Roto Riteup: March 22, 2018

The season is just a week away!!! Current mood:

via GIPHY

 

On the Agenda:

1. Souza Goes Down

2. Conforto Hits Two

3. Various News and Notes

 

Souza Goes Down

Steven Souza left Wednesday’s game with a with a strained right shoulder after landing on it during a diving catch.

VIDEO: This doesn’t look good. Steven Souza Jr. leaves tonight’s game in the 4th inning after diving for a ball in right-center. He appears to have injured his shoulder or arm. #12Sports pic.twitter.com/7iVMGV7MLu

— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) March 22, 2018

Souza will have an MRI on Thursday, but if he is out for long, then Jarrod Dyson figures to grab most of the playing time and is worth a pickup in all formats.

 

Conforto Hits Two

Michael Conforto hit two home runs in a minor league scrimmage on Wednesday. The fact he is now playing at all is pretty impressive as there were reports weeks ago that he may not be ready on schedule, but now it appears he has a chance to be back prior to the original May return date.

 

Various News and Notes

Carlos Carrasco left Wednesday’s game with a foot contusion after being hit with a comebacker. He is considered day-to-day at this time, but it does not appear to be serious at the moment.

David Phelps is headed for Tommy John Surgery after tearing his UCL in a game over the weekend according to the Seattle Mariners. This will end his season before it began.

According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Johan Camargo will begin the season on the DL with a strained oblique. He will likely miss about two-three weeks of the season and Rio Ruiz figures to get the majority of the time at the hot corner until Camargo returns.

Giovanny Urshela will likely begin the year on the DL with a hamstring strain that he suffered on Monday. According to Paul Hoynes, Urshla will miss around 10-14 days before returning to the Indians.

A.J. Puk will be shut down after experiencing bicep soreness according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. An MRI showed no structural damage on Wednesday. He is considered day-to-day at this time. Puk is one of the top pitching prospects in the game and has great stuff, but this injury is concerning. If healthy, he could join the A’s rotation sometime this season, even as early as mid-April after the A’s have gained another year of control.

Manager Rick Renteria stated that Carson Fulmer will likely start the season as the team’s fifth starter. Fulmer is a former first round pick who looked decent at times in his cup of coffee with the White Sox last season. However, he has serious control problems that leads to walks and home runs. He is likely suited for the bullpen long term, but the White Sox aren’t playing for anything during their rebuild and will give him a shot to see if he can figure it out at the Major League level.