Roto Riteup: July 17, 2023
You’re not going to believe this but the same guy also has 139 K in 105 IP this season…The EXACT same guy!
Shohei Ohtani launches his 34th homer of the year. pic.twitter.com/LjFNDHIe9E
— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2023
On the Agenda
- News and Notes
- Bumps and Bruises
- Chugga-Chugga Call-Up Train
- Streaming Pitchers
News and Notes
Shane Bieber (elbow inflammation) won’t require surgery but will be shut down from throwing for two weeks. A clearer timetable won’t be known until he resumes throwing but none of this is good news for his fantasy value for the remainder of the year, with a mid to late-August return seeming like a best-case scenario. Logan Allen will be recalled to start against the Pirates on Tuesday – remember when we didn’t know how Cleveland would be able to fit all of their young arms into the rotation? Like life, baseball always finds a way.
Kevin Gausman has side discomfort and won’t take his turn in Toronto’s series against the Pirates. Manager John Scheiner doesn’t seem too concerned, wanting to just give Gausman “a little bit of extra rest”, and he could return for their weekend series against Seattle. And because baseball managers are always very truthful and forthcoming, we should definitely believe this.
Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session during the Dodgers upcoming road trip to Baltimore after throwing “full throttle” off flat ground for three days in a row. But a timetable beyond that is still unknown, as the Dodgers remain cagey about their plans for bringing him along.
Jose Altuve (oblique) made another step in his rehab by running the bases prior to their game against the Angels on Sunday but will still need more time before heading out for a rehab assignment.
Chugga-Chugga Call-Up Train
Christian Encarnacion-Strand will finally get his Show promotion today. A corner man by trade, Encarnacion-Strand has also seen some time in the outfield lately but he should be in line for regular at-bats regardless of where Cincinnati ultimately fit him in. CES has yet to meet a professional level he couldn’t dominate and in 316 PA at Triple-A this season he slashed .331/.405/.637, with 20 HR, 65 R, 62 RBI, and 2 SB, with a .440 wOBA and 153 wRC+.
Endy Rodriguez will join fellow catching top-prospect Henry Davis in the majors, with Pittsburgh expected to call him up later today. Rodriguez slashed .268/.356/.415 over 315 PA at Triple-A this season, with 6 HR, 54 R, 38 RBI, and 4 SB but he’s also been smashing the ball most recently. In his last 20 games, Rodriguez is slashing .333/.423/.519, with a .415 wOBA and nine multi-hit games. And while he and Davis are both technically catchers, both can also play in the field (Davis has yet to start at catcher since his call-up on June 19, playing mostly right field), so giving them both regular playing time shouldn’t be an issue.
The Pirates also plan to call up Liover Peguero, whom they acquired from Arizona back in 2020 in the Starling Marte trade. Peguero got the briefest cup of coffee (1 game, 4 PA) in the majors last season but titillated during 69 games in Double-A this season (11 HR, 50 R, 34 RBI, 19 SB) and had 2 HR and 2 SB in a brief seven-game stop at Triple-A.
Bumps and Bruises
Salvador Perez suffered a hamstring strain on Sunday against the Rays. Consider him day-to-day for now but it’s probably not a good sign that he went from “hamstring discomfort” to a diagnosed strain. If he’s your guy, I’d make plans for a replacement…He said knowing full well he was just forced to FAAB a whole mess of terrible catchers last night.
Ol’ glass calf himself, Josh Donaldson, headed to the IL with a calf strain, with Oswald Peraza being called up in a corresponding move. No further details on a timetable but Donaldson pulled up while running out a grounder and it didn’t exactly look like this will be a minor issue.
Rowdy Tellez (forearm inflammation) was supposed to return to the Brewers lineup on Tuesday but will now miss at least a month after suffering a totally normal baseball injury during pregame warmups yesterday. While shagging fly balls, Tellez got his finger stuck in the outfield padding, ripping his fingernail off and sustaining a small fracture, ultimately needing 17 stitches and surgery. Baseball!
Jeimer Candelario (thumb) was supposed to return to the lineup on Sunday from a bone bruise but was a late scratch after still feeling discomfort during pregame warmups. The Nationals are probably super busy taking vitamins and saying prayers that it’s nothing serious, as Candelario is one of their best trade chips, on just a 1 year/$5 million contract while in the midst of a career season (#77 hitter on the Razzball player rater).
Seasons may change but some things never do – Eloy Jiménez (groin) is expected to miss 4-5 games but may not require an IL stint according to manager Pedro Grifol. No, Pedro, I’m sure he’ll be totally, totally fine:
Streaming Pitchers
Streaming Pitcher for Today: Matt Manning, DET vs KC – Manning has a 3.12 ERA in three starts since returning from the IL but that’s a little more impressive considering the opponents, starting against Texas and Toronto with a matchup at Coors Field sandwiched in between. The Royals, on the other hand, have picked up in the second half right where they left off in the first, losing 2-of-3 to the Rays after entering the ASB having lost 6-of-7.
High-Risk Pitchers for Today: Jordan Lyles, KC @DET
Streaming Pitchers for Tomorrow: Carlos Carrasco, NYM vs CHW; Jameson Taillon, CHC vs WSN