Roto Riteup: June 28, 2016

Kris Bryant is refusing to change his ripped pants following his three home run, 5-for-5 night.

Kris Bryant vows to keep wearing torn pants after record-setting night https://t.co/Rq4WeYYl1K by @MDGonzales pic.twitter.com/SwOAagYW65

— ChicagoSports (@ChicagoSports) June 28, 2016

Kris Bryant, as it turns out, is a blogger. He just happens to hit a lot of home runs when he rips his pants.

On the agenda:
1. Giolito arrives
2. Pending farewell to arms
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Giolito arrives
The Washington Nationals will call up Lucas Giolito to make his major-league debut in place of the injured Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday. The team’s top prospect and maybe the top pitching prospect in all of baseball, Giolito makes the jump straight from Double-A, where he’s fashioned a 3.17 ERA and 3.23 ERA through 14 starts this season. Still just 21 years old, Giolito’s been dealing with a bit of a control issue (a 10.9-percent walk rate) but projects to post at least a decent strikeout rate out of the gate. It may be a little premature to jump aboard the Giolito train and expect fantasy contributions – Dusty Baker admitted he could probably use more “seasoning” – but as far as landing spots go, the Mets and their sputtering offense aren’t a bad one. This is a lot of fun, and Giolito’s already been scooped up in 54 percent of leagues. (It’s probably n

Pending farewell to arms
Noah Syndergaard is denying a report that he may have bone spurs in his elbow, insisting that there’s nothing structurally wrong and that his arm “feels really good.” Considering his last start was bumped a day and then cut short due to elbow discomfort and he then threw his worst start of the season on Monday, this is all a little concerning. At the very least, his velocity has remained stable.

Speaking of bone spurs, Steven Matz could undergo surgery to treat one. The Mets are saying he doesn’t have structural damage, either, but he remains on the shelf and the team is reportedly debating having him pitch through pain or going under the knife to clean it up. Matz’ status for Wednesday’s start is up in the air.

And hey, since everything sucks, Clayton Kershaw is undergoing treatment for back discomfort, something he’s been dealing with on and off. Kershaw’s still expected to start Friday and has been, you know, Kershaw, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Various News and Notes
In a little bit of good news for the Mets, Brandon Nimmo hit the first hit of his career. Marc Hulet is lukewarm on Nimmo as a near-term fantasy asset, which I’d tend to agree with given the relative lack of speed and power for an outfield piece. The OBP profile is really strong, though.

Trevor Rosenthal is officially out as the Cardinals’ closer. Benjamin Pasinkoff has you covered in the Bullpen Report.

Getting chewed out on the field by Dustin Pedroia wasn’t the worst thing to happen to Eduardo Rodriguez on Monday. He was also optioned to Triple-A after getting absolutely pasted by the Rays, to the tune of nine runs over 2.2 innings. That means he won’t have the chance to turn this sophomore slump into comeback of the year. The 23-year-old had a fun rookie season last year but an inability to miss bats, an increased walk rate, and trouble keeping the ball in the park have conspired together to create an 8.59 ERA with peripherals that are better but still unsightly (6.93 FIP, 5.74 xFIP).

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: Julio Urias @ MIL (Chase Anderson)
Ubaldo Jimenez is the low-owned arm with the highest SaberSim projection, but I’m not quite ready to roll the dice on him, even with that strikeout rate and at Petco. Instead, I’ll tap the 39-percent owned Julio Urias, who’s put together four strong, if abbreviated, starts in a row. The Brewers are middling (87 wRC+) against lefties and strike out plenty, and they don’t threaten to make up for it with any elite power at home (an average .171 ISO).

A pitcher for tomorrow: Archie Bradley vs PHI (Zach Eflin)
Since returning from the DL in late May, Archie Bradley has with control and, until his two most recent starts, the long-ball. He’s also struck out nearly a quarter of batters. More importantly, he draws the Phillies, owners of a 78 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers and maybe the least likely lineup in baseball to exploit his control problems. This should be a good test for the sophomore.