Roto Riteup: July 24, 2020

I missed baseball so much, I am ok with this:

Angel Hernandez with a horrible strike three call. Baseball is back! pic.twitter.com/aTtH8k6jVl

— Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster) July 23, 2020

I mean… not really, but whatever. BASEBALL!!!

 

On the Agenda:
1. Overreactions From Last Night!
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Overreactions From Last Night!
Enrique Hernandez went 4-for-5 with a home run and five runs batted in against the Giants on Opening night. Hernandez got the start in the game after the Dodgers demoted top prospect Gavin Lux. Chris Taylor and Hernandez will likely split the role, but performances like this will get him more playing time.

Tyler Rogers gave up four runs in .2 innings on Thursday night. Not what you want to see from a guy some were expecting to get saves from late in drafts. The fact Gabe Kapler was willing to use him in a high leverage situation speaks to the confidence the team has in Rogers, but he can’t afford too many outings like this before Kapler won’t trust him very much.

Austin Barnes started over Will Smith on Opening Night. Manager Dave Roberts stated that Smith will start in three of the first five games, so this won’t be a trend, but it is something to keep an eye on for almost every team as most organizations are carrying three catchers early on in the season.

In spite of the fact the Nationals did not have Juan Soto on Thursday, Victor Robles still batted ninth in the order, going 0-for-2 in a rain shortened game. This is extremely disappointing for a guy that has much more talent than a ninth place hitter. He will need to hit to improve his batting spot.

 

Quick Hits
MLBPA and MLB agreed to expanded playoffs for 2020. It includes eight teams per league including both the first and second place team for each division. This could definitely impact how many sellers and buyers there are at the end of August.

MLB: “You get a playoff spot! You get a playoff spot! Everybody gets a playoff spot!!!!” pic.twitter.com/8D4iTEbp59

— Justin Mason (@JustinMasonFWFB) July 23, 2020

Derek Dietrich reportedly agreed to a deal with Chicago Cubs. Dietrich opted out of his deal with the Reds after being sent down. He could be a role player for the Cubs.

Matt Adams has made the opening day roster for the Braves. Adams was signed a few days ago and could be a strong side DH guy for Atlanta.

Austin Voth was named the fifth starter for the Nationals. Erick Fedde will be the longman.

The Minnesota Twins activated Miguel Sano from the IL and placed Jake Odorizzi on the IL. Sano was recovering from COVID, but appears like he should be ready to go. Odorizzi’s return will likely be in the third scoring period since the Twins can afford to go with four starters since they only have five games next week.

Matt Harvey signed a minor league deal with the Royals on Thursday. The Royals have a very thin rotation, so he could factor in it at some point.

DJ LeMahieu was activated from the IL on Thursday, but did not start versus the NAtionals. They likely are just giving him another day to rest after recovering from COVID. Manager Aaron Boone did say he was available off the bench, but the opportunity never presented itself with the game being called early on account of rain.

Roberto Osuna is on the opening day roster. This is good news as the Astros appear to believe he could be available for them in spite of being behind.

Eduardo Rodriguez was shut down on Thursday after experiencing some sort of complications from his earlier COVID diagnosis. He was already behind so this is not good news.

 

Various News and Notes
Clayton Kershaw was scratched and placed on the 10-Day IL on Thursday retroactive to 7/20. Kershaw was supposed to start on Thursday and there had been no indications that he was having issues. It does not necessarily sound like a long term injury, but he will likely miss two to three starts.

Dustin May filled in for Kershaw’s missed start against the Giants. He threw 4.1 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits and zero walks while striking out four. May had moments where he was filthy and others that were a bit shaky. That being said, it was a late notice start on Opening Night, so some jitters are to be expected. With Kershaw out for a bit, May figures to be in the rotation for a while.

Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. This is a strange situation as Soto reportedly tested negative multiple times through independent testing since. However, he must wait until he gets two official test back negative which means he is unlikely to play until Sunday.

Anthony Desclafani was placed on the 10-Day IL with a mild strain in his teres muscle. The muscle is the same one that Emmanuel Clase injured in February and Mike Clevinger last year. Both lost significant time, but were more severe injuries. Desclafani is likely a drop in most formats.

Bradley Zimmer made the Opening Day roster for the Cleveland Indians. Zimmer is a former top prospect that has struggled to stay healthy. He could be the strong side of a platoon in the awful outfield for Cleveland. He is worth a gamble on in deeper leagues and a watch target in shallower formats.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)
Pitcher for Today: Danny Duffy at CLE
Duffy is one of three pitchers that qualifies for the list and the only one worth considering, but you likely shouldn’t be streaming anyone on day one.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Matt Shoemaker at TB
Shoemaker has looked good in summer camp and is usually a useful pitcher when healthy.

High Risk Options: Martin Perez vs BAL, Adam Wainwright vs PIT.