Roto Riteup: September 24, 2026

Welcome back, Ceddanne Rafaela!

My bad. Rafaela left in the third inning of Wednesday’s contest with a strained right hamstring.

On the Agenda: 

1. Quick Hits
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitchers

Quick Hits

Here’s Twins leadoff man, Luke Keaschall, teeing off on his 10th home run of the season.

Keaschall looked like a bust at his 130-150 ADP early this summer and was demoted to the bottom third of the lineup. He’s been stellar since the All-Star break, batting over .300, with two more homers than he hit in the first half, in 110 fewer plate appearances. A reasonable projection next season is around 85 runs, 14 homers, 60 runs batted in, 23 stolen bases and a batting average north of .270.

Yohandry Morales is making a case for a starting roster spot next season. This is his fourth blast of the season in just his 40th plate appearance:

It’s a small sample size, but it is still worth noting that Morales has not drawn a walk yet this season.

In what may have been his final MLB start, Max Scherzer struck out seven, with three walks and four earned runs allowed.

Scherzer is supposed to let us know if his plans soon. My guess is he retires.

Well there it is: Ben Rice’s 40th blast of the season.

My apologies to the person I made fun of who drafted Rice 11th overall in a NFBC league back in February. Apparently, it wasn’t a reach. Rice then proceeded to hit his 41st.

Sonny Gray earned his 18th win of the season as the Red Sox blanked the Guardians, 1-0. Gray gave up four hits and one walk over six innings, striking out three. Aroldis Chapman shattered hopes of a sneaky Garrett Whitlock saves week. Whitlock pitched the eighth, then Chapman locked down the save, striking out the side.

Sandy Alcantara earned some unorthodox work, pitching the ninth inning and earning a save in the Marlins’ 3-2 victory over the Cubs. This was actually his second save of the season. Alcantara only threw 12 pitches in the outing and will make his final start of the season on Sunday.

The Braves walked the Reds off, as Chris Sale punched out 10 batters, reaching 200 strikeouts this season. He received a standing ovation from the home crowd:

Chris Sale's 10th strikeout of the game gives him 200 Ks on the season!

He leaves to a standing ovation from the Truist Park crowd 🥹 pic.twitter.com/A1zq1x6Xqa

— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2026

Sale and Randy Johnson are the only two southpaws with nine seasons of at least 200 Ks.

Logan Henderson further solidified his case to be drafted in the top 50 ADP next season with yet another solid performance: 5 IP – 4 H – 1 ER – 3 BB – 3 K. Henderson owns a 2.47 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. Remember when Abner Uribe was going ahead of Trevor Megill in drafts earlier this year? Megill locked down his 30th save on Wednesday. He is rocking stellar ratios as well: a 2.67 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.

Various News and Notes

Aaron Judge says he will be ready to play by the time Game 1 of the ALDS rolls around, though manager Aaron Boone isn’t so sure. Be wary of using an early draft pick on Judge in your fantasy playoff leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays lefty Shane McClanahan, who has been dealing with tightness in his left forearm, will not be part of the Rays’ ALDS roster.

Houston Astros starter Cristian Javier is done for the season. He was placed on the IL on Wednesday after leaving his start early on Tuesday due to right groin soreness. Javier finished with a 5.14 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 63 innings. He will be a Rounds 21-30 option in 15-team standard roto leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers impressive rookie Josue De Paula was optioned the Triple-A Oklahoma City, though it has nothing to do with his efforts on the field. There’s just no room with Shohei Ohtani being activated. De Paula could very well be on the Dodgers NLDS roster.

Vladdy, what is you doing, man?

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opens up on his slump year: “They didn’t pay me to hit 40 every year. They paid me for what I already did.”

I want people to understand one thing. The money they gave me wasn’t for what I’m going to do. It was for what I already did. They didn’t pay me… pic.twitter.com/ALPlCgmKjw

— Master Flip | Phillip Feliz 🇩🇴 (@Masterflip_) September 23, 2026

I’d be livid if I was a Blue Jays fan.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: (Updated) Ian Seymour, TB (64%) at NYY

Originally had Clay Holmes listed. He was moved to pitch on Friday in one of the doubleheader games. Matthew Boyd is pitching and I can’t recommend him. Seymour is above the threshold but was dropped on many teams because he’s been serving up too many homers lately. This run line has moved down, from 6.5 to 6.0, which is clearly Schlittler-inspired, but still relates to Seymour. The Yankees strike out at a 24.3% rate against lefties, so roll with Seymour if he’s available and you need Ks.

Other Options: Zac Thornton, NYM (25%) at TEX

Granted, the Texas Rangers have been a formidable opponent for opposing southpaws. Their active offensive roster ranks first in wRC+ (124) and fifth in isolated power (.174). Mets lefty Sean Manaea held his own against them (6 IP – 3 H – 2 ER – 2 BB – 9 K) and I’d argue Thornton is the better pitcher. We don’t have many streaming options today, so if you’re not feeling good about streaming Holmes, then Thornton is the next best option.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Andrew Alvarez, WAS (38%) vs. NYM

Alvarez is having a very good rookie season, establishing himself as the second-most reliable starter behind Cade Cavalli. We can’t really call Alvarez lucky either — his FIP (3.14) and xFIP (3.68) are within a reasonable range of his ERA (3.17), his strand rate is around league average (76.5%), as is his BABIP (.289). His one bugaboo is his walk rate, which is at 10.7%. The Mets have all but mailed it in and Alvarez should be able to finish his season off with a bang.

Other Options: Jackson Jobe, DET (32%) vs. PIT

Jobe has really ticked up on the strikeouts, punching out seven, eight, and nine batters over his last three starts. He has issued two or fewer free passes in four straight starts and has reached the six-inning mark in each of his last two starts. Every pitcher is capable of getting blown up, but this a relatively reasonable matchup for Jobe to take advantage of.