Roto Riteup: June 18, 2016

Today’s Roto Riteup is, much like a Jamie Moyer fastball, what you would call “meaty.”

On the agenda:
1. Billy’s Back
2. Lance McCullers: more curves, more meh
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Billy’s Back
Billy Hamilton is back on the big league roster after missing the last eight days following a concussion. Once on the concussion DL the minimum is seven days, so Hamilton has recovered nicely and doesn’t seem to have the lingering symptoms that have plagued the likes of Brock Holt and Justin Morneau. He should slot right back into his old spot near the bottom of the Reds’ lineup, and will hopefully pick up where he left off: on a hot streak. Even though his strikeout rate is still too high, and he’s not really making any harder contact, it’s pleasant to see Hamilton’s BABIP above .300 where it should be for a man with his speed. All Hammy needs to do is manage to hit .250 like he did in 2014 and he’s an incredible fantasy asset.

Lance McCullers: more curves, more meh
Lance McCullers had a decent start yesterday, but his 2016 campaign has been a disappointing whirlwind. McCullers has walked 26 batters in just over 40 innings of work, and he’s throwing the hell out of his curveball, potentially to compensate for dropping a tick of velocity with his fastball. The uptick in curve usage has of course come with an increase in whiffs and thus an increase in Ks, but overall it just hasn’t been worth it.

Various News and Notes
Tommy Milone is coming back to the big leagues, and he’ll take Pat Dean’s spot in the Twins’ rotation. Dean was rocked today by the Yankees, but before today, he performed valiantly as a fill-in fifth starter. Milone has been a fine big league starter in the past, but he’s not worth the risk outside of AL-only leagues.

Michael Saunders had himself a day! Saunders hit a trio of homers against the Orioles, and had a fourth one robbed from him. Saunders has always had the raw power, but he’s putting it all together this year. He won’t hit .300 the rest of the way, but perhaps he’ll match the .273 mark from 2014.

Another former Mariner swatted a homer yesterday: Brad Miller went bye-bye off Jeff Samardzija, bringing him to seven homers in 59 games. While his batting average is down a bit, he’s on the path for another season with double-digit homers, and he may be able to make his way to double-digit steals for the second straight year, as well.

Sticking with a theme, Roenis Elias was rocked in his second straight start, and the Red Sox may be working on a solution for their fifth starter spot. You probably didn’t pick up Elias, but if you did, I think it’s safe to cut bait.

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: Matt Boyd at KC (Edinson Volquez)
The Royals are a below-average offense against lefties, so Boyd can give you a quality start.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Tyler Anderson at MIA (Tom Koehler)
There’s not much in the way of mid-tier options available, and a surprisingly interesting Rockies’ starter in a much more forgiving ballpark is worth a look.