Roto Riteup: Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

– With Jed Lowrie ready to return from the disabled list, it appears that he and Marco Scutaro with split time at shortstop for the mighty Boston Red Sox. With that lineup, it may not matter to Boston who ends up in the starting lineup, but this is a big blow for fantasy owners. Heading into the season, I had a hard time projecting numbers for both of the Boston infielders due to playing time questions, and did not draft either of them in the process. If for some reason you own one of the aforementioned shortstops and don’t have a backup plan, I feel sorry for you. If you’re looking to add a player off the wire and Lowrie is available, he might not be a bad pickup. If he hits, he’ll stay in the lineup. Bottom line.

– With the Yankees’ benching of Jorge Posada, I believe it’s time for owners in standard keeper leagues to pounce on Jesus Montero. Scouts aren’t quite sure what position Montero will end up playing in the bigs, anyway, so an opening at DH is a good way for New York to introduce the 21-year old to major league pitching without burdening him with nonsensical things such as fielding.

– As of writing this, Hanley Ramirez has not been placed on the disabled list, but he has missed the Marlins last five games. Hanley had been playing well before he hurt his shoulder, and it would be a shame to see the shortstop miss any more time. Even though he had a DL stint earlier this year and could see another one shortly, a big part of me doubts people will be concerned on draft day. Hanley has had enough problems for one year, and it could cause him to slip to pick six or seven.

– It’s a real shame to see both Omar Infante and Daniel Murphy land on the disabled list. Both players were having good stretches as of late, and both had had eligibility at four or more positions. Super-utility players that hit are hard to find in fantasy, and the roto world has just lost two more for an extended period of time.

A Pitcher For Today: James McDonald at SFG
The Giants offense has put up some pretty lackluster performances recently, and while McDonald may not end up with a win, I suspect he’ll give you some good strikeouts and help your ERA.

A Pitcher For Tomorrow: Felipe Paulino at TBR
Did you know the Rays haven’t hit well at home this year? I not sure whether or not to put too much stock into that fact, but there aren’t a whole lot of options for starters and I like Paulino, anyway.

PickSix Lock of the Day: Chris Iannetta ($15.50) at CIN (Dontrelle Willis)
Cincinnati is a hitter’s paradise, and I bet Iannetta has a nice day.
Prediction: 2-4, HR; 16.6 pts
Past predictions: 4 players, $63.25 spent, 18.2 points.