Roto Riteup: June 5, 2016

French Open finals. Morning baseball. NBA Finals. Today’s Roto Riteup celebrates a fine day in the sports world.

On the agenda:
1. James Shields traded to White Sox
2. Two Super-Twos
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

James Shields traded to White Sox
We have our first major trade of the season, as Shields is headed to Chicago to join Chris Sale and Jose Quintana in the rotation. In return, the Padres will receive Erik Johnson and Fernando Tatis, Jr. Shields’ only real problem as a pro has been that he’s homer prone, and moving to Chicago will only exacerbate that issue. While he was able to survive the AL East for many moons, aging has not been kind, and he’ll no longer be able to strike out or walk batters at the same rate as he did before. The White Sox didn’t give much up for a reason, and it’s not just because of the contract. Shields is still an innings eater, but if they’re expecting him to be anything more than that, they’re SOL. I don’t want to say he’s a poor option in mixed leagues — nostalgia, you see — but that’s what it’s come to.

Two Super-Twos
With the Super-Two mark basically upon us, we could start seeing an influx of top prospects in the coming weeks. One who is knocking on the door is Alex Bregman. The Astros need some help at third base, and the number two pick in last year’s draft is ready to go. Bregman still hasn’t advanced to Triple-A, but he’s walked more times than he’s struck out in his minor league career, and has 12 homers through 41 games in Double-A.

Another top prospect who is on the verge is Cody Reed of the Cincinnati Reds. Reed has a sub-3.50 ERA and sub-1.20 WHIP this year in Triple-A, and was a dominant force in Double-A towards the end of last year. Reed has given up a homer in each of his past three starts, but the Reds likely won’t be deterred in a lost season.

Various News and Notes
Stephen Strasburg gave everyone a scare last night, struggling a bit and then leaving his start with an injury. Turns out, though, it was just cramping and he should be in tip-top shape come his next trip to the hill.

In the same game, Adam Duvall hit his sixteenth homer of the season, the second most in the NL behind Nolan Arenado.

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: Drew Smyly at MIN (Tyler Duffey)
You won’t be able to stream Smyly in traditional leagues, but he’ll be worth the price in DFS action.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Jon Niese vs NYM (Steven Matz)
Niese will face his former club for the first time, and will have the luxury of being at home where the power of Yo can be mildly suppressed.