Roto Riteup: July 23, 2026

Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly…

Rice, Rice, Baby

On the Agenda: 

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

Closer Chaos

It would make sense for the Pittsburgh Pirates to invest in a right-handed reliever before the MLB Trade Deadline since they’re in the playoff mix and their two best relievers (Mason Montgomery, Gregory Soto) are southpaws. In their 5-3 win over the Yankees on Wednesday, Montgomery stepped in with two outs in the eighth after Carmen Mlodzinski served up that three-run, game-tying bomb to Rice, got the last out of the inning, then three more in the ninth inning. The Pirates rallied in the top of the 10th, and Soto pitched a clean bottom of the 10th for his 13th save (Montgomery earned his third win).

Yankees veteran lefty Tim Hill earned his first save of the season in the second game of their doubleheader with the Pirates. It was the fifth save of his career, which began in 2018 with the Royals. He was the sixth Yankee reliever to close a game out this season. David Bednar was not available as he had pitched the ninth inning in morning contest.

Kansas City Royals middle reliever Steven Cruz earned his first career save on Wednesday in their 5-4 victory over the visiting Giants. Closer Alex Lange was not available after making back-to-back appearances on Monday and Tuesday. Cruz faced the heart of the Giants order and gave up a home run to Casey Schmitt.

Chicago White Sox super reliever Grant Taylor handled his business, striking out five batters without allowing a hit or a walk over the seventh and eighth innings, with a 4-2 lead. Manager Will Venable brought lefty Bryan Hudson to close out the game against the bottom of the Rangers batting order, secure himself a save, and his team, the win. It was Hudson’s fourth save this season. Seranthony Domínguez is out of the high leverage mix at this point, so the trio of Taylor, and lefties Hudson and Sean Newcomb should continue handling save opportunities situationally, on an approximate split of 60-20-20, respectively.

Quick Hits

The Arizona Diamondbacks pummeled rookies Gage Jump and Yunior Tur for 14 runs in their 15-5 victory over the Athletics. The D-Backs hit five homers. One of them was Ryan Waldschmidt‘s first career blast. Nolan Arenado’s was one of the other bombs and his only hit of the game, though he earned three free passes and scored three runs. Corbin Carroll hit his 15th of the season and added his 11th triple.

Sadly, Geraldo Perdomo did not join the party, going 0-for-5.

Washington Nationals co-ace Cade Cavalli was superb at Coors Field. He threw 59-of-90 pitches for strikes over six scoreless innings to bring his record to 7-4. He punched out eight batters in the contest. CJ Abrams continued his torrid season, earning five hits and swiping his 16th bag. Luis García Jr. hit his 21st of the season. He’s a top-three second basemen on our Fantasy Player Rater.

St. Louis Cardinals spot starter Hunter Dobbins delivered an excellent outing in the Anaheim heat, hamstringing the Angels over six scoreless innings. Dobbins gave up six hits, did not allow a walk and punched out five. The Cardinals are slated for another seven games next week, so perhaps Dobbins remains in the rotation should Oli Marmol choose to employ the six-man for now.

Max Fried dominated the Pirates in his return to the Yankees rotation on Wednesday.

It was his first start since May 13, and boy did he dazzle. He only needed 57 pitches to hurl five innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, and striking out seven batters. Great timing for his return for fantasy managers needing to rise up the ERA, WHIP, and W categories.

Various News and Notes

Baltimore Orioles DH and catcher Samuel Basallo was placed on the 10-Day IL due to right shoulder inflammation. The timing is poor with Adley Rutschman also hitting the shelf the other day. Don’t even think about bidding on Sam Huff or Chadwick Tromp in any format this weekend. Ok, we can make an exception for 20-team AL-Only leagues.

José Ramírez was activated on Wednesday following his five-week absence due to a fractured hook of his left hamate bone. J-Ram had two hits and an RBI in the game. Speedy Kahlil Watson was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding roster move.

Bobby Witt Jr. is the latest fantasy first-round victim of an injury. He heads to the IL because of lower back tightness. The offense will certainly miss him. Andrew Velasquez was called up, batting ninth and playing shortstop in his Royals debut.

Congratulations to Royals veteran Salvador Perez for tying George Brett’s record for home runs with the franchise.

Perez has had a tremendous Major League career, and it’s not over yet. He’s a five-time Gold Glove winner, a nine-time All-Star, a World Series champ and World Series MVP, and he crushed 48 for the Royals in 2021, a record he holds with Jorge Soler for most dingers in a season in franchise history. Bravo, Sal!

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Ian Seymour, TB (38%) at TOR

Seymour is the one of the only viable streaming option as there are only five games today. Hopefully, he rebounds after two poor starts against a Blue Jays offense that ranks last in runs scored.

Other Options: Brandon Pfaadt, STL (15%) at STL

Pfaadt has earned wins in each of his last four starts, but that’s all in the past and has no predictive fantasy relevance. He held the Cardinals to two runs in his last start, but I’m afraid there will be a bit of payback. If you must, you must, but I don’t advice streaming Pfaadt today if you can help it.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Shane Drohan, MIL (37%) vs COL

This one is simple. Good pitcher, home favorites, road Rockies.

Other Options: Spencer Arrighetti, HOU (30%) at CHW

First things first, Spencer Arrighetti is a cool name and all. But his middle name is Zane. He’d probably bump his strikeout rate by 2% if he went by Zane Arrighetti. Anyway, Arrighetti seemed impervious to blow ups for quite some time, but they inevitably find you. He allowed eight, six, and eight earned runs in three of his last five starts, ironically, sandwiched by 1-ER outings. I’m expecting another positive outing here against a White Sox offense that runs cold from time to time.