Roto Riteup: September 1, 2023

Add this to the list of things I have never seen:

This UMPIRE was ejected from the game for getting into it with a player 😳

Have you ever seen an umpire get thrown out?

(via @JomboyMedia) pic.twitter.com/flo0fdnx7m

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 28, 2023

 

On the Agenda: 

1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
2. Waiver Weirdness
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. 

 

Waiver Weirdness

The Cleveland Guardians claimed Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Matt Moore. The Angels waived a number of players on Tuesday and three of them ended up in Cleveland. The Guardians are five games behind the Twins for the division title and this will give them a shot to catch them. 

The Cincinnati Reds claimed Harrison Bader and Hunter Renfroe off of waivers from the Yankees and the Angels respectively. The Reds probably would have preferred the pitchers made it to them, but they were willing to take what they could get. Bader will likely be a short side platoon partner with TJ Friedl and Renfroe likely moves into a full time role in right field. 

Mike Clevinger, Randal Grichuk and Carlos Carrasco were not claimed and will remain with their respective teams. 

 

Quick Hits

Josh Donaldson signed a minor league contract with the Brewers. He is not on the fantasy radar as of now. 

Nick Lodolo will not return to the Reds rotation this season. He is droppable in all formats. 

Various News and Notes

Matt Manning threw six scoreless innings versus the Yankees, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out four in the no-decision on Thursday.

Matt Manning's 3Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/gXrInAkvQU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 31, 2023

Manning was really good in the outing, getting a 32% or better CSW on all three of his pitches. Manning has been up and down this season, but while the upside isn’t as great as once thought, he has the talent to be a mid-rotation arm for the Tigers.

Nick Loftin is expected to make his Major League debut on Friday.

Nick Loftin now has 3 RBI tonight 🤑 pic.twitter.com/MreWA6mMu6

— Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) August 27, 2023

The Royals top prospect has been great in AAA hitting .270/.344/.444 with 14 home runs and six stolen bases. He doesn’t profile to have a ton of power or speed but can accumulate if given the playing time between the infield and outfield.

The Cubs are expected to call up Alexander Canario on Friday.

Alexander Canario:

Oct. 27, 2022: broken ankle, dislocated shoulder
Sept. 1, 2023: called up to the major leagueshttps://t.co/JB94YRWVzV pic.twitter.com/Hgkv8qFHgu

— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) August 31, 2023

Canario has fared well in AAA, hitting .276/.342/.524 with eight home runs and two stolen bases in 161 plate appearances this season. There is a ton of raw power in the bat, but he has struggled with contact throughout the minor leagues and there is not really a great path to playing time for him in Chicago. He is best left for NL Only formats.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: None

A few interesting high risk streamers, but none that I am super comfortable with. 

High Risk Options: Jordan Wicks at CIN, JP Sears vs LAA, Dakota Hudson vs PIT, Col Irvin at ARI. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Paul Blackburn at LAA

Blackburn has been great and added strikeouts and now gets a short-handed Angels offense. 

High Risk Options:Javier Assad at CIN, Griffin Canning at OAK, Zack Littell at CLE, Tanner Houck at KC. 

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.”