Roto Riteup: July 21, 2026

by
July 21, 2026

I believe I can fly!

On the Agenda: 

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

 

Trade!!!

The Dodgers acquired Seth Halvorsen from the Rockies for two Nick Frasso and Landyn Vidourek on Monday. Halvorsen is injured and will likely start at AAA once healthy, but if the Dodgers can fix his control issues, he could be an interesting pickup for them down the stretch. Frasso and Vidourek do not figure to have fantasy value at this time for the Rockies. 

 

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Quick Hits

Kyle Teel left Monday’s game with an ankle injury.

Teel is expected to go on the IL and will likely be replaced on the roster by Edgar Quero.

Bobby Witt Jr. left Monday’s game with back tightness.

Consider him day-to-day for now.

Colson Montgomery left Monday’s game after fouling a pitch off his leg.

He stated after the game that he was fine. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Julio Rodriguez left Monday’s game with a hamstring injury.

Rodriguez was hit in the hamstring while running out a ground ball, but reportedly the issue was not related to being hit by the throw. The Mariners are calling this precautionary, so consider him day-to-day for now.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer left Monday’s game with a testicular contusion.

He was initially able to stay in the game and got a hit in the at bat before leaving later. Consider him day-to-day for now.

 

Various News and Notes

Victor Mesa Jr. went 1-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Blue Jays on Sunday. 

Mesa has been hot in the month of July, hitting five home runs and stealing two bases in 45 plate appearances. He is being extremely aggressive in the zone and making a ton of contact, but his aggressiveness will likely catch up with him at some point.

Esmerlyn Valdez went 1-for-3 with a home run in the loss to the Yankees on Monday.

Valdez has been unbelievably hot since his callup, hitting .306/.377/.750 with 13 home runs in 122 plate appearances. The problem is the contact skills are terrible. His 71% Z-Contact would be the worst in baseball if he was a qualified hitter and while he can draw walks, at some point the lack of a hit tool will crater his .300 batting average down to his xBA of .220. It is a fun story to watch, but it will likely be over before too long.

Andrew Vaughn went 2-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Mets on Monday.

Vaughn has been really good in limited time this season, hitting .312/.394/.490 with three home runs, but has just 180 plate appearances. He clearly needs a trade or an injury to find more consistent playing time, but talent has not been an issue for the former top prospect.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Brandon Sproat vs NYM

Sproat has some risk, but this is a good matchup at home and he has pitched better as of late. 

Other Options: Trevor McDonald at KC, Reynaldo Lopez vs SD, Tatsuya Imai vs MIA, Jack Perkins at ARI, Noah Schultz at TEX

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Landen Roupp at KC. 

Roupp is coming off of another good start and has a nice matchup. 

Other Options: Anthony Kay at TEX, Seth Lugo vs SF, Bailey Ober at CLE, Brady Singer at SEA, Christian Scott at MIL. 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from my recommended pitchers. It does not include the “Other Options.”





 

Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
davefMember since 2018
6 days ago

“He will come up with no balls and one strike.” Broadcasting HoF comment right there. hahaha

1
John WickMember since 2018
6 days ago

Andrew Vaughn has been a lefty-masher this year. His line against righties is league-average offense from a first baseman.

Without an injury or trade (not happening), he’s going to be a part-time guy and really only useful against lefties.

0