Roto Riteup: March 15th, 2012

With the 2012 season just a few short weeks away, it’s time for the return of the Roto Riteup to the RotoGraphs lineup. If you were not reading the site late last season, this will be new to you. And you will enjoy it.

Now, onto the notes for the day:

–  Yesterday I mentioned that Salvador Perez had injured his knee but the severity was still unknown. The severity of the injury is now fully known, and the Royals catcher is going to miss about two months after tearing his right meniscus. Perez wasn’t being drafted highly, but he was well owned in AL-only and keeper leagues.

–  Brayan Pena is going to replace Perez in the lineup while he’s recovering from surgery. The 29-year-old catcher has good contact skills, but he doesn’t have much in the way of power. Being able to hit from both sides of the plate is a definite plus, but don’t expect anything more than a passable batting average from Perez.

–  Tim Hudson has been cleared by doctors to being full workouts now. Hudson was originally scheduled to return to the big leagues sometime around May 1st, but now there is a good chance he returns before then. Hudson may not be a fantasy ace due to his low-strikeout rate, but he’s still good for a good ERA and WHIP when healthy. If owners let him slip into the last round of your draft or the waiver wire, feel free to pick him up and stash him on the DL.

–  Josh Hamilton jammed his heel yesterday, but the injury is not thought to be anything serious. With Hamilton, you’ve got to be more worried about injuries popping up and stealing a month or two, but this doesn’t appear to be the one.

A Pitcher For Today/Tomorrow
During the season, you’ll be finding recommendations for starters you could stream for the day after the notes, but this being spring training, I’m going to assume you aren’t playing some strange high-stakes spring fantasy game.

If you have anything in particular you’d like to see in this year’s Roto Riteup, please say so in the comments. Feedback is appreciated.