Roto Riteup: May 22, 2013

Today’s Roto Riteup celebrates the birth of T. Boone Pickens, whose home state of Oklahoma could really use some love right now.

On today’s agenda:
1. Carlos Ruiz can’t avoid the DL
2. Samuel Deduno heads to Minnesota
3. Logan Morrison rehabbing
4. Josh Johnson rehabbing

Carlos Ruiz can’t avoid the DL
I mentioned earlier this week that Ruiz likely be heading to the DL due to a hamstring injury, and now it’s official. Ruiz should miss about a month with the injury, which is being labeled as a Grade 2 strain. Ruiz was able to post an expectedly stellar contact rate in his brief time back in the majors, yet his strikeouts rose and his BABIP dipped, leading to a poor batting average. When healthy, Ruiz is a borderline top-14 catcher, but he’s not worth stashing on your bench or wasting a DL spot on should another player on your roster get hurt.

Erik Kratz will continue to fill in for Ruiz while he’s on the DL, and despite some surprise power in a limited sample, Kratz adds nothing to your fantasy team, nor does Humberto Quintero.

Samuel Deduno heads to Minnesota
One of the best starters in the WBC, Deduno has been called up to fill a void in the Twins’ rotation. Deduno started 15 games for the Twins last season, and despite an ERA below 4.50, the right-hander was a below replacement level starter. Deduno induces grounders, but he walks batters far too often to be an effective big leaguer.

Unfortunately for baseball fans, Deduno being promoted means top prospect Kyle Gibson will remain in the minors. Gibson, 25, has put up good results in his 50-plus innings in Triple-A, but he’s on a strict innings limit this year, and most of us “smart” people seem to believe he needs to use a good chunk of those innings in the majors.

Logan Morrison rehabbing
LoMo is starting his rehab assignment in High-A ball, and he smacked a couple hits in his first game. The Marlins are badly in need of anything resembling MLB talent, and with a career wOBA of .341, Morrison would be the leader of the team’s offense. LoMo has far more value in OBP leagues, and of course, he’s more valuable in the outfield in NL-only leagues.

Josh Johnson rehabbing
Like his former Miami colleague, JJ is rehabbing in High-A ball. Johnson struck out five batters in three innings of work, facing 12 batters. Johnson struggled at the MLB level earlier this year, particularly when it came to his command. However, Johnson’s velocity was just fine, and the Blue Jays desperately need his back in the bigs as they look to right the ship. JJ isn’t a top-12 starter anymore, but he’s damn good, and he’s a solid number two when healthy.