Roto Riteup: September 4, 2026

After the home run on Wednesday and this, perhaps Vladdy is getting his mojo back…

On the Agenda: 

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

Quick Hits

Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown had his third consecutive solid start with 100+ pitches. He threw 65 of 101 pitches for strikes, punched out seven and allowed two runs on five hits to improve his record to 5-3. Brown brought his ERA down to 3.31.

On the other end of that game, Chicago White Sox starter Luis Castillo had yet another troublesome outing, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks, mustering just four total innings. His 5.57 ERA is the worst mark in the Majors among pitchers with at least 125 innings.

The Boston Red Sox took the Baltimore Orioles down, 6-5. Luis Robert Jr. and Pete Alonso went back-to-back:

All but two runs in the game were scored via the longball. Adley Rutschman hit two for the Red Sox. Nick Sogard and Roman Anthony hit one apiece. Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo shot off Aroldis Chapman, but it wasn’t enough. Here’s Rutschman’s second of the night, against his old team, in his old home park.

I have no love for AL East teams, and though I’ve always liked the Orioles more than the Red Sox, I must say: Rutschman looks like he belongs in that uniform.

Royals rookie catcher Carter Jensen has been delivering on the preseason hype, at least in the power department. Here is his 22nd dinger of the season, off Sandy Alcantara:

You probably knew this, but Jensen is a hometown boy. His alma mater, Park Hill High School, is just 22 miles from Kauffman Stadium.

Various News and Notes

Shohei Ohtani is dealing with a couple of injuries — a left knee issue and some right bicep pain. He missed Thursday’s game against the Cardinals. An IL stint has not been ruled out. It also appears that he may be shut down from pitching.

Kyle Stowers exited Thursday’s game with left hamstring tightness and will undergo imaging. If he misses time, Graham Pauley and Deyvison De Los Santos could form a platoon pairing at first base.

Texas Rangers hitter Josh Jung has been out with a left calf strain since July 22. Jung is working his way back and may be ready to start a rehab assignment this weekend with the hopes of returning to the lineup next week.

Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) threw a bullpen session and may slowly be working his way back. Folks in shallow formats and without IL slots shouldn’t hold their breath and should consider dropping him.

St. Louis Cardinals righty Hunter Dobbins will miss at least 12 months after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his elbow.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% on Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Jared Jones, PIT (28%) vs. LAA

I removed J.T. Ginn as he has been scratched from Friday’s start and won’t be part of the rotation this weekend. Jones hasn’t been pitching up to anyone’s expectations, but perhaps a date with Wade Meckler’s Angels can help right his ship. There’s definitely some risk here, as Jones has only reached five innings once in his last five starts.

Other Options: Keider Montero, DET (32%) at CLE

The Guardians are a tough matchup but he’s faced him a few this season and the last one went well — on August 3 he threw 6.1 scoreless innings against them. Montero has been solid all around, but even better on the road (3.02 ERA, 0.82 WHIP).

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Zac Thornton, NYM (27%) vs. SF

Thornton has been terrific in the Mets rotation. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his 11 starts and sports a fabulous 2.93 ERA (3.93 xFIP). The Mets will be rare favorites in this matchup against a watered-down Giants offense.

Other Options: Brandon Pfaadt, ARI (42%) at HOU; Max Scherzer, TOR (10%) at KC

Pfaadt continues to dazzle and owns a 3.22 ERA on the road. The biggest concern is his low strikeout rate. Scherzer had a blast from the past start last weekend (7 IP – 1 H – 0 ER – 1 BB – 10 K) and hopes to keep the momentum going against a top-heavy (Witt/Caglianone) Royals offense.