Roto Riteup: September 9, 2013

Today’s Roto Riteup was written after the author slept through most of the 4th quarter of the Seahawks game.

On today’s agenda:
1. Bryce Harper out with hip injury
2. Derek Jeter to rest sore ankle
3. Clay Buchholz to start tomorrow

Bryce Harper out with hip injury
The Nationals’ phenom had to fly home to Washington yesterday after experiencing pretty severe hip pain before his scheduled game. Harper is still in need of evaluation, but there seems to be a pretty good chance the outfielder will be out for the remainder of the season. The Nationals could still make a late season run, but there’s not much use in risking Harper’s future health for a miniscule chance of making the postseason. Harper has struggled with injuries all year long, and despite his nagging knee and other issues, the left-handed hitter has a wRC+ of 145 at just 20 years old. Harper’s injury could alter his value next season, but the best is yet to come for the phenom, and what we’ve already seen has been pretty incredible.

Derek Jeter to rest sore ankle
The Captain has struggled in his brief stint in the bigs this year, and the old man is unsurprisingly sore. The Yankees had a CT scan done on Jeter’s ankle to ensure there was no real damage, and despite the clean results, the 37-year-old is old is going to sit out a few days. While there’s no indication that Jeter will be shut down for the remainder of the year, at a certain point the possibility of another DL stay becomes more and more likely. Between his injury, age, and poor play, Jeter isn’t worth a spot on your playoff roster.

Clay Buchholz to start tomorrow
After missing half the season due to shoulder and neck problems, Buchholz is finally ready to make his return to the mound tomorrow. The right-hander was a Cy Young candidate before succombing to injury, and with a large lead in the AL East, the Red Sox won’t need him to dominate right out of the gate.

With a stocked rotation, Ryan Dempster will be moving to the bullpen to make room for Buchholz. While serviceable as a starter this year, Dempster hasn’t performed up to expectations, and he will provide Boston with some depth in the ‘pen. Dempster served three seasons as the Chicago Cubs’ closer from 2005 through 2007, but the right-hander hasn’t thrown a single relief inning since. Dempster won’t be racking up saves the rest of the way, but SP eligible relievers are always great in head-to-head leagues with daily roster moves.