Roto Riteup — Presented By DraftKings: May 23, 2014

Today is the 14th anniversary of Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP.” Personally, I think the album has held up well over time and is my second favorite album of his after “The Eminem Show.”

On today’s agenda:
1. Bad news for the Texas Rangers
2. Mike Moustakas demoted
3. An update on the Oscar Taveras watch
4. The Daily Five

Bad news for the Texas Rangers
Where to begin? Yesterday the Rangers lost first baseman Prince Fielder for the remainder of the season following the news he’ll require surgery to fix a herniated disk in his neck. Fielder maintained a strong walk rate throughout 178 plate appearances this season, however his power continued to wane. His .113 ISO is less than half of his .238 career average. Hopefully next year Fielder can take advantage of the hitter friendly confines of The Ballpark. His 2014 is finished.

Shortstop Jurickson Profar has re-injured his shoulder while rehabbing. His original timetable — originally set near the end of spring training — was 8-12 weeks. His timetable will be reset or could be even longer. Assuming he misses the low end of estimates. Profar wouldn’t see action in a major league game until after the All-Star Break. It is looking less and less likely Profar will contribute significantly to the Rangers this season. I would drop him in 10-team leagues, though 12-teams and deeper should stash him on the disabled list and hope Profar can come back post a strong August and September.

Even though J.P. Arencibia isn’t injured, he too received bad news yesterday.  The Rangers outrighted him off of their 40-man roster and sent him to Triple-A Round Rock. After hitting .133/.182/.233 this season on the heels of a .194/.227/.365 line last year, Arencibia ‘s offensive shortcomings have become quite clear. He does have power, but his contact abilities have hindered his chances of even butting the barrel on the ball.

Mike Moustakas demoted
Yesterday the Kansas City Royals sent Moustakas down to Triple-A Omaha. Moustakas’ .155 BABIP dragged down his .152/.223/.320 line to a 45 wRC+. His 8.6% walk rate was a single season best and though he didn’t record many hits, when he did, they tended to go for extra bases. Of his 19 hits this season 12 have gone for extra bases and Moustakas’.168 ISO was a nice rebound from last year’s .131 mark. I don’t expect Moustakas to be in Triple-A for long, but when he does come back he may be worth an add in 14-team mixed leagues. I like seeing his 30.2% O-swing% down from his 35.6% career mark and he has cut back on his swing-and-misses. His current 8% SwStr% betters his 9.1% career mark. Given his 30% ownership rate at CBS, 16% in Yahoo! leagues and 6% at ESPN, most other roto nerds have seemingly given up on Moustakas. I doubt he’ll be a star — and I could be grasping at straws here — but I haven’t thrown in the towel on him being a useful fantasy player in deep leagues just yet. As for 12-team and shallower, there are better options at third base.

An update on the Oscar Taveras watch
In a radio interview St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said “From a pure baseball standpoint, he [Taveras] could play in the big leagues.” The big takeaway — other than the front office thinking Taveras could be ready right now — is the club could call him up when the Cardinals go on the road on June 4 to play a string of games in American League parks. The designated hitter spot would allow the Cards to get Allen Craig or Matt Adams in the lineup without placing them in the field, thus opening up a slot for Taveras. Currently hitting .313/.361/.512 at Triple-A Memphis, when Taveras gets the call, pick him up. He is already owned in 59% of CBS leagues but just 28% of Yahoo! formats and 5% of ESPN leagues.

The Daily Five
Starting pitcher: Felix Hernandez — $12,000
King Felix against Houston.

Starting pitcher: Anibal Sanchez — $7,800
Sanchez goes into Texas, a team even prior to the injuries hit just .244/.314/.356, good for a 26th ranked 79 wRC+.

Infielder: Jarrod Saltalamacchia — $3,400
The Miami Marlins have hit right-handed pitching well, with an eighth ranked 108 wRC+ thus far. They’ll be facing off against Marco Estrada, a man prone to bouts of gopheritis.

Outfielder: Jay Bruce — $3,500
At this price — even against a good pitcher in Shelby Miller — Bruce offers a ton of potential, particularly given his platoon advantage.

Other hitter: Giancarlo Stanton — $5,500
Stanton has crazy power and Estrada’s 1.38 HR/9 is the fifth highest in baseball since 2012 (minimum 200 IP).

Remaining budget: $17,800

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