Roto Riteup: August 9, 2013

Today’s Roto Riteup was written via hotel Wi-Fi. The present author wrestled against a great evil — throttled bandwidth — for many hours before finally coming away the victor.

On today’s agenda:
1. Rickie Weeks to the disabled list, Scooter Gennett recalled
2. It’s not too rough owning Darin Ruf
3. Michael Wacha to start Saturday
4. Is Alex Rios on the move?

Rickie Weeks to the disabled list, Scooter Gennett recalled
Unlike the last time Scooter Gennett came up and took Rickie Weeks‘ job, this time an injury, rather than ineffectiveness, is the cause. With Weeks now on the 15-day DL due to a left hamstring strain, Gennett figures to get the majority of the plate appearances from the keystone for the Brew Crew. Gennett isn’t a prime pick up in any format — unless one happens to play in an NL Central only league — and for now is best left to the waiver wire.

It’s not too rough owning Darin Ruf
Yesterday Darin Ruf powered his fifth home run in 105 plate appearances and now is up to a .303/.410/.551 line. Though his RBI count is uninspiring, it is hard to blame Ruf. Since his call up on July 6, he leads the Philadelphia Phillies with 12 extra-base hits. A .400 BABIP is inflating his numbers, however his 12.4% walk rate has translated nicely from his minor league numbers. A blend of power and patience is a valuable fantasy asset and Ruf should be owned in any OBP format. He is still available in 89% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues and 72% of CBS formats.

For those of you in need of a corner infielder now that Mark Reynolds has been designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians, Ruf is the ideal replacement. Where Reynolds had first and third base eligibility, Ruf can be plugged in at first base or left field and may even gain right field eligibility soon.

Michael Wacha to start Saturday
The St. Louis Cardinals are set to once again bring Michael Wacha into their rotation. Yesterday it was announced that Wacha will make Saturday’s start against the Chicago Cubs. After making three starts in the bigs back in late May and early June, Wacha was sent back to the minors and has since cruised through Triple-A. In six starts since returning to Triple-A, Wacha has posted 39 strikeouts against four walks and 10 runs allowed.

The Cubs have hit a collective .246/.304/.407 that translates to a 92 wRC+ against right-handed starters. For anyone looking a stream or spot candidate, Wacha is your boy. He is available in over 70% of CBS leagues and over 90% of ESPN and Yahoo! formats. There hasn’t been any official word on whether or not he’ll stick in the rotation for awhile, but he probably won’t be up for long. The Cardinals have placed Wacha on a six day rotation since early July in an attempt to keep his innings low and to carry an extra body on the 25-man rotation during a division title race doesn’t seem likely.

Is Alex Rios on the move?
Despite the fact that the non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone, clubs can still work trades via waiver acquisitions. Some sources have claimed that the Texas Rangers have placed a claim on Alex Rios. If true and a trade is agreed to, Rios would essentially be Nelson Cruz’s replacement. If Rios is moved, expect a nice boost in his counting stats, as the Rangers have scored 500 runs this year compared to 411 runs from the Chicago White Sox. The two ballparks influence run scoring in different ways, but no matter how one cuts it, the Rangers are clearly the better offensive team.

For now this is simply an unconfirmed report, though if true, could alter the course of fantasy leagues. Many people, the author included, traded for Rios in anticipation of a move that hasn’t happened yet. Be it a rope-a-dope* or the truth, John Daniels — general manager of the Rangers — apparently was not enthusiastic regarding his clubs chance at making any waiver acquisitions when asked about it on a local radio show.

*After scouring the web on shoddy internet, I gave up finding the clip. But if you think I didn’t try to find this scene from the classic movie Broken Arrow, well then you have woefully underestimated my appreciation for terrible movies. Hopefully the trailer makes up for the lacking the specific clip.