Roto Riteup: August 31, 2026

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August 31, 2026

Oops…

On the Agenda: 

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

 

Closer Chaos

Yennier Cano threw a scoreless ninth inning to register the save versus the A’s on Sunday. 

It appears to be a committee in Baltimore for now, but Cano may end up being the lead option the rest of the way.

 

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Quick Hits
JJ Wetherholt was placed on the 10-Day IL with a wrist injury. There is no timetable for his return. Cesar Prieto was recalled to take his spot on the roster.

Byron Buxton was placed on the 10-Day IL with a hip impingement. There is no timetable for his return. Gabriel Gonzalez was recalled to take his spot on the roster.

Gavin Sheets was placed on the 10-Day IL with a foot sprain. There is no timetable for his return. Samad Taylor was activated off the IL to take his spot on the roster.

Luis Rengifo was placed on the 10-Day IL with a knee sprain. There is no timetable for his return. Sung-Mun Song 송성문 was recalled to take his spot on the roster.

Emerson Hancock was placed on the 15-Day IL with an adductor strain. This could end his season, but he will miss at least two of the remaining four weeks.

Xavier Edwards left Sunday’s game with a jammed thumb.

He is expected to undergo further testing on Monday. Consider him day-to-day for now.

George Klassen was placed on the IL with back inflammation. There is no timetable for return. Blake Weiman was recalled to take his spot on the roster.

Willson Contreras left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. The move was reportedly precautionary. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Pete Alonso left Sunday’s game after being hit in the head with a pitch.

He reportedly is ok and expects to be in the lineup on Monday.

 

Various News and Notes
Zebby Matthews threw 8.1 innings versus the White Sox, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out five in the victory on Sunday.

Matthews wasn’t overpowering in the outing, but did get a 31% CSW on the fastball and mixed his secondary stuff well to keep hitters off balanced. Matthews has been great over his last three starts, allowing just three earned runs over 21 innings with 16 strikeouts. He faces the same White Sox team in his next start.

Lazaro Montes is expected to be called up on September 1. Montes is a top 100 prospect that has a ton of power, but can struggle with contact. He should get a fair amount of plate appearances on the strong side of a platoon and there is nice power upside.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Aaron Nola at ARI

Nola has pitched well as of late and has a nice matchup in a good park. 

Other Options: Gage Jump at TEX, Peter Lambert vs CHW, Jackson Jobe at MIN, Clay Holmes vs MIL, Brandon Pfaadt vs PHI. 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: J.T. Ginn at TEX

Ginn has pitched well this season and is facing a Rangers team that can struggle versus righties. 

Other Options: Spencer Arrighetti at CLE, Walbert Urena, Eric Lauer 라우어. 

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.”





 

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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