Roto Riteup: August 29, 2022

When you brother thinks he is helping but you still look silly:

On the Agenda: 

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

 

COVID Issues

Justin Steele will not travel with the team to Toronto due to his vaccination status according to manager David Ross. This sounds like he is the only Cub that this will affect which is good news. Steele will start on Friday at St. Louis when the Cubs return to the States. 

 

Quick Hits

Justin Verlander left Sunday’s start with calf discomfort. This seems more precautionary than anything else, but with the Astros having an 11.5 game lead in the AL West, it would not be surprising if he hit the IL just to be safe. 

Evan Longoria left Sunday’s game with hamstring tightness. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Javier Baez left Sunday’s game with back spasms. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Various News and Notes
According to manager Dave Roberts, the Dodgers will move to a six man rotation for a couple of weeks at least. While this isn’t super surprising given their almost 20 game lead in the NL West, it will have a big fantasy impact. The Dodgers only have two seven game weeks the rest of the way so that means the likelihood of one of their starters getting a two-start week is pretty small. Not to mention, it would not be super surprising to see them limit some starters in the games as well.

Roansy Contreras threw five scoreless innings versus the Phillies on Sunday, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Contreras was absolutely nasty, especially with his slider which had a 43% CSW. Contreras has toiled much of the season in the minors but he should be here to stay and while there is some risk because he can struggle at times with fastball command and control. There is legit top of the rotation upside, especially if we can see the curve and/or changeup become a more usable pitch as well as more consistent command and control, but at worst I think he is a decent mid rotation piece now and in the future.

Isaac Paredes went two for two with two home runs and three walks in the victory over the Red Sox.

Paredes has been hit and miss this season, hitting just .225/.306/.484 on the season, but with 18 home runs in 294 plate appearances. He will continue to have sporadic playing time on the platoon happy Rays, but there is power in the bat and he has gotten a bit unlucky on balls in play with just a .206 BABIP. He is best used in deeper daily moves formats or in DFS when you can optimize his usage.

According to multiple reports, Corbin Carroll will be called up to make his Major League debut on Monday for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Carroll is one of the top prospects in all of baseball with power, speed and a great hit tool. He should play every day and has the ability to be a game changer down the stretch.

Lars Nootbaar went 1-for-3 with a home run in the victory over the Braves on Sunday.

Nootbaar came up to the plate with the Braves starter Jake Odorizzi throwing a no-hitter through 5.2 innings and took a pitch high and outside the other way for an oppo taco. Nootbar has quietly been great in the second half, hitting .283 with eight home runs and two stolen bases while leading off in the majority of games played since the middle of August. He has pretty nice underlying contact and StatCast numbers in the second half too which make some of this pretty sustainable. He is widely available in ESPN and Yahoo leagues and probably should be rostered in all formats at this point.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today:  None

Short slate with few options.

High Risk Options: Dylan Bundy vs BOS, Brayan Bello at MIN, Jose Suarez vs NYY, J.T. Brubaker at MIL. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Erick Fedde vs OAK

This is a risky pick but there are not many good options. 

High Risk Options: Dakota Hudson at CIN, Mitch Keller at MIL, Adrian Houser vs PIT, Spenser Watkins at CLE

 

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 the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”





Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

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Babsatronmember
1 year ago

Is Nootbar’s success what led to Yepez being sent down? Along with Pujol’s resurgence? Seems like the Cardinals are solidifying their lineup for the stretch run, and Yepez is a fringe part of it. I held onto him in my bench for weeks in our NL Only Roto Keeper league but dropped him ($17) this weekend for Garrett Mitchell ($2).