Roto Riteup: June 22, 2016

Since getting hit in the unmentionables by a ground ball on June 12, Juan Uribe has hit home runs in four consecutive games. Ask your closest friend to rip a short-hopper into your groin at the next opportunity and you, too, can smash homers.

On the agenda:
1. Tigers juggle rotation
2. Braves can’t catch a break, Smith can
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Tigers juggle rotation
The Tigers will give Daniel Norris the call for Thursday’s afternoon game against the Mariners and then add Anibal Sanchez back into the rotation on the weekend. The net product there is that the Tigers will now roll with a six-man rotation, at least temporarily, and it would seem part of the reason is to keep the surging Michael Fulmer’s innings modest (he’s at 74.2 this year and threw just 124.2 last year and 98.2 the year prior). Norris has pitched far better than his 4.68 Triple-A ERA would suggest and has been picking up steam, while Sanchez looked a little better in 9.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing a .277 wOBA despite poor strikeout numbers. Monday is Detroit’s only off-day in a 31-day stretch, so adding an extra arm ahead of the All-Star break, even if it belongs to Sanchez, makes sense.

Braves can’t catch a break, Smith can
Just when the Braves finally had a bit of a bright spot in their moribund season, Mallex Smith fractures his left thumb. The 23-year-old is set to miss 8-to-10 weeks of action, with owners in seven percent of leagues having Antonio Bastardo to blame. Smith isn’t a massive fantasy loss, or anything, but the rookie was beginning to get on base enough for his speed to materialize. He stole 14 bases with a .312 OBP in 58 games overall, and the numbers are more impressive (.338 OBP, 12-of-17 stealing, 110 wRC+) if the window is narrowed to exclude a pretty terrible initial few weeks. He’s a guy I like for the contact-speed profile long-term, but you can probably move on for now if your format has restrictive DL rules.

Various News and Notes
Updating some items from yesterday: The Nationals aren’t too concerned about Stephen Strasburg’s sore back and think he could make his next start on the weekend; Jose Reyes “desperately longs” for a return to the Mets, who will hold a workout for Yulieski Guerriel soon; Jose Bautista is down at least two more weeks due to turf toe; Steve Pearce is out three weeks with a hamstring issue.

Bartolo Colon left Tuesday’s game after taking a liner off the thumb. Big Sexy’s X-rays were negative (Sex-rays were extremely positive, however) and the team will see how the swelling is before making a call on his next start. They had already bumped Noah Syndergaard’s start from yesterday to today due to a high pitch count his last time out, and Zack Wheeler’s return has now been pushed back due to elbow discomfort. Woof.

Starling Marte was helped off the field due to a foot injury on Tuesday, with the team only calling the issue foot discomfort (but ask Bautista about that). He’s set to be reevaluated Wednesday.

I love Major League, and the Indians obviously have first claim, so Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli (<3) adding a Jobu shrine is something you can count me in for. The only issue I have is that the Orioles’ relievers all also have (or at least, had, at spring training) Jobu dolls in their lockers. The Orioles have the No. 4 bullpen ERA and the Indians the No. 10 wRC+, so maybe there’s something here.

Now, if maybe Jobu could help Michael Brantley out? Brantley suffered a setback in his recovery from right shoulder surgery (he has biceps tendinitis), requiring a cortisone shot. He remains out indefinitely.

Yasiel Puig came off the DL and played for the first time since June 2. Keep an eye on how the Dodgers handle the outfield in the coming days – Trayce Thompson is likely moving back to a platoon role, despite Dave Roberts’ earlier claims he could be an everyday guy.

On a slightly personal note, I made a TV appearance yesterday discussing Whit Merrifield, Peter O’Brien, and a few others, and I’d love some feedback on how I did (I don’t have a ton of experience on-screen).

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: Daniel Mengden vs MIL (Junior Guerra)
The moustache. It’s really just that. Impossible not to root for. And through two starts, Daniel Mengden has looked solid, striking out 12 batters in 12 innings. The 23-year-old moved through the system quickly, never spending 50 innings at the same level in the same season, but the track record suggests there’s a fair amount to like here. Factor in that he draws the Brewers, a bottom-third offense with the fourth-worst road ISO in the league, and the four-percent owned arm seems a worthy gamble.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Jerad Eickhoff @ MIN (Tommy Milone)
Literally anyone but James Shields. Jerad Eickhoff may be just outside the edge of streamability at 42-percent ownership, but if he’s around, he’s the best bet for kicking the tires. The owner of a 3.49 ERA and sub-4 peripherals, Eickhoff’s striking out just over 20 percent of opposing batters and draws a Twins team that ranks in the bottom third of the league in wRC+. If you have to go lower ownership, maybe Christian Friedrich can make do in Cincinnati.