Roto Riteup: September 11, 2026
This preseason, they told me that Chandler Simpson was a butcher in the outfield…
He may not be PCA-esque, but he’s greatly improved his defensive rating — from -8.2 last season to -0.3 this season.
On the Agenda:
- Quick Hits
- Various News and Notes
- Streaming Pitchers
Quick Hits
Martín Pérez’s impressive season with the Braves continued, as he threw seven scoreless innings against Junior Caminero (0-for-3) and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Pérez now sports a 3.08 ERA. Over 10 starts since the All-Star break, he has allowed more than one run in a start just twice. In other news, Ha-Seong Kim 김하성 had two hits and pulled his batting average up to .126.
The Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies matchup was quite the pitcher’s duel. Zack Wheeler struck out nine over seven innings (one run allowed) and Cristian Javier punched out five in six innings, also with just one run allowed.
Wheeler has made 25 starts and has thrown over 140 innings for the past eight full seasons (excluding 2020). Wheeler pulled his ERA down, from 3.23 to 3.14. Phillies closer Jhoan Duran took the loss, serving up what turned out to be the winning run to second-year outfielder Cam Smith, his 20th of the season:
Jacob deGrom and Logan Gilbert were both lights-out on Thursday. Gilbert struck out 11 batters in seven innings (3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB) while deGrom was electric over six innings: 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. It’s exactly what the doctor ordered for teams rostering either or both in H2H or points playoff weeks.
Yesterday’s streaming pitcher selection came through for the Pirates:
Jones took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh until Colson Montgomery doubled with two outs. Jones walked two and struck out eight over seven innings.
White Sox rookie prospect pitcher Hagen Smith “started” his first career game, throwing 33 pitches over two scoreless innings, with two hits allowed, no walks and three punchouts.
Various News and Notes
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft on the injured list due to right elbow discomfort. The move was retroactive to Monday. Nevertheless, Ashcraft likely already threw his final pitch of the season. If that’s all she wrote for 2026, Ashcraft will finish with outstanding stats in his breakout season of 165.1 innings pitched: a 3.65 ERA (3.17 xFIP), 1.09 WHIP, 25.9% strikeout rate, and a 5.2% walk rate. The Pirates enter Friday’s contest five games back of a Wild Card spot in the National League.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh left Thursday’s contest with a bruised right foot and will undergo X-rays. We should have details of his status before Friday’s game.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Austin Martin was reinstated from the IL on Thursday. A hamstring kept Martin sidelined since August 16. Gabriel Gonzalez was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. Martin will resume a short-side platoon role.
Braves outfielder Lane Thomas was placed on the injured list due to a side injury.
Aaron Judge had the night off on Thursday as the Yankees wisely ease him back in.
Luis García Jr. hit his 30th home run of the season, off Rockies starter Ryan Feltner in the first inning. García’s previous career high in dingers was 18, in 2024. He is hitting .287 with 91 RBIs. What a season!
Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)
Pitcher for Today: Max Scherzer, TOR (17%) vs. BAL
Anything is possible for Scherzer who has had extreme starts of dominance and disaster. He should at least be able to rack up 5+ strikeouts against an Orioles offense with the third-highest strikeout rate (25.1%) against right-handed pitchers.
Other Options: Dustin May, MIL (25%) vs. CIN
There is plenty of risk with May, who has struggled over his last four starts (13 ER, 10:5 K:BB in 10.1 IP). The Brewers will be home favorites against a Reds offense with a 91 wRC+ and the second-highest strikeout rate (25.4%) against righties.
Surely don’t mind taking a chance on San Francisco Giants righty Anthony Molina (4%) for a home start against the Padres. Though the Padres have been a scary offense to face lately. Only take this plunge if it’s absolutely necessary.
Pitcher for Tomorrow: Andrew Alvarez, WSH (14%) vs. LAA
Zach Neto is a little hot, but this offense is one of weakest in the Majors. Alvarez should be able to get to five innings and put himself in position for a win and little ratio damage.
Other Options: Shane Drohan, MIL (26%) vs. CIN
Drohan has struggled since the All-Star break (5.68 ERA, 4.02 xFIP, 1.49 WHIP), but his strikeout rate (25%) has remained strong. Let’s pick on the hapless Reds again, who greatly struggle against lefties and whose active roster currently sports a 25.1% strikeout rate.
Vlad writes for RotoGraphs and is the head of fantasy baseball content at FTN Fantasy. He is a Tout Wars Expert League champ, member of the CDM Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and has been nominated for FSWA writing awards six times. Vlad has been playing fantasy baseball since 1995, winning 42 NFBC leagues since 2012 and ranking in the top percentile in NFBC’s Online Championship contest (33% win rate, 52% cash rate; 64 leagues). Much to the chagrin of his colleagues and most baseball aficionados, Vlad is a lifelong Dodgers fan who claims his first gut call at age 9 was Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series home run. You can follow him on X and BlueSky @RotoGut.
Twins AAA is St Paul, not Nashville.
Simpson’s speed can cover up some of his fielding issues, but not his arm. Pulled up his Savant page to look up arm strength and it’s not as bad as I thought – 84.4 mph which is essentially average for LF. HIs Savant page is a comical contrast of deep red and deep blue – 1st percentile for xwOBA, xSLG, EV, Barrel%, HardHit%, LA Sweet Spot%, bat speed and BB% but 99th or 100th percentile for SquaredUp%, Whiff%, and K%.
Shockingly, he doesn’t even have the lowest ISO this year thanks to Nasim Nunez, but I have to question whether a guy who will literally never, ever, ever hit an over-the-fence HR can be a viable major leaguer. But trying to figure out how to make him a viable major leaguer is something only the Rays would try and I wouldn’t bet against them figuring out some way to make him useful and it probably starts by making him a good defensive OF given his complete and total lack of power.
(It’s probably only a matter of time before he hits an inside-the-park HR, but even there, you have to hit it to the fence for that to happen and he struggles to even do that. Among all hitters that have seen 1,000 pitches, he and Kwan are last in batted balls at 100+ MPH with 7. Even Arraez has 11. Everyone else has at least 15. Again with a 1,000 pitch minimum, he has 3 batted balls at 340’+ projected distance. Next lowest is Ben Williamson with 12 and he barely qualifies for the screen with 1,047 pitches. Simpson does not have a single batted ball at 350’+ topping out at 349′. )
(Side fun fact: Jac Caglionone has the strongest position player arm with the top 10% of his OF throws averaging an even 99.0 mph, topping even Oneil Cruz’s 97.8 mph)