Roto Riteup: May 21, 2013

Happy birthday to my older sister! Sis, if you read this, I’ll wonder how you stumbled across FanGraphs in the first place.

On today’s agenda:
1. The return of A.J. Pierzynski
2. Closer by committee in Miami
3. Adam Eaton to Triple-A, next stop Arizona?
4. Ryan Vogelsong’s broken hand
5. Carlos Ruiz to the 15-day disabled list

The return of A.J. Pierzynski
The Texas Rangers activated A.J, Pierzynski from the 15-day disabled list yesterday. Though he didn’t make it into the game, having him back is sure to help fantasy owners who are scrambling at catcher. Pierzynski is coming off of last season’s career year and was bound to regress this season, but offers enough to be worthy of a roster spot in deeper leagues. When healthy, he has been predominately hitting sixth or seventh in the lineup and figures to do so going forward. Don’t expect much average — let alone on-base percentage — but A.J. should provide decent counting stats for a catcher given his team and that ballpark. He should be owned in every two-catcher league however he  is a fringe option in standard leagues. One should be able to pick him up in 40% of CBS formats. 50% of Yahoo! leagues, and 70% of ESPN leagues.

Closer by committee in Miami
With Steve Cishek riding out a 4.91 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond has decided to “use everybody” in the closer role. Heading into the ninth up 2-1 over the Philadelphia Phillies, Redmond had Chad Qualls up and warming rather than Cishek. How things play out going forward will no doubt be of interest to fantasy players, so head over to our excellent Bullpen Report for daily news regarding promotions, call ups, and everything else bullpens.

Adam Eaton to Triple-A, next stop Arizona?
For the second time in his rehab, Adam Eaton is playing in Triple-A. Previously he hit a brutal .107/.212/.179 mark in his first go in Reno, but after putting in more work and time in High-A ball, he appears to be ready for a bigger challenge. Make a savvy move and grab Eaton now, as his stock will — most likely — go up from here. He is owned in just 10% of ESPN leagues, 36% of Yahoo! leagues, and 60% of CBS formats. Once Eaton is fully healthy, expect plenty of steals and runs scored from him. He is worth owning right now.

Ryan Vogelsong’s broken hand
After being struck in the hand while batting. Ryan Vogelsong was forced to leave last night’s game. The San Francisco Giants haven’t announced an official rehab schedule yet, trainers believe it will take four to eight weeks recovery time. Though he has been roughed up in the early goings, last night Vogelsong showed improvement by allowing just one walk and four base runners in his five innings of pre-injury work. Standard mixed league owners should feel comfortable dropping him, however deep league or NL-only players should hang onto him in hopes of a speedy recovery and a return to his 2011-2012 self.

Carlos Ruiz to the 15-day disabled list
The Philadelphia Phillies announced their intention to place catcher Carlos Ruiz on the 15-day DL today with a right hamstring strain. Ruiz has appeared in a mere 16 games thus far between his 25 game suspension and now the hamstring injury. Given the nature of his injury, the Phillies believe Ruiz could miss three to four weeks. Like Pierzynski, Ruiz is also coming off a career high in many of his offense numbers, however Ruiz has produced even less this season. If Ruiz can come back in three weeks time and produce his career average numbers, he would be worthy of a roster spot.