Roto Riteup: June 9, 2023

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June 9, 2023

A replay of my first softball game of the season:

 

On the Agenda: 

  1. Closer Chaos
  2. Quick Hits
  3. Various News and Notes
  4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Closer Chaos

Kendall Graveman threw a scoreless inning on Thursday versus the Yankees, allowing one hit and a walk to register the save for the White Sox. Graveman has been really good, but it was largely expected that Liam Hendriks would take over the job in Chicago once he returned. However, while Hendriks got the previous save, he did not pitch in either game of the double header on Thursday. This seems like it may be a committee for now, but I would expect Hendriks to take over complete control of the role at some point. 

 

Quick Hits

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Noah Syndergaard was placed on the IL with a blister. While the issue should not keep him out long, there is uncertainty as to whether he will have a rotation spot once he returns considering how poorly has pitched. 

Jorge Polanco was removed from Thursday’s game with a hamstring issue. The Twins called it tightness, so hopefully he won’t miss much time. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Yordan Alvarez left Thursday’s game with an oblique injury. The Astros did not sound encouraged following the game. These injuries typically take 4-6 weeks to recover from, so if he does hit the IL, expect him to miss some time. 

Kevin Kiermaier left Thursday’s game with a wrist injury. X-rays were negative so it appears he avoided serious injury. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Alex Cobb left Thursday’s start with hip tightness. This sounds like it was mostly precautionary, so consider him day-to-day for now. 

Eloy Jimenez left Thursday’s game with a leg injury. 

There was no update on his condition following the game. Consider him day-to-day for now.

 

Various News and Notes
Nolan Jones went 3-for-3 with a stolen base in the loss to the Giants on Thursday.

Jones has been fantastic since his call up, hitting .366/.395/.610 with two home runs and three stolen bases in 12 games. While he is still striking out at a decent amount, he has a good swinging strike rate and he is making decent in zone contact. If he can continue to make that contact, he could stick with the Major League club and be a big power asset the rest of the way.

Will Brennan went 2-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Red Sox on Thursday.

Brennan is hitting .267 with four home runs and five stolen bases this year in 155 plate appearances. He is playing every day right now and is hitting .303 with three home runs and three stolen bases since the beginning of May. He isn’t going to hit for a ton of power, but he can be a big boost for batting average with some power and speed.

Francisco Alvarez went two for five with two home runs in the loss to the Braves on Thursday.

Alvarez went from really cold recently to very hot with three homers in his last two games. There is a ton of power in the bat and the Mets have committed to him being a regular player in the lineup. He needs to make more consistent contact, but if he can even make league average contact, he has the talent to be a top 5-7 catcher.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Adrian Houser vs OAK

Houser has pitched well as of late and has a nice matchup. 

High Risk Options: Michael Lorenzen vs ARI, Garrett Whitlock at NYY, Trevor Megill at PIT, Michael Grove vs PHI, Daniel Lynch at BAL.

Pitcher for Tomorrow:  J.P. France at CLE

France has been really good in his last outings and now gets a bad Cleveland offense. 

High Risk Options:  Kyle Freeland vs SD, Jared Shuster vs WAS, Julio Teheran vs OAK, Brady Singer at BAL, Ryne Nelson at DET. 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from my recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”





 

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.

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vslykeMember since 2020
2 years ago

Re Hendriks: apparently the smoke was a consideration given his recent cancer treatment. I wouldn’t read much into Graveman (barely) getting the save yesterday.

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