Roto Riteup: May 1, 2024

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May 1, 2024

MLB bee crazy right now:

On the Agenda: 

 

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

 

Closer Chaos

Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Twins to register his first save of the season in the victory over the White Sox on Tuesday. Duran was activated from the IL and thrown right back into the closer role. If you were rostering any other Twins relievers for saves, you can safely drop them. 

 

Quick Hits

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Nolan Jones was placed on the IL with a back strain. Jones has been nursing a back issue for most of the season and will get a chance to get right. There is no timetable for his return. 

Jose Abreu was optioned by the Astros on Tuesday. Abreu has struggled mightily again this season and with the struggles as a team, they didn’t have the option to keep him in the lineup. He is droppable in all formats. 

Yariel Rodriguez was placed on the IL with a spine issue. There is no timetable for his return. 

Mike Trout will undergo surgery on his knee to repair his meniscus. This was pretty surprising as there hadn’t been prior news that there was even an issue. Meniscus injuries can have a pretty varied recovery timetable depending on the severity of the injury and surgery, so we need to wait for more information on how long he will be out for. 

Kevin Pillar signed a contract with the Angels. He will likely be a defensive replacement while Trout is out. 

Gary Sanchez left Tuesday’s game with a hamstring issue. The issue was characterized as tightness, so it appears it may have been precautionary. Consider him day-to-day at this time. 

 

Various News and Notes

Joey Loperfido went 1-for-5 with an RBI in his Major League debut.

Loperfido is a really interesting prospect that has shown some pop and speed in the minor leagues, but struggled this year and last with strikeouts in AAA. If he is playing regularly, then he could have some value in the middle of the Astros powerful lineup, but it is hard to know how much of an opportunity this will be.

Tyler Black went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the victory over the Rays on Tuesday.

Black is another interesting prospect who was hitting .303/.393/.525 with five home runs and three stolen bases in AAA this season. In 2023, he stole 55 bases and hit 18 home runs between two levels. Interestingly, he hit fourth in the lineup today which means he could be in line for a really interesting opportunity with the Brewers. There is a lot of upside in Black and he is worth speculating on in most formats.

Michael Massey went 1-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Blue Jays on Tuesday

Massey has not been great since returning from the IL, but he is playing regularly and he showed a lot of skills growth in the second half of last season. He is a deeper league guy right now, but someone to monitor even in shallower formats.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: None

Some really interesting high risk options, but none that feel great.

High Risk Options: Kenta Maeda vs STL, Graham Ashcraft at SD, Jose Butto vs CHC, Miles Mikolas at DET, Trevor Williams at TEX, Quinn Priester at OAK. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Ben Brown at NYM

Brown is a bit of a risk in terms of being able to go five, but I have been impressed by the rookie enough to roll the dice against a mediocre team in a good park. 

High Risk Options: Peter Lambert at MIA, Mitchell Parker at HOU. 

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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TheBabboMember since 2019
1 year ago

Tyler Black hit third (not fourth) as an injury replacement for Gary Sanchez, who left the game with a hamstring issue following his first AB.

5
Justin MasonFanGraphs Staff
1 year ago
Reply to  TheBabbo

Thank you! I didn’t catch that

0
TheBabboMember since 2019
1 year ago
Reply to  Justin Mason

But he is starting and hitting fourth today (Wednesday).

0