Roto Riteup: June 20, 2017

by
June 20, 2017

You guys… Cody Bellinger is good…

 

On the Agenda:

1. Closer Chaos

2. Gleyber Tore-his UCL

3. Returning Rays

4. Various News and Notes

5. Streaming Pitcher Options

 

Closer Chaos

According to Indians manager Terry Francona, Andrew Miller will close games for the time being and Cody Allen will work in the 7th and 8th innings. This isn’t a demotion for Allen or a promotion for Miller, said Francona. It is an attempt to limit Miller’s workload and should be a short lived experience. I also gives me a chance to share this fantastic story about Terry Francona:

 

Gleyber Tore-his UCL

Yankees top prospect Gleyber Torres will miss the rest of the season after injuring his UCL on a slide.

The injury will require Tommy John Surgery. Torres had hit two home runs and stolen two bases with a .309/.406/.457 triple slash in 96 plate appearances since joining AAA. He was well on the way to a potential call up later this season, but will have that timetable delayed obviously. As far as fantasy goes, this is the one chance you may get to buy low on Torres in dynasty and keeper formats. The words Tommy John strike fear into the hearts of most fantasy owners and he will probably be highly discounted. All reports state he should be ready to go by Spring Training next season and this shouldn’t slow down his long-term upside.

 

Returning Rays

Both Brad Boxberger and Wilson Ramos are on track to be activated from the DL later this week. Neither have played in the Majors yet this season.

Boxberger, who could be back as soon as Friday, has thrown three scoreless inning at AAA, only giving up two hits and one walk. He would most likely become the primary setup option in Tampa Bay and could possibly assume the closer’s role if Alex Colome is traded or injured.

Ramos, who is reportedly ahead of schedule and could be back Sunday, has hit .357/.400/.643 with a home run in four AAA games. 2016 was Ramos’ breakout season hitting 22 home runs with a .307/.354/.496 line for the Nationals before tearing his ACL and ruining his free agent market. The Rays had enough faith in his recovery that they were willing to sign him to a two-year deal. Ramos could be a top tier catcher rest of the season and is only owned in 16.8% of ESPN leagues. Must pick up in all formats.

 

Various News and Notes

Zack Cozart has been placed on the DL with a quad strain. Cozart has been fantastic this year, hitting nine home runs with a .320/.404/.562 line for the Reds. Aside from the injury, the regression monster is coming for Cozart who is sporting a BABIP .085 points higher than his career and is the most likely Reds player to be on the move at the deadline. However, that is not to say that some of the improvements this year are fluky. Cozart has made progression over the last few years, that were cut short due to nagging and one severe injury. He is leading the All Star vote, which is important because of this:

Michael Brantley has been placed on the DL with a sprained ankle. Brantley started the season off hot hitting five home runs in the month of April with a .308 average, but has yet to hit another since. He has at least been able to chip in four stolen bases in that time period with a decent average, but that isn’t what fantasy owners suspected after the hot start to the year. There is no current timetable for Brantley’s return, but the DL stay is backdated to June 16th.

Derek Fisher has been optioned to AAA. The move coincides with the activation of Josh Reddick from the 7-Day DL. Fisher hit .278/.381/.611 with two home runs and a stolen base in 21 plate appearances for the Astros since his call up to the Majors. His return to the minors should be short-lived as he will be the first outfielder called up if any of their players get injured or they believe that he can produce more than they are currently getting from guys like Nori Aoki and Carlos Beltran.

 

Streaming Pitcher Options

A pitcher for today: Amir Garrett @ TB

The Rays struggle against left-handed pitching and Garrett looked good in his last start. I still believe in his talent, but he is unreliable.

Other potential options include: Mike Montgomery vs SD, Francis Martes @ Oak.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Joe Biagini @ Tex

Biagini has registered quality starts in three of his last four games and averaged six strikeouts and 1.3 walks during those three starts.





 

Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

6 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
yorkie27
6 years ago

Biggest gain by the Brantley injury might be Jose Ramirez – been hitting 3rd in the lineup last few games in front of EE.

2