Roto Riteup: July 10, 2026

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July 10, 2026

Did not have Caleb Durbin, Power Monster, on my bingo card.

On the Agenda: 

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

Closer Chaos

Kirby Yates ain’t great. The 39-year-old “closer” for the Angels stepped into the ninth inning of a 6-6 game, gave up a single, a sacrifice bunt, and then the walk-off single to Wyatt Langford, who was just activated. Yates is 0-4 with two saves and two blown saves. The bullpen continues to be an issue for new manager Kurt Suzuki. Perhaps Yates is still the lead guy after this, but Sam Bachman and Ryan Zeferjahn will continue to mix in for save chances.

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Fantasy managers who added Tyler Wells over the weekend were happy to get the win, but likely not enthused about him pitching the eighth inning. Wells coughed up the lead (3-2), finished the inning, and Andrew Kittredge cleaned up for his second save of the season. RosterResource lists Yates, Kittredge, and Yennier Cano as co-closers, though it’s worth noting that Wells was tasked with battling the top of the Cubs’ order — Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, and Seiya Suzuki. Wells remains the lead man for save opportunities in Baltimore.

Quick Hits

The Texas Rangers optioned Josh Smith to Triple-A Round Rock to make room for the return of Wyatt Langford.

Let’s see if Munetaka Murakami was serious about a haircut before being activated today:

Willson Contreras had his suspension reduced to five games. He will take part in Monday’s Home Run Derby.

Cleveland Guardians’ catcher-eligible rookie Cooper Ingle was unsurprisingly optioned to Triple-A.

Zack Gelof was recently activated off the injured list. On Thursday, he left the game in the third inning with a right knee injury. We will hear more on Friday. Hopefully, he is just day-to-day.

MLB strikeout percentage leader (39%), Owen Caissie, will miss 2-to-4 weeks with a mild calf strain. The Marlins called up Rece Hinds.

Congrats to 26-year-old Venezuelan catcher Eduardo Valencia for hitting a home run in his first career Major League appearance. Valencia has been in the Tigers’ minor-league system since 2018 and was called up due to Dillon Dingler (thumb) being day-to-day.

Various News and Notes

Patrick Sandoval made his long-awaited return to the Majors on Thursday. Sandoval last pitched for the Angels in 2024. In his Red Sox debut, he allowed just one run and five hits with one walk and punched out five in 4.1 innings.

Atlanta Braves rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis hit his first career home run in the fourth inning on Thursday against Cam Sanders. Jarvis isn’t a power guy (8 HR in 761 PA in the minors since 2025), though he swiped 32 bags on 40 attempts in 76 Triple-A games this season. Mike Yastrzemski crushed a grand slam in that contest:

I recall laughing when I saw that someone drafted Ben Rice eighth overall in an NFBC league this winter. Who’s laughing now? He’s doing his best Aaron Judge impression and has stepped up in a big way. On Thursday, he smashed his 27th and 28th dingers of the season, along with five runs batted in. Here’s his second one:

Rice is second on the Fantasy Player Rater, behind only James Wood. If we exclude the “catcher bump”, he’s top six.

Casey Schmitt, Rafael Devers, and Bryce Eldridge all hit home runs in an 8-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Schmitt has been one of the best and most surprising early-season FAAB acquisitions. He’s well past his career-high in the four roto counting categories.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)

Pitchers for Today: Brandon Sproat, MIL (24%) at PIT

This one may seem a bit scary since the Pirates have been a top-three offense this season. The first 2.5 months of Sproat’s season were shaky, but he’s improved over his last three starts: a 21:5 K:BB with just 10 hits and three runs allowed over 15.1 innings. Just be sure to keep an eye on the weather report as there is a high chance of rain.

Other Options: Grayson Rodriguez, LAA (6%) at MIN

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling Grayson deals today. He’s had two starts rehab starts since going on the IL with a back injury. He pitched well in the latest one on July 4: 5.1 IP – 4 H – 1 ER – 0 BB – 5 K and threw 56 of 78 pitches for strikes. This is a low percentage, underdog, Hail Mary play.

Pitchers for Tomorrow: Reynaldo López, ATL (33%) at STL

López has been solid since returning to the Braves rotation in late June. He has a 12:3 K:BB with three runs allowed over three starts (13 innings). He may not go much past five innings, but should be able to get the job done on Saturday.

Other Options: Shane Drohan, MIL (29%) at PIT

The Pirates are a tough matchup, but Drohan has been money, rocking a 15.4% K-BB%, a 0.71 HR/9 and a 2.97 ERA over 63.2 innings.

 





 

Vlad writes for RotoGraphs and is the head of fantasy baseball content at FTN Fantasy. He is a Tout Wars Expert League champ, member of the CDM Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and has been nominated for FSWA writing awards six times. Vlad has been playing fantasy baseball since 1995, winning 42 NFBC leagues since 2012 and ranking in the top percentile in NFBC’s Online Championship contest (33% win rate, 52% cash rate; 64 leagues). Much to the chagrin of his colleagues and most baseball aficionados, Vlad is a lifelong Dodgers fan who claims his first gut call at age 9 was Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series home run. You can follow him on X and BlueSky @RotoGut.

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