Roto Riteup: June 15, 2016

When you try to be a responsible adult and go to bed at a reasonable time so you don’t write the Roto Riteup at night, only for insomnia to set in, forcing a very tired 6 a.m. writing. Or something.

OK, enough fun. There’s a ton of news to get to. It’s going down, for real.

On the agenda:
1. Jameson Winnon
2. Just, way too much injury news
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Jameson Winnon
The Pirates gave Jameson Taillon the ball for a second time on Tuesday, and the rookie delivered in a major way, taking a no-hitter into the seventh and finishing with just three base runners allowed over eight shutout innings. Because of the up-and-down and the perception he’s not going to stay in the majors for an extended run (there are innings limit concerns), Taillon’s just 46-percent owned. But Taillon may be here to stay for slightly longer than his last call-up, as instead of spot-starting due to a double-header, he was filling in for the injured Gerrit Cole here. Cole’s on the DL, and with no days off until June 30, the Pirates will need someone to fill that turn again on the 19th, 24th, and maybe the 29th. Even with modest strikeout and whiff numbers through two starts, Taillon’s worth a long look while up with the Pirates.

Just, way too much injury news
What a mess of a day from an injury front. I hate to do things this way with less analysis per item, but there’s just so much, so let’s try to get everything in rapid-fire fashion.

Out since May 27, David Wright is considering surgery for the herniated disc in his neck, which would threaten to sideline him for the remainder of the season. Wright’s currently in the middle of a six-to-eight-week stretch of rest but continues to assess his options. That’s a complicated call considering the Mets are competing for a playoff spot and that there’s no certainty rest will fix the third baseman’s neck. Sigh.

Kenta Maeda took a liner off the shin from Paul Goldschmidt in the sixth inning, ending his start early. X-rays were negative, and while Maeda was limping after the fact, Dave Roberts was hopeful his rookie wouldn’t need to miss a start. With four starters already on the DL for the Dodgers, they better hope that’s the case.

Taijuan Walker left his start in the fourth inning. The injury was originally believed to be to his Achilles but the Mariners later called it posterior tibial tendinitis, which is a foot arch injury, far less terrifying a diagnosis. The hope is that he can start Sunday.

The Rockies may have avoided disaster, with Gerardo Parra coming away from a scary collision with Trevor Story with “just” a sprained ankle. He’s set for an MRI on Wednesday.

Jonathan Papelbon is off to the DL with an intercostal strain, opening up an opportunity for Shawn Kelley, who has been one of baseball’s best relievers over the last two years. Paul Kastava has you covered in full in the Bullpen Report.

Following up on an item from yesterday, Sean Manaea will hit the DL with a left pronator strain, opening up a hole in the rotation for the A’s on Saturday (Eric Surkamp appears to be in line for the nod). An MRI showed muscle damage but no ligament damage, and the hope is Manaea misses the minimum amount of time.

Various News and Notes
Looking for help after letting Alex Guerrero and Carl Crawford go, the Dodgers signed Will Venable to a major-league contract. The 33-year-old was once an interesting power-speed play for fantasy but hasn’t hit well since 2013, really, even posting a 74 wRC+ at Triple-A this year. He’s strictly a bench option for L.A., at least once Yasiel Puig returns.

The Orioles have had enough of Ubaldo Jimenez being terrible as a starter, so he’ll now be terrible out of the bullpen, instead. Yovani Gallardo is set to be activated and fill Jimenez’s spot in the rotation.

Ike Davis is set for plenty of playing time at first base with the Yankees (the strong side of a platoon), which seems about three years overdue. He hit the ground running with a hit in his first appearance yesterday, and while there are certainly better fantasy options at the position, the Yankees could do worse for a fifth- or sixth-stringer.

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: Nate Karns @ TB (Drew Smyly)
For the purposes of varying the selections, I’ll decline to recommend Anthony DeSclafani, though picking on the Braves is rarely going to backfire. Instead, Nate Karns gets the nod against a strong offense in his former team, the Rays. The Rays can hit, but they’re also third in strikeout rate, and Karns has the opportunity for a punch-out per-inning here. Then it’s just a matter of lasting more than five for just the second time since May 13.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Dan Straily @ ATL (Matt Wisler)
With such a light schedule overall, you’d think streamers would be thin on options. And sure, there aren’t any slam dunks, but the schedule works out kind of strangely in that 15 of the day’s 20 projected starters are less than 50-percent owned. Of those, Dan Straily is set up the best, drawing the Braves and their 68 wRC+ in Atlanta, a nice chance for him to continue his strong 2016.





Blake Murphy is a freelance sportswriter based out of Toronto. Formerly of the Score, he's the managing editor at Raptors Republic and frequently pops up at Sportsnet, Vice, and around here. Follow him on Twitter @BlakeMurphyODC.

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