Roto Riteup: September 24, 2015

I began reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins the other day. So far it’s been a very fast read, and one that grabs your attention. I’m not yet done with it, so please don’t spoil anything in the comments, but man, it’s been outstanding thus far.

On today’s agenda:
1. Jonathan Lucroy’s pending return
2. Time to drop Carlos Gomez
3. Andrew Cashner and I set personal bests
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Jonathan Lucroy’s pending return
The Brewers have ran Lucroy through concussion tests and he’s passed each one, however some paperwork with the MLB Player’s Union hasn’t caught up just yet according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Until the paperwork goes through, the team won’t activate Lucroy, and when he does return, it will be as a first baseman rather than catcher. I’d expect a platoon of sorts between him and Adam Lind, and if that is the case, Lucroy will be on the short end of the playing time stick. With what looks like part-time playing ahead of him for the final two weeks of the season, he is droppable in single catcher leagues and probably any 12-team mixed leagues, assuming they are redraft formats.

Time to drop Carlos Gomez
Similar to Lucroy, it’s probably time to part ways with Gomez in redraft leagues. The center fielder is unlikely to be in the lineup for the Astros versus Rangers showdown this weekend. An intercostal injury has kept Gomez out of action since September 14 and while the team didn’t rule out his potential as a pinch runner or defensive sub, the nagging back pain will prevent him from hitting. Even before the injury cut into his season, Gomez wasn’t hitting as usual, owning a modest .253/.313/.408 line with 12 home runs and 14 steals in 472 plate appearances between the Brewers and Astros. Unless you happen to play in an AL-only or very deep mixed league, it’s best to cut bait with Gomez and get production elsewhere.

Andrew Cashner and I set personal bests
As you may or may not know, dear reader, my Preseason Bold Predictions have not been good to me over the years. In fact, they’ve been awful, as I sat 0-for-20 heading into 2015. I’m no longer best friends with Owen (as in 0 and 20…it’s an old Counter-Strike joke, and it’s funny, dammit) after Cashner spun six innings of two-run ball on Tuesday, allowing a pair of hits and five walks to go with six strikeouts. The important part is the six innings as Cashner now set a single season best with 179 2/3 IP this year, making my 10th Bold Prediction correct! I still have a shot at my Josh Donaldson prediction and my Gerrit Cole vs Cole Hamels pick looks likely as well. See, my first 20 attempts was just small sample size noise! Right, guys? Right?

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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: Cody Anderson at MIN (Kyle Gibson)
The Twins aren’t a particularly threatening offense to a right-handed pitcher. Look to stream Anderson in 74 percent of CBS formats as well as over 80 percent of ESPN or Yahoo! leagues.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Jerad Eickhoff at WAS (Jordan Zimmermann)
It will be tough to out-duel Jay-Z, but I’m still thinking Eickhoff can at least post a quality start and grab more than a few strikeouts along the way as the Nats own the fourth highest strikeout rate against right-handers, tied with the Mariners at 21.8 percent. He’s available in 85 percent of the three major fantasy sites.