Roto Riteup: June 14, 2018

I miss the old Mets:

Old #mets manager Terry Collins and ump Tom Hallion, mic’d up, is old school perfect… #baseball #MLB @Super70sSports pic.twitter.com/tw7qnkESKt

— Greg McCauley (@gregmccauley9) June 13, 2018

 

On the Agenda:
1. Ailing Angels
2. Rumors!
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Ailing Angels
Garrett Richards was forced out of Wednesday’s start with a hamstring injury in the third inning. This is bad news for the Angels, who are already without ace Shohei Ohtani for the foreseeable future. Richards will have an MRI to reveal the extent of the injury. Consider him day-to-day right now.

Zack Cozart also left the Angels game with a shoulder strain. He will also undergo an MRI in order to see what is causing the pain in his left shoulder, but did not sound optimistic following Wednesday’s game. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

 

Rumors!
According to Neftali Ruiz of Deportes SIN, 18 of the top 20 Dominican J2 players in the upcoming class have tested positive for banned substances. If confirmed, this would obviously be a big deal, especially with a lot of potential bonus money on the line for these young players. With millions of dollars at stake, kids are being pressured by agents and coaches to use banned substances in order increase their profit potential, many of which are under the age of 18. This is going to be a big story over the next few days. Credit to @Crewsett on twitter for tweeting it out:

Neftali Ruiz: 18 of top 20 July 2, 2018 prospects test positive for banned substances; verbal contracts to be nullified | Noticias SIN https://t.co/hv9aoikBUe

— Stan (@Crewsett) June 14, 2018

 

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Arizona Diamondbacks have made a minor league contract proposal to free agent John Lackey. Lackey has not pitched this year, but also expressed interest in returning for the second half of the season. Lackey does not need to be picked up in any format as of yet.

 

Various News and Notes
Jose Martinez will miss this weekend’s series against the Cubs as he shall be placed on the paternity list following Thursday’s game. Martinez will travel home to Venezuela to be at the birth of his child and will not return until early next week. Luke Voit will be recalled to replace him on the roster. Martinez has been great this year, hitting .322/.391/.522 with 10 home runs in 62 games.

Bradley Zimmer has suffered a shoulder injury in the minor leagues. Zimmer is expected to miss at least five days with the injury, but this will likely delay any return to the Majors. Zimmer struggled in the Major this year, hitting .226/.281/.330 with two home runs and four stolen bases in 34 games played. His premium defense wasn’t enough to keep him with the big clubs prior to this injury. Zimmer has a lot of promise, but needs to make more contact to stay fantasy relevant.

 

Streaming Pitchers Options
A pitcher for today: German Marquez at PHI
Marquez has a 2.06 ERA and 1.09 WHIP on the road this season.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Seth Lugo at ARI
Lugo has been great covering for injured Mets starters and gets the benefit of the humidor in Arizona.