Roto Riteup: June 7, 2013

Being the StarCraft fan (read: nerd) that the present author is, the onus of informing the masses about the ongoing World Championship Series Finals falls upon these narrow shoulders. Check out arguably the best StarCraft II players in the world as they compete for their share of the $150,000 prize pool. If you have any free time this weekend, please take some of it and watch any one of free available HD streams.

On today’s agenda:
1. Will Middlebrooks‘ uncertain future
2. Daniel Descalso’s hot streak
3. Assorted roster moves

Will Middlebrooks‘ uncertain future
Everyone’s future is uncertain, however for Will Middlebrooks, his immediate future in the majors could be up in the air. While he is rehabbing his knee in Triple-A, the Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell hinted that Middlebrooks may stay in Triple-A after he is healthy. With third base a pretty desolate scene, any extra time that Middlebrooks spends in the minors will be frustrating to owners. On the other hand, his .201/.234/.429 line wasn’t soothing the mind of fantasy owners either.  In re-draft leagues, if someone inquires about him, Middlebrooks should be available to discuss and trade. He isn’t that hot of a commodity at this point. Naturally, keeper leagues should be a bit more hesitant to move him.

Daniel Descalso’s hot streak
After yesterday’s 3-for-5 performance that included his third homer of the year, Daniel Descalso continues to crank out hits. Since May 21 (arbitrary alert!) Descalso has 14 hits in 12 games and has raised his triple slash to .274/.339/.443. Mix in his four steals and baby, you’ve got a stew going. With second base, third base, and the all important shortstop eligibility, Descalso is worthy of being owned in deeper leagues, at least while he is hot. Descalso generally hits lower in the order so his counting stats will be low, though as a shortstop, he is more than a warm body. He fits better as a MI than as your starting SS, however Descalso’s current .337 wOBA is better than the likes of Ian Desmond, J.J. Hardy, Jimmy Rollins, and Asdrubal Cabrera. Not to say that Descalso will continue to outperform those names, but what he has accomplished to date is worth recognizing.

Assorted roster moves
Texas Rangers – Mitch Moreland was placed on the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain and Chris Mcguiness was called up to fill in for Moreland. Manager Ron Washington made it be known that Mcguiness and not Lance Berkman will be playing first base for the majority of the time that Moreland is out. Mcguiness has 26 extra-base hits in 228 plate appearances in Triple-A thus far, though the vast majority of those, 19 to be exact, have been doubles. Expect him to draw some walks and hit a few doubles, but Mcguiness shouldn’t be a game changer. With the replacement level for 1B/CI so high, Mcguiness is probably best left to the waiver wire.

Chicago White Sox – Jake Peavy hit the DL with a broken rib and will be sidelined for four to six weeks. The good news is that it isn’t an elbow or shoulder injury, so silver linings and whatnot. The club called up Deunte Heath and Ramon Troncoso to help with any needed bullpen help and Hector Santiago will take Peavy’s rotation slot. None are worth a second look for almost any fantasy league. Neither Heath nor Troncoso should see any save chances and Santiago’s walks are too much to trust him right now.

San Diego Padres – The Padres welcomed back Cameron Maybin yesterday, but said “see you later” to Yonder Alonso after placing him on the 15-day DL with a right hand contusion. Maybin being back is great for those looking for steals as he is the fast type and easy to pick up. There is an ex-girlfriend joke in there somewhere. Maybin is owned in just 13% of ESPN leagues, 14% of Yahoo! leagues, and 21% of CBS formats.

Bonus: Andrew Cashner had another “meh” performance yesterday. A NotGraphs open letter of encouragement may be on the way to him soon.