Roto Riteup: June 17, 2013

Today being June 17 represents a unique day in sports and cultural history. ESPN’s 30-for-30 did an incredible job handling the events of June 17, 1994.

On today’s agenda:
1. Alex Cobb to the 7-day disabled list
2. Josh Reddick is heating up
3. Two debuts tomorrow
4. Sonny Gray’s Triple-A exploits

Alex Cobb to the 7-day disabled list
After being struck in the head on a come-back line drive on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays were pleased to announce that Cobb has been cleared and released from the hospital. He was placed on the concussion disabled list with what is being called a mild concussion. Best of luck to Cobb as he eyes his return to major league action. The Rays have an off day tomorrow, but will play a double header on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox. They may need to call on a prospect or two this week to help with the workload. Alex Colome’s last started on Thursday for Triple-A Durham and would make sense to make one of the starts tomorrow.

Josh Reddick is heating up
He may have started off this season at a snails pace (apologies in advance to any and all snail enthusiasts), however over his past 10 games, Reddick has 18 hits in his past 65 plate appearances. Don’t be fooled by his current .211/.302/.340 line as that is just a cruel representation of his early season struggles. Despite the triple slash, Reddick is walking more, striking out less, and swinging less than ever before. His .240 BABIP is still 30 points below his career average and as that continues to climb, so will his triple slash. With a quality offense around him, Reddick’s counting numbers should be a solid play in standard 12-team mixed leagues, even if he won’t be a source of batting average. Reddick is owned in 32% of both Yahoo! and ESPN formats and 65% of CBS leagues.

Two debuts tomorrow
We finally have official word that the Rays will call up Wil Myers tomorrow. He will play regularly, mostly in right field, says Rays manager Joe Maddon. How this effects other corner outfielders such as Kelly Johnson and Matt Joyce remains to be seen. Johnson has started at second and third base this season, but Joyce isn’t as flexible. Ben Zobrist’s playing time should remain largely unchanged as that man can play just about every position on the field. In order to make room for Myers, Ryan Roberts was sent down to Triple-A. The path is now clear for Myers to hit the ground running. Get on board and grab him now.

Also making his major league debut tomorrow is Zack Wheeler of the New York Mets. Take a moment and enjoy this announcement tweet. Well played Mets, well played. The Mets will be squaring off in a double header against the Atlanta Braves and it isn’t clear whether Wheeler how long Wheeler will be up for. Last week Mets manager Terry Collins said that they’ll probably go with an extra man in the rotation for a turn. Collins goes on to claim that they “have no intention of jerking anyone out right now.” Even with a bit of an open competition, Wheeler deserves to be owned. He can be picked up in 25% of CBS leagues, 53% of ESPN formats, and 63% of Yahoo! leagues.

Sonny Gray’s Triple-A exploits
The Oakland A’s don’t have any rotation issues, though plumbing is a different story. If any of their current starters were to falter or get hurt, help would be on the way in the form of Sonny Gray. Through 13 Triple-A starts spanning 82.1 innings, Gray has 83 strikeouts against 27 walks. He has 11 quality starts as well as a sub-3 ERA and FIP. Had Jarrod Parker been forced to the DL earlier last month, Gray would have most likely been called up. It’s too soon to be adding Gray to 12-team mixed leagues, but in AL-only formats or keeper leagues, grabbing Gray now makes sense. He should be free to own in virtually all leagues.