Roto Riteup: May 7, 2024

Imagine this happening today:

New York Giants star Willie Mays plays stickball with the neighborhood kids in Harlem! (1954) #MLB #NYC #Baseball #Legend #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/VINUTM7F1f

— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) May 7, 2024

On the Agenda: 

1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
2. Closer Chaos
3. Quick Hits
4. Various News and Notes
5. Streaming Pitchers

 

Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest

On most Tuesday’s and Friday’s and some other days, Paul Sporer and I will be doing a $5 draftkings game for anyone that is interested. 

 

Closer Chaos

Alex Vesia threw a scoreless ninth inning versus the Marlins to register the save for the Dodgers. Vesia entered the game in large part as a matchup play, but this may be indicative of what the Dodgers will do with Evan Phillips on the IL. While Blake Treinen and Daniel Hudson are expected to be in play for saves in LA, it is much more likely that the Dodgers play matchups until Phillips returns. 

 

Quick Hits

Steven Kwan was placed on the IL with a hamstring tightness. Kyle Manzardo was called up to take his place on the roster. Manzardo is a top prospect for the Guardians that has a great hit tool and average to above average power as a first baseman. He will likely be a top FAAB pick up this weekend. 

Wyatt Langford was placed on the IL with a hamstring strain. He is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with the injury. 

Joe Boyle was placed on the IL with a back strain. There is no timetable for his return.

 

Various News and Notes

Triston McKenzie threw five innings versus the Tigers on Monday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six in the outing.

Triston McKenzie, Pretty 80mph Curveball. 🌈

5th K pic.twitter.com/w0kaoSQn5v

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 6, 2024

McKenzie really relied on his fastball in this outing, throwing it 57% of the time, but also only had a 14% whiff rate. There was a report earlier in the season that he is pitching with a torn UCL and while that is concerning, the results have been better in his last four outings. This is one that you probably just ride with until the elbow gives out, but it does just feel like a matter of time.

Johnny DeLuca went 2-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the White Sox on Monday.

Jonny DeLuca – Tampa Bay Rays (1)
pic.twitter.com/LUItABS8IU

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) May 7, 2024

DeLuca missed the beginning of the season with an injury, but has hit the ground running since joining the team last week. He was a prospect of interest when on the Dodgers, but was blocked from making a major impact in the Majors. If he can get regular playing time in Tampa, he could be very interesting, but with Josh Lowe returning yesterday as well, it is hard to figure where the playing could come from.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Kenta Maeda at CLE

Maeda has been better as of late and I am not super afraid of the Guardians lineup. 

High Risk Options: Jose Butto at STL, Colin Rea at KC, Patrick Sandoval at PIT, Emerson Hancock at TB, Trevor Williams vs BAL, Quinn Priester vs LAA. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Jose Soriano at PIT

This has some risk because of Soriano’s control, but he has amazing stuff and Pittsburgh is scuffling. 

High Risk Options: Graham Ashcraft vs ARI, Martin Perez vs LAA, Jose Quintana at STL, Chris Paddack vs SEA, JP Sears vs TEX, Michael Lorenzen at OAK, Jack Leiter at OAK. 

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.”