Roto Riteup: July 9, 2026

Daullton Varsho is incredible!

This one preserved the no-hitter, but then it became a hitter.

On the Agenda: 

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

Closer Chaos

There have been whispers about Pete Fairbanks being displaced from his job as the Marlins closer. Fairbanks hasn’t been great (6.75 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, two blown saves), but it will take a lot more damage to replace their $13M man. His Wednesday work was easy, as he faced four batters, earned two strikeouts and notched his 13th save. Thirty-two-year-old righty Michael Petersen has moved up his bullpen’s leverage tree and has performed quite well over 37 appearances (39 innings): a 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a 12% SwStr. He’s an intriguing stash in deep formats where the closer-spec market is depleted and you’re desperately in need of one. Fairbanks should be able to hold it down for now. There are rumors that Marlins are targeting Aroldis Chapman.

Alex Lange was Harang-a-tanged by the Mets in the eighth inning. He allowed five earned runs on three hits and a walk before getting yanked. It was the second time he was lit up for 5 ER over the last two weeks and his ERA now sits at 5.92 with a 0-5 record. Let’s see if another Royal earns a save opportunity this weekend. Steven Cruz has been solid, but pitching in lower leverage situations. Lucas Erceg has been slightly better, but isn’t striking batters out. Daniel Lynch IV could handle it, but he’s one of just two lefties in the bullpen, and one of them is the slowly deteriorating Matt Strahm (5.46, 1.32, 16.2% K). Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Quick Hits

Detroit Tigers catcher and 2026 breakout star Dillon Dingler left Wednesday’s contest early after a foul tip went off his right thumb. Hopefully, he is okay and can still play in the All-Star game. We will know more on Thursday.

The San Diego Padres selected Luis Rengifo’s contract from Triple-A. He will join a group of mediocre infielders where he should fit right in. Rengifo was DFA’d by the Brewers last month. Samad Taylor is day-to-day after suffering an oblique injury.

Before Wednesday’s contest, the Athletics activated Tyler Soderstrom and optioned Max Muncy. Shortstop Jacob Wilson윌슨 was activated on Tuesday.

The Cincinnati Reds finally outrighted Will Benson to the minors.

The Los Angeles Angels activated Mike Trout and designated Donovan Walton for assignment.

Padres infielder Sung-Mun Song 송성문 has 10 stolen bases in 88 plate appearances. The almost-30-year-old rookie swiped 20+ bags in each of his last two seasons in the KBO. He has earned consistent playing time over the last week and could cover third base temporarily if Manny Machado’s foot ailment turns into an IL stint.

Various News and Notes

Future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Justin Verlander announced today that he will call it quits after this season. He was named to the AL All-Star team as a “legend pick”. Here are some of his best moments:

Dylan Cease was electric on Wednesday, as he nearly threw a no-hitter. Cease had 11 punchouts and three walks through eight innings. Heliot Ramos spoiled it for Cease with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Cease leads the AL in strikeouts with 148.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer hit back-to-back dingers in that contest and Kazuma Okamoto hit this grand slam:

I saw Tyler O’Neill hit two home runs…

…and all I could think about was the George Michael Bluth GIF from Arrested Development.

O’Neill is as streaky as they come — either nonexistent or front-and-center with a streak of dingers like he’s the Canadian Barry Bonds. I wouldn’t mind streaming him in daily formats this weekend.

Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart crushed his 18th and 19th bombs of the season in a home tilt against the Phillies. JJ Wetherholt remains the favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year. Perhaps Stewart can make this interesting down the stretch. Big Sal is the only rookie hitter among the top 25 in standard roto, per the FanGraphs Player Rater.

The Angels pounded on MacKenzie Gore and the Rangers on Wednesday, scoring seven off Gore and 13 in all. Hello,  how are you? Oh, I’m told Jo Adell is back. He crushed two bombs, and Mike Trout added another, in his first game back in the lineup since June 17. Even Vaughn Grissom joined the party with a 4-for-5 night with four runs batted in. Logan O’Hoppe went 0-for-5.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)

Pitchers for Today: Sean Manaea, NYM (14%) vs. KC

Though it’s a 14-game slate, our streaming options under 50% are slim. Bailey Ober, Janson Junk, and Logan Henderson will be activated on Thursday to return to their respective rotations and start, but we shouldn’t be expecting a full workload from any of them. Actually, Ober has the best odds of making it to five innings, but the ride could be bumpy. Manaea isn’t a particularly comfortable streaming option. There are some advantages, though. The Mets will be home favorites and the Royals are a below-average offense against southpaws (.313 wOBA, 96 wRC+). Manaea’s game revolves around control and the Royals offense has the third-lowest walk rate (7.5%) versus lefty pitchers.

Other Options: None

Rain is going to wreak some havoc on Thursday, specifically in Baltimore. The Athletics-Tigers contest in Detroit might get some rain as well. If all is clear, I’d consider Jack Perkins for his strikeout upside (27.9% K rate) and the fact that it’s a start away from home for him. Ryan Feltner has been solid over his last few starts, but this one in Oracle Park against the Giants feels like a bit of a trap, especially after they were almost no-hit.

Pitchers for Tomorrow: Brandon Sproat, MIL (24%) at PIT

This one may seem a bit scary since the Pirates have been a top-three offense this season. The first 2.5 months of Sproat’s season were shaky, but he’s improved over his last three starts: a 21:5 K:BB with just 10 hits and three runs allowed over 15.1 innings.

Other Options: Grayson Rodriguez, LAA (6%) at MIN

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling Grayson deals on Friday. He’s had two starts rehab starts since going on the IL with a back injury. He pitched well in the latest one on July 4: 5.1 IP – 4 H – 1 ER – 0 BB – 5 K and threw 56 of 78 pitches for strikes. This is a low percentage, underdog, Hail Mary play.