Roto Riteup: August 31, 2022

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Last inning, Willson Contreras was in the dugout going over Christopher Morel's swing with him and helping him make adjustments. Watch Willson's reaction to Morel after he homered in the next at-bat. 😂❤️

(📸: @WatchMarquee) pic.twitter.com/bs4KYtv7WJ

— Cubs Zone ™️ (@CubsZone) August 31, 2022

On the Agenda: 

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

 

Quick Hits

Justin Verlander was placed on the IL with a calf injury. The injury isn’t extremely serious, but there is no timetable for his return. 

Dylan Moore was placed on the IL with an oblique injury. There is no timetable for his return, but these injuries are usually 4-6 week recovery. 

Cade Cavalli was placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation. There is no timetable for his return, but it seems likely that this could end his season. 

Shane McClanahan was scratched from his start on Tuesday.

Shane McClanahan was scratched from his start for the Rays tonight. And one can only hope this video from the bullpen before the game is not as bad as it looks. @TriciaWhitaker is reporting he's out with a left shoulder impingement. pic.twitter.com/Z5HMrHTHCk

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 30, 2022

McClanahan was warming up for his start and then stopped and was pointing to his throwing arm and visibly upset. This does not look good. The Rays are calling it a shoulder impingement, but he is expected to undergo further testing on Wednesday. Hold him until we get more information.

Joey Bart was placed on the concussion IL. There is no timetable for his return.

Willson Contreras left Tuesday’s game with ankle soreness. This sounds like nothing super serious. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Austin Slater left Tuesday’s game with a finger injury.

Austin Slater said he popped his pinky back into place as soon as he saw it sticking out sideways. Couldn't hit when he tried to swing the bat indoors. But doesn't think it's too bad. X-rays negative, MRI tomorrow.

— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) August 31, 2022

That doesn’t sound fun at all. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Jameson Taillon left Tuesday’s game with a wrist injury after being hit by a comebacker in the third inning.

Jameson Taillon gets drilled in the arm by a liner but the Yanks end the inning pic.twitter.com/VWR8o5lm6g

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 31, 2022

X-rays were negative so it appears he avoided serious injury.

 

Various News and Notes

According to multiple reports, Gunnar Henderson and DL Hall are joining the Orioles taxi squad on Wednesday and are expected to be the September call ups on the 1st. Henderson and Hall are both top tier prospects in baseball and for fantasy. Hall made his debut earlier this month and struggled in his only start and while he has fantastic stuff, he struggles with his command and control. Henderson has been a quick riser up prospect lists, hitting .294/.414/.530 with 19 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 498 plate appearances. He becomes the top pickup of the week most likely as he should play every day in Baltimore.

Bubba Thompson went 2-for-3 with a home run in the loss to the Astros.

Bubba Thompson – Texas Rangers (1)
pic.twitter.com/zJF9nk6W0U

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 31, 2022

This was Thompson’s first career home run. He has hit .273/.324/.333 with one homer and eight stolen bases. Unfortunately, the numbers he is putting up are pretty fraudulent. He is running a very high BABIP and has a .157 xBA. If he were a qualified hitter, he would have the third worst zone contact rate in the league and his 30.7% strikeout rate is supported by his swinging strike and chase rates. This is a pretty easy sell even with the power/speed upside.

Gavin Sheets went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in the loss to the Royals.

Gavin Sheets makes it a game 💣 pic.twitter.com/DRnL3bELNf

— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 31, 2022

Sheets has been a righty killer with all 12 of his homers coming off of righties. He has great contact skills and a decent amount of power, but his struggles versus lefties means he will rarely get a shot against them which limits his upside. He is best suited for deeper daily moves formats or DFS.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today:  Bailey Falter at ARI

Falter has pitched well as of late, but this is more about a nice matchup in a good park. 

High Risk Options: Tommy Henry vs PHI, Anibal Sanchez vs OAK. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Eduardo Rodriguez vs SEA

Not a great matchup, but easily the best option on a short slate. 

High Risk Options: Rich Hill vs TEX, Glenn Otto at BOS, Daniel Lynch at CHW, Ken Waldichuk at WAS. 

 

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.”