Roto Riteup: May 17, 2023

Ownage:

On the Agenda: 

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

 

Closer Chaos

Hunter Harvey blew the save on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs in the loss to the Marlins. Brandon Finnegan worked a scoreless eighth inning in the game. The Nationals bullpen has been a nightmare and there aren’t a ton of wins to close out, so it is probably best to steer clear of this mess. 

Wandy Peralta threw a scoreless inning versus the Blue Jays, allowing just one walk to register the save on Tuesday.  Peralta has now gotten three of the last four saves for the Yankees. It still may be committee, but it sure looks like Peralta is the lead dog for the Bronx Bombers.

 

Quick Hits

Jazz Chisholm was placed on the IL with turf toe. This doesn’t sound super serious, so hopefully it is close to being a minimum stay. The move is retroactive to May 14th. 

Wade Miley left his start on Tuesday with a lat injury. Consider him day-to-day for now, but this sounds like he could be heading to the IL. 

Vlad Guerrero Jr left Tuesday’s game with knee soreness. He is expected to undergo further testing on Wednesday. Consider him day-to-day at this time. 

Josh Naylor left Tuesday’s game with a leg issue. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Various News and Notes
Brandon Williamson threw 5.2 innings in Colorado versus the Rockies, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out six in the no-decision on Tuesday.

Williamson made his Major League debut and was pretty stellar getting a 35% CSW on his cutter and a 32% CSW overall. He threw five different kinds of pitches and none of them more than 32% of the time. He does struggle with control and command which makes him a pretty risky bet moving forward considering he pitches in Great American Ballpark, but this was a nice start to Williamson’s career.

Dane Dunning threw six innings versus the Braves on Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits and no walks while striking out four in the victory.

Dunning has been fantastic this season, throwing 37.1 innings with a 1.69 ERA. He has made a conscious choice to be more aggressive in the zone and not walk hitters, and it has paid off well for him. You won’t get many strikeouts from him, but the Rangers offense offers a lot of win potential and he is a great ratio asset.

Matt Mervis went 2-for-4 with a home run in the loss to the Astros on Tuesday.

Mervis has struggled since his call up, but this game brought his average up to .250 and while his strikeout rate has been high, Mervis has shown good strike zone control in the minor leagues. Some people were already talking about dropping him after his first week and if they do, it is going to be a mistake.

Matthew Liberatore is expected to make his season debut for the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Liberatore has been fantastic in AAA, throwing 46 innings with a 3.13 ERA and 56 strikeouts. He is a former top prospect that has struggled in the minors and during his brief call up last year in the Majors, but had a velocity spike this season and looked electric according to scouting reports. He will be this week’s big FAAB target for a lot of people.

Ryan Noda went 1-for-3 with a grand slam in the victory over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Noda was a Rule 5 pick for the A’s over the winter and has shown a really nice approach at the plate and power. However, the A’s have yet to let him play every day and the lack of regular playing time prevents him from reaching a pretty tantalizing ceiling. He may be a guy that gets more playing time after the All-Star Break once the Athletics deal a lot of their older players at the trade deadline.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Matthew Liberatore vs MIL

Liberatore is making his season debut and has been fantastic in the minors this season. 

High Risk Options: Mike Clevinger vs CLE, Brayan Bello vs SEA, Kyle Bradish vs LAA, Rich Hill at DET, Ryne Nelson at OAK, Peyton Battenfield at CHW. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: None

Really short slate with very few options.

High Risk Options: Tylor Megill vs TB, Tyler Anderson at BAL, Trevor Williams at MIA.

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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Scotty Gmember
10 months ago

Reports are 4-6 weeks for Jazz Chisholm, so not a minimum stay on the IL. https://www.mlb.com/news/jazz-chisholm-jr-injured-list-turf-toe