Roto Riteup — Presented by DraftKings: August 7, 2014

I wish all Roto Riteup readers a tolerable Thursday, since that all we can really hope for. — April Winchell, sort of.

On today’s agenda:
1. Troy Tulowitzki takes BP
2. Josh Tomlin demoted to bullpen
3. Fun with arbitrary endpoints
4. The Feisty Five

Troy Tulowitzki takes BP
Tulo took batting practice with the Rockies before yesterday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, his first baseball activity since hitting the DL with a hip injury. Colorado still won’t give us a timetable on Tulo’s return, but there’s some hope that he could back in a couple weeks time, though I’m not holding my breath. If all goes well, Tulo should certainly be back before September, and he’ll give your club a big boost if you happen to be lucky enough to have him on the DL.

Josh Tomlin demoted to bullpen
After getting booted in the fifth inning against the Reds on Tuesday, the Indians are sending Tomlin down to the bullpen. Tomlin threw a complete game shutout against the Mariners on June 28, but he has an ERA over 7.00 in five starts since, giving up seven dingers in 26.2 innings. In those innings, he’s also struck out 24 batters compared to two walks, but those numbers are just window dressing if opponents are crushing the ball.

Carlos Carrasco is likely to take Tomlin’s spot, though nothing has been announced yet. Carrasco has taken well to the bullpen this year in Cleveland, and although I love the potential he could bring to the table, the rotation hasn’t suited him well in the past. Carrasco has spun 246.2 innings as a starter with an ERA of 5.66. Carrasco has always been solid against righties, and while he’s improved against southpaws while in the bullpen, it’s nothing impressive enough to suggest that he’ll hold off lefties while in the rotation. If you can get Carrasco against a righty heavy lineup, he’s worth trying for a spot start.

Fun with arbitrary endpoints
All stats are through Tuesday unless otherwise noted.

Alex Cobb, July and August: 6 GS, 38 IP, 40 K, 12 BB, 2 HR; 2.37 ERA, .293 BABIP
Shin-Soo Choo, July and August: 132 PA, .207/.288/.319; 37 K, .269 BABIP
Danny Santana, July and August: 72 PA, .299/.333/.567; 3 HR, 19 K, .370 BABIP

James Loney, last 18 games: 78 PA, .371/.423/.414; 8 K, .413 BABIP

---

The Feisty Five

SP: Jarred Cosart | $5,200 | @PIT
SP: Brandon Workman | $6,300 | @STL
C: Devin Mesoraco | $4,100 | vCLE (T.J. House)
1B/OF: Brandon Moss | $4,100 | vMIN (Yohan Pino)
OF: Dustin Ackley | $3,500 | vCHW (Scott Carroll)

I’m very curious to see what Cosart can do in the NL, especially against the Pirates sans-McCutchen.

---

This post, covering one of the leading sites for daily fantasy, is sponsored and made possible by the generous support of DraftKings. FanGraphs maintains complete editorial control of the postings, and brings you these posts in a continued desire to provide the best analytical information on the latest in baseball.