Roto Riteup: August 5, 2026

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August 5, 2026

Pretty cool moment for both guys and their families.

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 against the Angels on Tuesday, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out two to register the save. 

Cano signed a two-year extension with the Orioles recently and appears to be the favorite for saves right now after they traded away Tyler Wells. He should be picked up in all save formats.

 

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Quick Hits

Nick Kurtz was placed on the 10-Day IL with a strained thumb. This is the same injury that he dealt with last month and clearly he came back too soon. The move is retroactive to August 1 and the A’s recalled Max Muncy to take his spot on the roster. 

Jeffrey Springs was placed on the 15-Day IL with a hip injury. There is no timetable for his return. J.T. Ginn was activated from the IL to take his spot on the roster. 

James Wood was placed on the 10-Day IL with an oblique strain. Typically these injuries take 4-to-6 weeks to recover from which would put his return date in early to mid September. Andrew Pinckney was recalled to take his spot on the roster. 

Trey Yesavage left Tuesday’s start with knee discomfort. 

Yesavage told trainers that he had a weird “pinching sensation” in his knee while warming up in-between innings and felt unstable. He is expected to undergo an MRI but this sounds like something that will likely end him up on the IL.

 

Various News and Notes
Grayson Rodriguez threw seven innings against the Orioles on Tuesday, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out six in the loss.

Rodriguez was very good in a matchup against his old team, throwing his changeup for a 38% whiff rate and mixing his other pitches well. His velocity was also up a little here which is a good sign that he is finally healthy. Things haven’t been great this season for the former top pitching prospect, but he is just 26-years-old and the talent is still showing through at times.

Osleivis Basabe went 1-for-5 with a home run in the loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.

Basabe is hitting .294/.316/.882 with three home runs and eight RBI in his 19 plate appearances since being called up, but he is known more for his hit tool and speed than power. He is going to be in line for plenty of plate appearances down the stretch with Matt Chapman and Casey Schmidt likely being out for the remainder of the season. He is mostly a deep league option, but someone to stream in when he is hot like he is now.

Hector Rodriguez went 0-for-2 with a run scored in his Major League debut on Tuesday against the A’s.

Rodriguez is one of the Reds’ top prospects and he tore up AAA this season, hitting .274/.347/.533 with 27 home runs and six stolen bases in 455 plate appearances. He figures to be on the strong side of a platoon in Cincy which will have deep league appeal.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Dean Kremer at KC

I am not a Kremer fan, but this is a good matchup in a good park. 

Other Options: Noah Cameron vs MIN, Andrew Painter vs WAS, Kyle Leahy at NYY, Mitch Bratt vs SD. 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Brandon Young vs LAA

Young has pitched well this season and has a nice matchup at home. 

Other Options: Bailey Ober at KC, Ryan Johnson at BAL

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.

1 Comment
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SculpinMember since 2025
7 hours ago

A “weird pinching” in the knee is generally a torn meniscus, which gets trapped between the bones. (I’m an expert on what a torn meniscus feels like!)

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