Roto Riteup — Presented by DraftKings: April 17, 2014

This morning’s Roto Riteup lacks the Thursday staple of arbitrary endpoints, simply because they’re not as much fun with only a few weeks to dive into.

On today’s agenda:
1. Nick Franklin arrives in Seattle
2. Joe Kelly hurt
3. What Zach expects from George Spring
4. James Jones up in Seattle…for now
5. The Funky Five

Nick Franklin arrives in Seattle
After losing a “battle” with Brad Miller in Spring Training and struggling down the stretch last year, Franklin was optioned to Triple-A. Once his stint back in the minors began, he saw to it that every ball thrown to him was crushed with the abandon of someone more reckless than he. Franklin made his way to the Mariners yesterday when the team was forced to place Logan Morrison on the DL.

Franklin wasn’t called up to sit on the bench, and he started at DH in yesterday’s game against the Rangers. Franklin should be expected to play some second, short, third, outfield, and DH while up in the bigs, giving guys the day off while keeping his potentially useful bat in the lineup. The Mariners offense has stagnated, and maybe the slim switch-hitter can help get it going again. Expect a better performance than the one we saw at the end of last year, but nothing outstanding or otherworldly.

Joe Kelly hurt
Kelly may need to see some time on the disabled list after screwing up his hammy while covering first base the other day. It sounds as if Tyler Lyons is the obvious replacement, but may this author humbly suggest at least a few starts for Carlos Martinez?

What Zach expects from George Springer
Whimsy.

James Jones up in Seattle…for now
With starter Blake Beaven injuring himself in his 2014 debut the other night, the Mariners have called up outfield prospect Jones to fill his roster spot, but likely only for a few days. Jones is likely to be sent back down once the Ms have the need for a 5th starter, and odds are he’ll just be used as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner in the meantime. A former pitcher, the athletic Jones has posted some solid minor league numbers, but he’s never been young for his level, and chances are he won’t see a real shot at the bigs before Spring 2015.

Replacing Beaven is going to be hard for the Ms, as he was already a replacement for the three other starters they have wilting on the DL. Brandon Maurer is an easy name to bring up, and he could very well get another shot at the bigs until Hisashi Iwakuma returns in a couple weeks.

The Funky Five

SP: Danny Salazar, $8,300
So much fun.

SP: Hyun-jin Ryu, $8,500
Eh.

1B: Prince Fielder, $4,300
Erasmo Ramirez hasn’t looked great over his last two starts.

SS: Brad Miller, $3,800
Tanner Scheppers has a solid fastball, but Miller likes the hard stuff.

OF: Marlon Byrd, $4,200
Alex Wood can have some uh-ohs, and those don’t do that well in Philly.

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