Roto Riteup: July 17, 2026

A great start for those of us with Aaron Nola in earned runs leagues!

On the Agenda: 

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

Quick Hits

Congrats to Jordan Walker, the first St. Louis Cardinal to win the MLB Home Run Derby! For those living under a rock and only get their news from the Roto Riteup, Walker defeated Kyle Schwarber by crushing six consecutive dingers.

Lettuce pray that the derby doesn’t impact his performance in this final 40% of the season (and for those who have consumed Taco Bell sometime in the last week).

Big money for Chase Burns! He signed a contract extension for seven years, $105 million. It’s the biggest contract for a pitcher with less than four years of service time.

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Brad Keller has a torn UCL in his right elbow and will miss the remainder of the season.

There is still no timetable for Los Angeles Dodgers Will Smith, who has been battling a neck injury for the past month. Hold those Dalton Rushing shares!

Brendan Donovan could be back with the Seattle Mariners sometime near the end of July or the beginning of August. He’s been out for almost two months with a groin injury and just started a rehab assignment on Wednesday. Before Donovan hit the IL, there was talk about utilizing him as a super-utility guy, which would certainly be welcomed by M’s fans who would like to see Colt Emerson stay with the big club, as well as deep-league managers who wouldn’t mind seeing Buddy Kennedy or Miles Mastrobuoni put out to roto pasture. It’s too early to stash Donovan in 15-team leagues, unless, of course, you have an open IL slot.

Various News and Notes

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Tyler Locklear is expected to be promoted before Friday’s game, as rookie outfielder Tommy Troy was placed on the IL with a shoulder injury. Locklear is slashing .313/.394/.502 with 8 HR in 54 games (241 PA) in Triple-A. Locklear can play first base or DH. The versatile Tim Tawa should move back into a utility role.

The Athletics selected the contract of Tommy White on Wednesday. Not to be confused with 21-year-old Marlins pitching prospect Thomas White, the A’s hitter is affectionately known as “Tommy Tanks”, though he has hit just 10 homers in 346 plate appearances in the minors. He did hit tanks in college though — 27 in 55 games at NC State as a sophomore and 24 in each of his two seasons at Louisiana State in 2023 and 2024. He’s cleaned up the Savannah Banana/Max Clark look just a bit:

I'd say Tommy White has changed a bit. @LSUbaseball #LSU pic.twitter.com/R7dj0ELtck

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) July 16, 2026

The kid has swagger, much to the chagrin of some of our traditionalist, loyal readers, who would prefer that “Tanks” just play ball and not toss his bat way up in the air after crushing one. He should make his debut at “home” in Sacramento, against Foster Griffin and company.

Brett Baty’s home run in Thursday’s lone contest was just his fifth of the season and his second since May 18:

Baty had a nice breakout after the All-Star break last season, hitting .291 with nine homers in 190 plate appearances. Baty’s hard-hit rate is hovering around 40% this season, a big dip from his 46.7% mark in 2025.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)

Pitchers for Today: Landen Roupp, SF (42%) at SEA

You’ll read more than you want to know about Roupp in my latest article.

Other Options: Dean Kremer, BAL (14%) at HOU

Yordan Alvarez is always a tough customer, but Kremer has been made legitimate gains and could kick off the “second half” with a strong start against his Astros. I’d first check to see if Logan Henderson, MLW (vs. MIA) is available. He’s just over our threshold, at a 56% rostership on Yahoo.

Pitchers for Tomorrow: Shane Drohan, MIL (33%) vs. MIA

He’s handled his recent duties in the Brewers rotation well since moving out of the bullpen on June 1 (3.38 ERA and a 39:12 K:BB in 42.2 IP). The Brewers should be hefty home favorites in this contest.

Other Options: None, though I’d consider Patrick Sandoval (BOS, 5%) for a home start against the Rays. Just don’t expect this start to go as swimmingly as his five scoreless against the White Sox on July 9.