Roto Riteup: September 9, 2016

I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time with Eno Sarris here in Toronto the last two days. Last night, he was part of a Pitch Talks with Jeff Passan and a bunch of terrific local beat guys, and the night prior he rolled through after I did a Hoop Talks event. It’s been great – Eno’s helped me a ton from a professional standpoint, and few writers can blend humor, storytelling ability, and just ridiculously sharp analysis the way he does. So, shout out to Eno. And if you’re in Toronto, BarHop at 5pm before the Jays game tonight.

On the agenda:
1. Sigh
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Sigh
Stephen Strasburg is out indefinitely, again, with a strained flexor mass. Why is it we can’t have nice things, again? Strasburg managed just 2.1 innings after returning from the DL, getting pulled Wednesday with a “pinch in the back of his elbow.” There’s no ligament damage based on the MRI and Strasburg may even be able to return this season, but he’s once again in that ambiguous space where it’s hard to know what to expect or when to expect it. You can’t drop him in redraft leagues in the event he returns, and unfortunately, with expanded rosters, the Nationals may not even bother to put him on the DL if they think he could be back in the next two weeks. For now, Strasburg will sit on 147.2 innings, with only injuries limiting him from being one of the best fantasy pitchers in baseball over the last seven years.

Year – Innings – SP Rank
2010 – 68.0 – 42
2011 – 24.0 – 51
2012 – 159.1 – 13
2013 – 183.0 – 17
2014 – 215.0 – 19
2015 – 127.1 – 25
2016 – 147.2 – 16

Various News and Notes
It was a pretty slow news day if you’re not a big fan of Tim Tebow’s eventual fantasy utility. Here’s what we’ve got:

Despite the best efforts of Steven Souza Jr. and his mammoth home run, the Yankees managed a victory courtesy of a Tyler Austin walk-off home run. The Yankees continue to stay firmly in the playoff mix, and the 25-year-old rookie has provided a solid, if unspectacular boost. It’s far too small a sample to judge from just yet, but it will be interesting to see if the plate discipline Austin displayed in the high minors will manifest in the majors, because he needs that OBP to make up for what should be a middling SLG by 1B/corner OF standards.

Kolten Wong hit a home run on a balked pitch. That really should count for extra. It continues a solid second half and a terrific September so far for Wong, who’s pushed his wRC+ on the season up to 91. That’s not terrific, but it’s far better than the early-season performance that saw him demoted to Triple-A for a week in June. Still 25, he’ll be an interesting name to try to put a value on entering next season.

Elsewhere at second base, Daniel Murphy hit his 40th double of the year, a Nationals first. Owners will care far more about the 25 home runs and 101 RBI, but however it’s sliced, Murphy has been terrific this season, slashing .345/.387/.595. He’s just behind Brian Dozier for second in value at the keystone.

The Marlins may shut Jose Fernandez down if they fall out of the playoff race, according to Don Mattingly. They’re already five games back of a wild card spot, and while that’s not insurmountable, I’m curious what the level is at which they’d waive the white flag. Coming off of injury-shortened seasons that saw him throw 51.2 and 89.1 innings the last two years, Fernandez is at 160.1, just 12.1 off of the career-high he set in 2013. Owners will obviously hope the Marlins stay competitive, because that 34.2-percent strikeout rate is hard to come by.

Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Tyler Chatwood @ SD (Luis Perdomo)
You could talk me into Rubby de la Rosa coming off of the DL to face a sputtering Giants offense here, but I’m playing it just a little bit safer with Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood gets the benefit of pitching at Petco against the league’s worst offense over the last 30 days by wRC+, an important consideration given the understandable gap in his performance at home (.363 wOBA) and on the road (.248). Available in 74 percent of leagues, Chatwood isn’t going to blow the Padres away with a massive strikeout total, but he should be in a good position to deliver something resembling a quality start.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Seth Lugo @ ATL (John Gant)
Saturday isn’t exactly the friendliest of streaming days. You could double-down on the Padres with Jon Gray or roll the dice with Eduardo Rodriguez and bet the Jays stay cold, and there are some lower-upside low-ownership names in the mix. I give the nod to Seth Lugo here even though the Braves’ offense is much-improved, both because Lugo’s shown some nice flashes in his four starts and because the Mets now have Tim Tebow, and therefore, god, on their side. Lugo’s available in a very nice 69 percent of leagues.