Roto Riteup: May 24, 2015

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May 24, 2015

It’s Sunday, so get your lineups in shortly after reading today’s Roto Riteup!

On today’s agenda:
1. David Wright diagnosed with spinal stenosis
2. Various news and notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

David Wright diagnosed with spinal stenosis
Wright was diagnosed with a narrowing of his spinal column yesterday. I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on TV or the internet, but any spine injury sounds super scary. Just doing some reading on basic medial sites, it sounds like this is an issue that cannot be fixed without surgery, though it can be managed and people can work through it.

Wright won’t be reevaluated before early next week, and if I owned him, I’d be looking for a solution for the rest of 2015 while holding out some hope that he’ll return and provide my team a boost.

Various news and notes
– Yan Gomes has been activated from the disabled list by the Cleveland Indians. The Indians — smartly — will not allow him to catch two days in a row to start, so he may not be ready to enter your lineup for a week or two.

– Josh Hamilton will make his 2015 debut for the Texas Rangers tomorrow in Cleveland. Hamilton wasn’t impressive in his AAA rehab assignment, and I’m not convinced he’s more than a DFS option against righties with a mediocre strikeout rate. I hope he does well, though, both in baseball and in life.

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– Yasmani Grandal is headed to the 7-Day concussion DL after being smacked by a backswing on Friday. Concussions for catchers are always scary, so hopefully this is nothing major and he’s back in the next 10 days.

– Anthony Rendon went through a full batting practice yesterday, and is set to rejoin the Nationals around the start of June. Rendon has yet to play this season due to knee and oblique issues, but he was my top-ranked second baseman coming into the year and an easy starter at third base. Coming off two injuries is tough work, though, so curb your expectations somewhat.

Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Tom Koehler vs BAL (Miguel Gonzalez)
The Orioles are powerful, but let’s see how they do in a pitcher’s park without a DH.

A pitcher for tomorrow: David Phelps at PIT (Charlie Morton)
Phelps is far more likely to pitch well enough to pick up a win than Morton, and a struggling Pirates lineup should make things easier on him.





 

Zach is the creator and co-author of RotoGraphs' Roto Riteup series, and RotoGraphs' second-longest tenured writer. You can follow him on twitter.

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TWTW
10 years ago

I have faith in Hamilton. I think the change in scenery will help him. Most of his problems on the field seemed to be mental, not physical.

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Mike W.
10 years ago
Reply to  TWTW

His plate discipline has tumbled badly though, that’s been one of the roots of his struggles, along with the fact he has left his prime (physically).

I think he is worth a shot in deeper leagues or if you need power, since he will be hitting in a solid line up and friendly ballpark, but I am taking a wait and see approach with a sceptical eye. I obviously want him to conquer his demons and I think getting out the toxic situation in Anaheim and going to a team where expectations for him are low will help on and off the field.

Who knows, maybe Hamilton, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder all mash or keep mashing and prove myself and countless other fantasy fans wrong. Be fun if they did, even if I don’t have any shares of them.

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