Roto Riteup: July 15, 2017

He’s back!

First AB back for @MikeTrout… close but we bet he's just warming up. @Angels pic.twitter.com/71UFCI2eDq

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 15, 2017

Mike Trout has returned after a 39-game absence, collecting a hit and stolen base (which included a headfirst slide into second) to continue what has been his best season yet… which is absolutely insane.

On the Agenda:

• Potential Trade Candidates Pitch Well
• Sanchez Bounces Back
• The Knuckler is Fluttering
• Harper and Puig Double Up
• Kevin Gascan Returns
• Other News

Potential Trade Candidates Pitch Well

Jose Quintana to the Cubs officially kicked off trade season and the next two weeks should be action packed. Three big trade candidates pitched on Friday and all did pretty well:

• Sonny Gray is the most available and did the best with six scoreless innings against Cleveland
• Gerrit Cole allowed two runs in the first inning, but shut St. Louis down for five more after that
• Justin Verlander wasn’t elite, but really only had one bad inning against Toronto

All three are signed through 2020, though Gray and Cole are substantially cheaper and younger meaning they will cost a lot more, likely something on the level of Quintana. I’d put Gray at a 65% chance of being traded, Cole around 20%, and Verlander at 10-15% because he’s so expensive and hasn’t been anywhere near his elite level of 2016.

Sanchez Bounces Back

Aaron Sanchez’s return from the DL came against the Astros which is good way to make you wish you were still on the DL. They obliterated him for eight runs (five earned) in just an inning and two-thirds. He looked more like the Sanchez we saw last year on Friday night with six strong in Detroit. He allowed an unearned run on seven hits and two walks, striking out four.

The Knuckler is Fluttering

Have you noticed what R.A. Dickey is up to lately? He kept Arizona off balance all night on Friday with a 6 IP/1 ER gem, his fifth straight allowing no more than a run. In fact, even with a demolition at the hands of the Nationals (5 IP/8 ER), he still has a 2.60 ERA over his last seven outings with 41 strikeouts and just eight walks in the 45 innings of work. I only boosted him to a “Could Start” in my latest SP rankings, but he should be a “Spot Start”, slotting somewhere in the 95-100 range.

Harper and Puig Double Up

Bryce Harper and Yasiel Puig opened the second “half” in style with a pair of homers each. The Nats coasted to a 5-0 win in Cincinnati while both of Puig’s gave the Dodgers the lead in a 6-4 win at Miami. Puig’s three-run show in the ninth inning certainly didn’t help A.J. Ramos’ trade value as it was his third straight outing allowing at least one run. Harper has obviously been a superstar all year while Puig has quietly had a strong fantasy season with 18 HR and 9 SB – the 2nd-most homers for anyone with at least nine steals (Paul Goldschmidt has 21 HR/13 SB).

Kevin Gascan Returns

Every time it looks like Kevin Gausman is turning the corner, he pulls the rug out from under his fantasy owners and bludgeons their ERA to death. The Cubs destroyed him for eight runs in just three innings of work, clubbing four homers among their seven hits. But hey, at least he struck out five and only walked one, right?

Other News

• Aaron Altherr came up gingerly after a double on Friday and left the game with a leg injury; he’s been fantastic this year (132 wRC+)
• Stephen Piscotty suffered a groin injury after an outfield throw; he’s been a major disappointment this year (91 wRC+)
• Byron Buxton was taken out of Friday’s game groin soreness; getting zeroes from would probably help your fantasy team more (62 wRC+)
• Starlin Castro returns from a hamstring injury on Saturday; even with the miss time he’s been a top 10 2B (121 wRC+)
• Aroldis Chapman blew a save with a walkoff walk, adding to the Yankees bullpen issues with walks (11% BB)
• Seung Hwan Oh had gotten on track in July a bit, but he was walked off by a Josh Bell three-run homer on Friday; I’m still holding Trevor Rosenthal shares