Roto Riteup: May 26, 2018

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May 26, 2018

The Roto Riteup is heading into the weekend like

On the Agenda:
1. Hanley gets DFA’d
2. Rays/Mariners Trade
3. Various News and Notes (Quick-Hit Style)
4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Hanley gets DFA’d
The Boston Red Sox designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment on Friday following the activation of Dustin Pedroia.


While this might seem like a surprising move on the surface, from a pure team chemistry/business perspective this move was coming at some point. After a blistering April that saw him post a .341/.412/.494 line with three home runs and a pair of stolen bases, Ramirez has found himself struggling of late. He went hitless in his last 21 at-bats and was hitting .163/.200/.300 in the month of May overall. He’s still ranked in the top-5 among first baseman on the ESPN Player Rater, but that has more to do with his four stolen bases than anything else. Fantasy owners in shallow formats should cut bait at the moment, as it’s unclear where he might be headed to next and what his role might be. This is an awful defender who’s attitude has made him a problem at nearly every stop in his career.

The winner of this move is Mitch Moreland. Heading into Friday’s game he was slashing .311/.390/.612 with seven home runs, and decided to join the home run parade the Red Sox held against the Braves for his eighth of the year. The Red Sox slotted him in the clean up spot and should give him somewhat full-time at-bats moving forward. He’s decent against LHP (.680 OPS or better four-straight seasons) and is hitting more fly balls than ever before. He’s never surpassed 23 HR in a season before, but his power metrics are improved and the lineup around him could potentially lead to more opportunities as the season goes on. He’s a viable first base option in just about any format right now.

 

Rays/Mariners Trade
The Rays traded closer Alex Colome and outfielder Denard Span for RHP Andrew Moore and RHP Tommy Romero.


Colome was already struggling in multiple ways thus far – despite improving over the last couple of weeks. There were warning signs after last year, but that’s either here-nor-there. His fantasy value takes a significant tumble, as he’ll assume a set-up role with the Mariners behind Edwin Diaz. He can be dropped in shallow formats. The Rays will likely go with a committee approach at closer, with Chaz Roe and Jose Alvarado being the likely candidates. Ryne Stanek could get some run at some point, but he’s the modern-day version of “Wild Thing.” Span heads to Seattle with four home runs and six stolen bases to go along with a .238/.364/.385 line. Ben Gamel hasn’t been great thus far, but Guillermo Heredia will likely see the bulk of the playing time in center field for the foreseeable future, with Mitch Haniger manning right. That leaves Span getting the majority of his time in the left field more than likely. He’s a deep-league play still, with a slight bump in OBP formats. Tommy Romero wasn’t included in Eric Logenhagen’s prospect list for the Mariners. He was selected in the 15th round last year and has flashed some upside, but he’s not relevant for this season. Andrew Moore is the most coveted piece in this deal for the Rays. A former second round pick in 2015, Moore struggled over 9 GS in the major leagues last year and was sent to Double-A Arkansas to begin the 2018 season (3.04 ERA, 1.03 WHIP). The Rays will start his tenure with them off at Triple-A Durham. There’s no doubt he’ll see starts for them at some point this season, but fantasy owners in keeper/dynasty formats don’t need to get too excited at this point.

 

Various News and Notes (Quick-Hit Style)
Clayton Kershaw is set to throw a simulated game today — it’ll be approximately 60 pitches. According to manager Dave Roberts, if things go well he could be activated on Thursday for a road start against the Phillies. Rich Hill is also expected to throw two-to-three innings as well.

Jeimer Candelario went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his return to the Tigers lineup on Friday. Mikie Mahtook was sent down in a corresponding move. Candelario had a .272/.359/.497 line with five home runs prior to going down with a wrist ailment. He’s worth an add if he was dropped in a deeper-mixed format.

Todd Frazier has yet to resume running in his rehab from a hamstring injury. He’s slightly behind his teammate Yoenis Cespedes in their respective recoveries.

Cardinals president of operations John Mozeliak said he didn’t think there would be an innings limit with Alex Reyes this season. I talked about him yesterday but the advice remains the same, pick him up!


Joe Musgrove held the Cardinals scoreless on five hits over 7 IP (67 pitches, 50 for strikes) in his return to the Pittsburgh rotation. He’s an interesting add in 15-team leagues if he was dropped.

Greg Bird will be activated from the disabled list today, with Tyler Austin being the likely roster casualty. His results during his rehab stint haven’t been spectacular, but he has homered in three-of-his-last-six games – tallying a hit in five of them. His upside is considerable. He should be owned in the majority of leagues.

Paul DeJong will be sidelined for four-to-eight weeks after he had a plate and screws inserted in his injured left wrist. Jedd Gyorko, Yairo Munoz, and Greg Garcia will all continue to get opportunities in his place, with Gyorko obviously being the most relevant.

Darren O’Day has been given a cortisone injection to help speed-up his recovery from a hyperextended elbow. He’ll have to wait a few days before testing things out and starting a throwing regimen. He’s at least a couple weeks away.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter indicated that Mark Trumbo will be placed on the 10-day disabled list due to arthritis and chondromalacia in his right knee. He’s expected to return in relatively short order. Craig Gentry and Joey Rickard will see an uptick in playing time while he’s sidelined. Colby Rasmus has made progress from his hip injury, but he’s still a couple weeks away. Anthony Santander is a candidate to be re-called.

Ronald Guzman went 2-for-4 with a triple and home run on Friday. The home run is only his sixth in 106 at-bats thus far, but it was his fourth in five games (four starts). He’s still making a lousy amount of contact that’s not being hit hard. His GB% doesn’t promote a ton of power and his BA is not going to be much higher than .240 at any point. This is a good stretch, but he’s still a CI in AL-Only leagues at best right now.

Starling Marte is set to possibly be activated today. He went through a workout yesterday, and if everything went well the move will be made. Top prospect Austin Meadows has been an absolutely stellar during Marte’s absence – hitting .448 with 3 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, and 6 R in seven games. Don’t drop Meadows in deeper formats when/if he sent down. If you have him In a shallow league, you’ll probably be forced to drop him, but keep a close eye on things as he’ll be back up a some point.

Gleyber Torres homered in his fourth-straight game on Friday. It’s also his fifth in-his-last six games overall. While he likely won’t hit 30 home runs this season, he’s a solid BA source in a great lineup.

Martin Prado is headed to the 10-day disabled list for “awhile” according to Marlins manager Don Mattingly. Prado himself said the hamstring injury he sustained on Friday could be a “career ender.” He’s droppable in all leagues.

Shelby Miller could start a rehab assignment after completing his third simulated game. He could potentially be back in late-June, early-July.

Orlando Arcia was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs. He’ll be back sometime soon, so keep your eye on his progress. Tyler Saladino received the first start at shortstop, with Eric Sogard and Hernan Perez expected to grab some playing time during Arcia’s absence as well.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports has reported that Daniel Murphy will begin a rehab assignment today.

Troy Tulowitzki has been cleared to run but is still far away from a return as he recovers from off-season surgery on his heels.

Marcus Stroman is expected to throw a bullpen session next week. He’s been out since May 8th with shoulder fatigue.

Miguel Cabrera did some light running on Friday. He’s progressing from his hamstring injury and could be nearing a return in the not-so-distant future. John Hicks has been filling in.

 

Streaming Pitchers
A Pitcher for Today: None

High-Risk Option: Ian Kennedy

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: None

High-Risk Option: Trevor Cahill vs ARI
The ARI offense has the worst wRC+ (57) and K% (27%) as a team this month. Cahill has a 14% SwStr and 8.0 K/9 in May with a 65% GB. His home ballpark helps as well.





 

Fantasy Baseball and Tampa Bay Rays enthusiast. Restaurant manager by day, fantasy analyst by night. Contributor to Rotographs, Baseball HQ, Fantasy Pros, and co-owner of Friends with Fantasy Benefits. Follow me @MikeWernerFWFB.

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feslenraster
5 years ago

Tulo still relevant in real baseball and fantasy?

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Mike Werner
5 years ago
Reply to  feslenraster

Not really.

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