Roto Riteup: September 1, 2015

Ah, it’s that time of the year where rosters expand, the pennant chase is on and pumpkin spice lattes will soon be returning to coffee shops across the nation!

On today’s agenda:
1. Outfielders on the move
2. Justin Morneau to be reevaluated Thursday
3. Manny Machado, shortstop again?
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Outfielders on the move
There were a few trades made near the waiver deadline on Monday, so lets take a look at each one.

— Jonny Gomes traded from the Braves to the Royals
Despite playing his age-34 season, Gomes is still putting the hurt on southpaws to the tune of a .247/.412/.466 line (equating to a 144 wRC+) in 97 plate appearances. For his career he is a 133 wRC+ hitters when digging in against lefties and the Royals could certainly use help in that department as they own a modest 93 wRC+ against left-handers this season. For the occasional DFS start or in deep leagues, I could see Gomes having a bit of value down the stretch.

— Justin Ruggiano traded from the Mariners to the Dodgers
Given that Yasiel Puig is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring and Enrique Hernandez joined him on Monday due to a left hammy strain, the Dodgers went and got another outfielder rather than promote from within. Similar to Gomes, Ruggiano is one to be used in deep leagues and strictly against left-handed pitchers where he owns a career 129 wRC+ against them.

— Alejandro De Aza traded from the Red Sox to the Giants
Speaking of NL West teams with depleted outfields, the Giants are currently playing without the services of Hunter Pence and Angel Pagan, prompting a move to acquire De Aza. I wrote up the left-handed hitting De Aza just over a month ago, praising his better than average abilities as a member of the large portion of a platoon.

Justin Morneau to be reevaluated Thursday
A mix of concussion and neck related injuries have derailed Morneau’s 2015 season, though it appears he could return to action in two days time. I could see Morneau taking over the majority of time at first with Ben Paulsen shifting to left field. Any hitter in Coors is usually worth a look and with 15 home games from Thursday onward plus a trio of games in the hitter friendly confines of Chase Field, I’d consider picking up the first basemen if he gets activated.

Manny Machado, shortstop again?
For the first time in his MLB career, Machado started at shortstop yesterday. Because he’s basically a wizard with the glove, of course he did this:

Thanks to an appearances at shortstop on August 23, he is now only four more starts away from being shortstop eligible in Yahoo! settings and three appearances in CBS formats (though sadly he’s eight away in ESPN leagues). Yeah, I’ll admit it was against Rene Rivera, a man blessed with what I can only describe as “catcher speed” but seriously, look at that GIFV again!

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Streaming Pitching Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Drew Smyly at BAL (Chris Tillman)
The O’s don’t hit lefties too well as their 88 wRC+ and .301 wOBA suggest. Smyly’s shoulder still worries me a bit, but I’m rolling the dice and looking for a win here. He’s free to stream in over 50 percent of CBS or Yahoo! leagues and over 75 percent of ESPN settings.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Jeff Locke at MIL (Taylor Jungmann)
Locke’s stuff and numbers are pretty “meh” yet I’m still thinking he can nab the win against Brewers lineup that hasn’t hit southpaws much this year. With a 29th ranked wOBA and wRC+, I think this matchup is just about as good as it gets for Locke. Look to use him in 70 percent of CBS formats and over 90 percent of ESPN or Yahoo! leagues.