reds on Sunday. He has not played since April 1st and may be looking at a DL stint since the Reds could make it retroactive. They currently have an outfield rotation in Cincinnati, so it wouldn’t be hard for the club to make a move to free up another roster spot. Keep him out of your weekly lineups just in case.

Ryon Healy will undergo an MRI after hurting his ankle in a weight room accident. This is why I don’t work out anymore. People think that the gym is a place to get healthy, but you rarely hear about these incidents that lead to injuries except in the occasional hilarious YouTube video. Better to stay safe on your couch at home, but that is just my professional opinion. According to reports, Healy was in a ton of pain and using a walking boot and crutches after the injury. This could open up more time for Daniel Vogelbach even with the impending return of Nelson Cruz.

George Springer was removed from Sunday’s game due to leg soreness. Manager AJ Hinch did not think that the issue was anything serious and he expected him to be in the lineup on Monday. This may have just been some dehydration. He obviously wasn’t wear this as his undershirt:

pic.twitter.com/z6tH7QTGkC

— Justin Mason (@JustinMasonFWFB) November 22, 2017

Brad Miller was placed on the DL with a groin injury. The extent of the injury is currently unknown, but Joey Wendle is likely get the majority of playing time his absence.

 

Streaming Pitchers Options

A pitcher for today: None

Thought about Marco Gonzalez here and he might be worth a look if he can grab two starts this week, but there aren’t enough strikeouts yet for the limited upside.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Matthew Boyd at CLE

There is a real chance I back off of this one due to the matchup, but Boyd looked good in his first start of the year and I am intrigued.