Roto Riteup: May 2, 2025

Still in awe over this catch:

On the Agenda: 

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

 

Closer Chaos

Justin Martinez was placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation. With Martinez and AJ Puk out, the Diamondbacks will likely turn to Shelby Miller, but Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson could factor into the equation. 

 

Quick Hits

Kyle Higaashioka was placed on the IL with an intercostal strain. There is no timetable for his return. 

Sal Perez left Thursday’s game with hip soreness. This doesn’t sound too serious. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Tyler Fitzgerald was placed on the IL with a fractured rib. He states that he is hoping to be back in two weeks, but that sounds ambitious. Brett Wisely was recalled from AAA to replace him on the roster. 

Various News and Notes

Maikel Garcia went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases in the victory over the Rays on Thursday.

Garcia has been one of the bright spots on the Royals. He is hitting .296/.353/.435 with two home runs and seven stolen bases. He is hitting the ball hard and making a lot of contact while increasing his walk rate. He could be a 15/45 guy this season if he can continue to get on base at a high rate.

Sean Burke threw six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out five in the victory versus the Brewers on Thursday.

Burke ran into some trouble in the first innings but was bailed out by a grand slam robbing catch from Luis Robert Jr.

Other than the trouble in the first, Burke was great, throwing his fastball, slider and curve for a 30+% CSW and mixing them well. The stuff can be pretty good when he is commanding it well, but he has struggled with that this season. He is mostly a streamer in deeper leagues, but this was a step in the right direction.

Jhonkensy Noel went 1-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Twins on Thursday.

Noel has struggled this season, hitting .186/.210/.305 with two home runs this season. However, he is starting to play more for the Guardians and he has a ton of power. He won’t fully unlock it until he makes more consistent contact, but if he can, then he could be a massive power source.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: None

Not a lot of great options that are available. 

High Risk Options: Gunnar Hoglund at MIA, Logan T. Allen at TOR, Ben Brown at MIL, Valente Bellozo vs ATH. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Tomoyuki Sugano vs KC

Suguano has pitched well in spite of not having great underlying numbers. He has a nice matchup at home so he should be able to keep it going here. 

High Risk Options: Jordan Hicks vs COL, Zach Littell at NYY, Osvaldo Bido at MIA, Patrick Corbin vs SEA, Ryan Feltner at SF. 

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.”