Roto Riteup: July 26, 2016

For seven innings, a paltry San Diego Padres offense struggled to get to the red-hot Aaron Sanchez, who has now won 10 consecutive decisions and lowered his ERA to 2.72 (bye, bullpen ideas). Then the bullpen came in, and Alex Dickerson hit the most majestic home run I’ve ever seen at a game live.

On the agenda:
1. Fielder done for the year
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Fielder done for the year
We had a good idea this was coming, but it still sucks: Prince Fielder is done for the season. For the second time in three years, Fielder’s season is being ended due to surgery to repair a disc in his neck. It’s a different disc than in 2014, but a second spinal surgery is a terrifying thought and may call his playing future into question. The 32-year-old was struggling for most of the year, posting a 63 wRC+ with just eight home runs over 89 games, and while he’s bounced back before (his 2015 was solid following the injury-shortened 2014 down year), he’s unlikely to ever get back to his 2007-2012 levels. Given the depth at first base (or UTIL), Fielder probably won’t be going in the top-100 again, if he even returns (he’s owed $96M over the next four years). More than anything baseball related, you just hope this second neck surgery doesn’t threaten his quality of life.

Various News and Notes
Went to bed after scratching my chin at Melvin Upton Jr. sitting out the Padres-Blue Jays game I attended. Woke up to find out Melvin Upton Jr. may be playing in the other dugout of the Padres-Blue Jays game I’ll be at on Wednesday (matinees, blessings). He’s apparently being dealt to Toronto for an A-ball prospect, where he’ll slot in as the fourth outfielder (sorry, Ezequiel Carrera, who’s hit nearly as well this season). Upton will also need to change his name back to B.J. now that he’s a Blue Jay, and also because Bossman Junior remains the realest name in the game.

If he’s not dealt, Chris Sale will return Thursday. If he is dealt, the White Sox are apparently willing to include starting long-reliever Julio Urias in a deal, which, yeah, it’s Chris Sale. People will also be obligated to make bad Sale jersey jokes, though this one was admittedly pretty good:

Sight seen at #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/PGcjlPvcBQ

— Peggy Kusinski (@peggykusinski) July 26, 2016

Sticking with trade rumors we can’t do anything with (it was a low-actionable news day), the Yankees could look to move Ivan Nova. They might be teetering on a quick blow-up with any impending free agents, and Nova may end up one of more notable names to go AL-to-NL (as we’ve discussed previously, the rumor mill seems to be leaning heavily in the other direction, for whatever reason).

Staying in the AL East, Craig Kimbrel is recovering more quickly than anticipated and could begin a rehab assignment on the weekend if a Wednesday bullpen session goes well. (Apologies for the AL East bias in today’s RR…there really wasn’t much going on around the league beyond trade rumors.)

Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Ervin Santana vs ATL (Lucas Harrell)
Normally I’m not much for buying low on an aged, lower-upside arm, and Ervin Santana qualifies here. He’s 33, he’s essentially had the same pitching line three years running, and he’s now striking batters out at a near-career-low rate. And yet, the Braves are the Braves, and Santana draws them and their 74 wRC+ at Target. On a pretty thin day for quality streams, the 28-percent owned Santana is a nice floor play.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Archie Bradley @ MIL (Jimmy Nelson)
Much as I’d like to ride the Dylan Bundy train (he looked good last time out and the Rockies aren’t particularly threatening on the road), I like Archie Bradley’s setup just a little better here. Bradley’s in Miller Park, sure, but the Brewers are also the league’s most strikeout-prone team, giving the 23-year-old a nice upside. With a 13-percent ownership tag, the risk-reward play in Bradley is available in most leagues.