Roto Riteup: August 19 2025

Catch of the year?

On the Agenda: 

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

 

Quick Hits

Nathaniel Lowe signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox on Monday. The Red Sox have been looking for a regular first baseman since Triston Casas got hurt earlier in the season. Lowe was hitting just .216/.292/.373 with the Nationals, but he did have 16 home runs and a stolen base in his 119 games. He should play regularly versus right-handed pitching. 

Zack Wheeler had surgery to remove a blood clot near his shoulder on Monday. This was scary news, but the surgery was successful. He is likely to miss the rest of the season and is droppable in all redraft formats. 

Brendan Donovan was placed on the IL with a groin strain. There is no timetable for his return. 

Jake Burger was placed on the IL with a wrist sprain. There is no timetable for his return. The Rangers recalled Alejandro Osuna to take his spot on the roster. 

Jordan Westburg left Monday’s game with an ankle injury.

It does not appear to be serious. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. left Monday’s game with a hamstring issue.

He is expected to get an MRI on Tuesday. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Dominic Canzone left Monday’s game with a forearm contusion after being hit by a pitch.

Canzone was initially able to stay in the game before exiting later. X-rays were negative so consider him day-to-day for now.

 

Various News and Notes
Jurickson Profar went 3-for-6 with two home runs in the loss to the White Sox on Monday.

Profar struggled when he returned from suspension but has heated up in the month of August with six home runs and three stolen bases in 81 plate appearances. He should be picked up in all formats.

Colt Keith went 3-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base in the victory over the Astros on Monday.

Keith has been up and down this season, but the underlying numbers have been good all year. He makes a lot of contact and hits the ball hard. He has not lifted the ball enough which has led to a HR/FB rate that is lower than we would expect from a guy with as much power as he possesses.

Michael Harris went 4-for-4 with a home run in the loss to the White Sox on Monday.

Harris struggled mightily in the first half, hitting just .210/.234/.317 with six home runs and 12 stolen bases. However, in the second half he has been on fire, hitting .378/.393/.697 with eight home runs and two stolen bases prior to Monday’s game. Harris is a good in-zone hitter but struggles with swinging outside of the zone too much which leads to prolonged cold steaks like we saw in the first half. He is on fire now, so if he is still available in your league, he should be picked up.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Shane Smith at ATL

Smith has pitched better as of late and has a nice matchup. 

Other Options: Eduardo Rodriguez vs CLE, Walker Buehler vs BAL, Michael McGreevy at MIA, Chad Patrick at CHC. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Cameron Schlitter at TB

Not the best matchup here but Schlitter has been great over his last three starts. 

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 “Other Options.”