Roto Riteup: July 10, 2020

Who wore it better?

Sean Manaea's Mike Fiers mask is hilarious 😂 pic.twitter.com/Ui4cTbOBK8

— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) July 9, 2020

On the Agenda:

1. COVID IL and Opt Outs
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Beat Justin Mason

 

COVID IL and Opt Outs
Daniel Norris has tested positive for COVID-19. He apparently is experiencing symptoms as well. This will likely set him back for being ready for the season.

Starling Marte has yet to report to the Diamondbacks as of yet. This may be because he has tested positive or because he was exposed to someone who is positive. It also could have nothing to do with coronavirus. The Diamondbacks have refused to state why he hasn’t arrived, but it sounds like they expect him to.

 

Quick Hits
The Orioles added both Ryan Mountcastle and Mason Williams to their 60-man player pool. Mountcastle is an interesting prospect with pop. He could find his way into the starting lineup fairly easily on a bad Baltimore infield.

Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto stated that Mitch Haniger has not resumed any activities. It seems unlikely that Haniger plays at all this season.

Yu Darvish had a fingernail issue during his start in yesterday’s intrasquad game. Darvish was able to continue pitching so it appears he may have avoided any real injury.

 

Various News and Notes
Charlie Morton stated on Wednesday that he expects to go four to five innings in his first start of the season. This isn’t surprising news as many starters will likely not go deep into games their first or second time through the order. Astute fantasy owners may want to add a few middle relievers to try and sneak some cheap wins on opening weekend.

According to manager David Bell, Tyler Mahle is likely to be a piggyback pitcher this season. The Reds team is completely stacked and Mahle is the odd man out of the rotation. He becomes a sneaky wins guy on a team that will likely win a lot of games.

Miguel Andujar has been working out at first base and in the outfield. Andujar struggled on Thursday, committing an error in the outfield. He can definitely hit, but finding a defensive spot that won’t hurt the team is going to be a challenge. With Giancarlo Stanton’s calf clogging up the DH spot, it may be difficult for Andujar to find regular playing time.

Corey Kluber threw six innings in an intersquad game on Thursday. Kluber reportedly was great, striking out nine and did not issue a walk. He threw 80 pitches in the outing and he actually forced extra outs in multiple innings to get his pitch count up as he mowed down the Rangers hitters. This is great news for Kluber believers as it sounds like not only is he healthy, but maybe he won’t suffer a slow start like he tends to do in the colder beginning of a normal season.

According to manager Dusty Baker, Josh Reddick is likely to be the right fielder for the Astros. For those that forgot, Baker has a long track record of hating prospects, so this is not extremely surprising. He also hate losing, so I would expect that Kyle Tucker will get his due at some point.

Beat Justin Mason

Think you are better than me? Take me on in the NFBC Online Championship on 7/22 at 6pm EST