Roto Riteup: July 17, 2016

Today’s Roto Riteup doesn’t care much for golf, but still finds the final day of the British Open to be interesting at the very least.

On the agenda:
1. Various News and Notes
2. Streaming Pitcher Options

Various News and Notes
Yu Darvish made his 2016 MLB debut yesterday, and it didn’t go so well. Darvish struck out nine of the 20 batters he faced, but he walked four and couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning against the Cubs. The good news is that Darvish’s fastball was clocked in the mid-90s, and while the gun was assuredly hot, it means the 92-93 we’re used to seeing is still there. Darvish will face the Royals in Kansas City for his next outing — a far more forgiving opponent.

Some bad news about of Arizona: Zack Greinke is still having issues with his oblique. Greinke has his worst ERA since 2011, is hurt, and is set to make over $174 million over the life of his contract. Greinke was originally supposed to be back around the end of the month, but expect his timetable to be pushed back at least a week.

Jonathan Lucroy hit a homer yesterday in what may be one of his last games as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew are clearly retooling and Lucroy will hit free agency after next year, so the club is looking for assets at the deadline. The Rangers have been sniffing around but don’t seem to be willing to meet Milwaukee’s asking price yet, but yesterday another idea — but not quite a rumor — surfaced: the Braves are known to like the catcher, and while they’re not ready to contend quite yet, if they feel confident they could reach an extension, Lucroy is a hell of a piece to convert your assets into. The Rangers are still the likely landing point, but perhaps the Astros or Mets decide to throw caution into the wind and upgrade behind the plate.

Ketel Marte just can’t seem to keep himself healthy. After tweaking his ankle while sliding into third base in Friday’s game against the Astros, he was forced to sit out yesterday and will likely not play today. In a little less than a full season’s worth of career ABs, Marte has a .278 average with 16 steals and has yet to turn 23. Owners should be prepared to find a replacement for Marte in case he needs to hit the DL.

Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Dylan Bundy at TBR (Jake Odorizzi)
Bundy makes his first MLB start, so caution be damned, let’s have some fun.

A pitcher for tomorrow: A.J. Griffin at LAA (Nick Tropeano)
Griffin still has problems with the long fly, which is why you should take opportunities to take him away from home.