Roto Riteup: July 24, 2026

He may not be Heather’s nephew, but perhaps it’s the beginning of a new dynasty…

On the Agenda: 

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

Quick Hits

Shane Bieber was terrific in his second consecutive start, retiring 18-of-19 batters, allowing one run on three hits in seven innings. Bieber lasted seven innings in the outing against the Rays. He will have a tougher test next week, on the road against the Nationals. If he remains on the current rotation schedule, Bieber would draw a Week 20 (week of Monday, August 3) two-step of Astros and Phillies, both on the road.

Ty France is on quite the heater. He smashed his 16th dinger of the season off Braves reliever Tyler Kinley on Thursday. It was his sixth homer in his last eight games.

Random, but possibly confusing fact: France is not French, and is very familiar with the California Burrito. He grew up in Los Angeles, but certainly had his fair share in college at San Diego State. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 34th round.

You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you that five Atlanta Braves may hit 25 home runs this season and that one of them is not Austin Riley. It’s certainly possible, but he’s stuck at 12 in 101 games and probably won’t get there. Ozzie Albies hit his 16th on Thursday, and he may likely fall short as well. Matt Olson (26) is already there. Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II, both of whom hit their 19th on Thursday, should reach 25 sometime before Labor Day.

Albies hit 24 in each of his first two full seasons (2018, 2019), smashed 30 in 2021 and set his career-best in 2023 with 33. Riley averaged 36 through his first three full seasons (2021-2023). Among the 18 active hitters with at least 300 home runs, the only two under the age of 33 are Olson (32) and Shohei Ohtani (31). Technically, there are 16 active hitters unless you expect Andrew McCutchen and/or Carlos Santana to play again.

Various News and Notes

The Chicago Cubs plan to recall their no. 17 prospect, infielder James Triantos. The Cubs’ 2021 second-round pick hopes to break the cycle second-round hitter picks who didn’t pan out, a list that includes Cole Mathis (2024), Chase Strumpf (2019), Brennen Davis (2018), Donnie Dewees (2015), and Duane Underwood Jr. (2012). Let’s not even bring up the second-round pitchers or the first-rounders in general. We wish James all the best, of course.

New York Mets trade chip Clay Holmes threw 51 pitches over 2.1 innings in his third rehab start, in his comeback from a 60-day IL stint due to a broken right fibula. It was a mediocre outing (3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) and short of the three-inning goal for this outing. Holmes will make another rehab start, but is cutting it awfully close to maximize a return for the Mets before the August 3 deadline.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams threw the 122nd immaculate inning in Major League history!

Diamondbacks starter Michael Soroka was the only other pitcher to do so this season, against the Tigers on March 30. The only three pitchers to accomplish the feat three times were Sandy Koufax, Max Scherzer, and Chris Sale. The only to pull it off in both the NL and the AL are Nolan Ryan and Kevin Gausman. Ezequiel Duran is the only hitter in history to be on the other side of an immaculate inning three times.

Dennis Santana, the Pittsburgh Pirates primary closer last season, was designated for assignment on Thursday after nearly four rough months of 44 appearances and a 6.05 ERA. Claiming Santana’s spot in the bullpen is Ron Marinaccio, who the Pirates traded for on Friday, in exchange for international signing bonus pool considerations. Santana and Marinaccio were teammates with the Yankees for a brief time in 2024 before Santana was traded to the Pirates. Santana and Marinaccio appeared in the same contest five times that season and only allowed one run in 12.1 innings between the two of them – it was this ninth-inning blast by Josh Naylor off Marinaccio on April 13, 2024:

Exactly 100 years before this day, Damn Yankees director Stanley Donen was born. The great Yogi Berra appeared as himself in the movie. Ray Walston, aka Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, played the embodiment of the Devil in Donen’s 1958 classic. Yes, I spent an extra 30 minutes of my evening putting this together and I don’t regret one second of it!

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: 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.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Robert Gasser, MIL (11%) vs COL

Hate to pick on the road Rockies with a home favorite and a strong lefty arm, but is there really a better alternative? I think not. The Rockies (and Jays) rank last in wRC+ against lefty pitching (81).

Other  Options: JP Sears, SD (2%) at MIA

This one is a little off the wall, but I’m willing to risk it in deeper formats. Sears held the Braves to one run (no walks) over five innings in Atlanta earlier this week. The Marlins are a weaker offense against lefties, offering very little power other than Heriberto Hernández (7 HR in 96 PA, .310 ISO). Otto Lopez has been crushing lefties as well (.196 ISO, .439 BA), though there’s a bit of good fortune there (.439 BABIP).