Roto Riteup: September 18, 2023

Say it ain’t so – Bar-to-NO-OOOOOO!

With Bartolo Colón officially retiring as a Met, let's take a look back at his most memorable moments in blue and orange! pic.twitter.com/nEtcNW9Zzt

— MLB (@MLB) September 17, 2023

On the Agenda:

1. News and Notes
2. Bumps and Bruises
3. Streaming Pitchers

News and Notes

Jorge Soler returned from the IL on Sunday and went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run. If dropped in your league by an impatient owner with a roster squeeze, he’s an easy pickup if needing some late power.

Bryan De La Cruz (ankle) missed another game on Sunday after originally injuring himself on Friday. Keep considering him day-to-day.

Tyler O’Neill was placed on the 10-day IL with a right foot sprain, effectively ending his disappointing 2023 campaign. O’Neill was a top-100ish selection in drafts this year but after another injury-plagued and fantasy-irrelevant season, expect him to be tossed back into the post-200 grab-bag of “yeah, but what if???” guys in for 2024.

Kenley Jansen (CV-IL) is expected to be activated on Wednesday.

Félix Bautista threw a bullpen session on Sunday, his first mound work since going on the IL in late August with a partial tear of his UCL. In theory, this could put him on track to rejoin the Orioles before the end of the season but even if so, he’ll make for a pretty dicey move if you’re playing for fantasy keeps in championship week. Yennier Cano has a 4.70 ERA and two Saves in Bautista’s absence but three of the four earned runs he’s allowed came in one disastrous appearance against Boston on September 9.

Ryan Helsley picked up his 11th Save on Sunday, striking out two. Helsely hasn’t allowed a run in his seven appearances since returning from the IL and has picked up a Save in each of the past four…Just in time to make everyone who was counting on him super furious. Ahh, fantasy.

With all of the young hotness coming up in fantasy this season to distract us in 2024, Jordan Walker’s late-season surge might be getting overlooked. The hyped prospect didn’t meet his lofty preseason expectations but has been quietly raking to end the year; over his last 15 games, Walker is slashing .351/.397/.667, with 5 HR. And in 104 games (411 PA), Walker now has 16 HR, 45 R, 47 RBI, and 6 SB, with a .788 OPS and .341 wOBA. World-beating? No, but remember he’s still just 21 years old, has gotten very little time at Triple-A, all while still learning a new position. Give the kid time.

Juan Soto went double-dong on Sunday and is now slashing .266/.402/.505 for the season, with 32 HR, 87 R, 98 RBI, and 10 SB. I’m just mentioning this because I’m already getting giddy thinking about how he’ll probably be going outside of the top 20 next season due to his no-good, rotten “disappointment” in 2023.

Bumps and Bruises

Salvador Perez (head) missed Sunday’s game after taking a foul ball to the face on Saturday but he passed concussion protocol and doesn’t seem to be looking at a further absence. Consider him day-to-day.

Ryan Mountcastle (shoulder) missed his fourth game in a row on Sunday after injuring himself on Wednesday. But his imaging is apparently clean and he isn’t expected to require an IL trip. Keep on keeping him day-to-day.

Ha-Seong Kim 김하성 was scratched on Sunday after experiencing abdominal pain. Consider him day-to-day.

Reid Detmers was scratched from his scheduled start on Sunday with an illness. No further word yet on whether or not he’ll slide back into the rotation when the Angels take on Tampa Bay starting on Tuesday – keep yo’ ear to the streets.

Streaming Pitchers

Streaming Pitcher for Today: Cal Quantrill, CLE @KCR – Quantrill has come back from the IL firing, posting a 1.50 ERA (4.37 FIP) with three quality starts but he’s still the same ol’ no-K’s pitcher he’s always been, so be careful. However, almost any start against the Royals can be viable, so if you’re trying to snake a Win, Quantrill is one of your best bets from the wire. But you probably shouldn’t try to get cute in his late-week start against the Orioles, so he might only be a play in daily leagues.

High Risk for Today: Joan Adon, WSN vs CHW – Adon isn’t anything special and has been on a good start/bad start run over his last five. But he can at least get five innings and possibly qualify for a win against a basement-ish White Sox lineup that is 29th in wOBA and 30th in wRC+ vs RHP in the second half. Sometimes you play the opponent more than your cards and Chicago has been trotting out preflop rags all season.

Streaming Pitcher for Tomorrow: If Ryan Pepiot, LAD vs DET happens to be available (54% on Yahoo), I’d take him but otherwise give me a High-Risk pick of: Bailey Falter, PIT @CHC – The risk comes from the quality of the Cubs lineup but also in how much of a leash Falter will actually have. He allowed 1 ER in 6 IP in his last start against the Nationals but only threw 67 pitches; in his previous two starts, he allowed a total of 1 ER but only for 3.2 IP in each game.