Roto Riteup: July 19, 2016

Go scan the MLB news wire from last night. Seriously, go. What a weird, wonderful, beautiful sport we all enjoy. Pokemon hunting, bass catching, backstreet boys dancing, drone flying, punchouts on strike two, “I hate all media.” Uhh, scratch that last one. And then, of course, there’s the excellence that is Ji-Man Choi.

When your great tweet gets no faves. pic.twitter.com/N0ujHt0oEM

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) July 19, 2016

I said it last Thursday, but a few days later, please never go away for four days again, baseball.

On the agenda:
1. Gomes’ season takes another bad turn
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Gomes’ season takes another bad turn
It’s been a tough season for those who made Indians backstop Yan Gomes the 11th catcher off of boards on draft day. That’s a replaceable slot, but it’s been a bad catcher year all around, and Gomes has been tough to play as the 33rd-ranked catcher so far. Even the 36 percent of owners still holding him may need to pull the plug now that Gomes is off to the disabled list for roughly two months thanks to a separated right shoulder. The timeline is four-to-eight weeks, long enough that the Indians may need to look outside the organization for help. In the interim, Roberto Perez seems likely to get the larger share of a time-split with Chris Gimenez, and the Indians have to hope Perez’ small-sample major-league success (103 wRC+ in 339 plate appearances) can carry over, because Gimenez can’t hit a lick. As for Gomes, this mostly puts a bow on a second disappointing season in a row, meaning he’ll be tough to draft as a starter next season.

Various News and Notes
Like Gomes, Devin Mesoraco will be tough to put a draft value on in 2017. The Reds catcher underwent season-ending hip surgery Monday, something that was worthwhile since he was already on the shelf with a shoulder injury. With one of the better bats for the backstop position, Mesoraco’s intrigued for years but is now stuck on 39 games played over the last two seasons. He’s topped 352 plate appearances across all levels just once since 2011. To add to that, he’s struggled at the dish in small samples the last two years. Sigh.

Uh oh: Nick Tropeano left his start after two innings with below soreness and is set for an MRI, because the Angels don’t have enough injured pitchers (Tyler Skaggs would be the likely fill in); Corey Kluber left his start with a less worrisome calf cramp, doing so after seven scoreless.

The Yankees would like Kyle Schwarber back if the Cubs are interested in either of their two big relievers on the market. Not sure I’d be giving up a 23-year-old power hitter for a few months of a reliever, but flags fly forever, I suppose. For what it’s worth, Theo Epstein doesn’t sound eager to do it, either. Publicly. Related: Aroldis Chapman hit 105.1 MPH on the radar gun yesterday (sigdig caveats).

Sticking with the Yankees, CC Sabathia would like a farewell tour next year, or somewhere further down the line. A guy who turns 36 this week probably isn’t in your dynasty plans, but it’s nice to see Sabathia figure some things out, even if his early-season success has faded over his last five starts.

Consider Chris Davis questionable Tuesday, as he’s dealing with an illness that required a night in the hospital Sunday and saw him sit Monday.

Adam Lind is out here hitting walk-off bombs and jump-shooting his helmet on the way home, which makes me all kinds of happy. He’s having a down year overall in Seattle but has still managed 14 home runs in 74 games.

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: Jameson Taillon vs MIL (Junior Guerra)
Consider this a sort of second last call on Jameson Taillon. The 44-percent owned rookie will come off the DL today to take the bump against the Brewers, and SaberSim has him pegged for the fourth best day among hurtlers. That’s likely due in part to the Brewers ranking 27th in the majors in wRC+ and first in strikeout rate by a growing margin. They get punched out more than a quarter of the time, representing a nice opportunity for Taillon to introduce some strikeouts to his otherwise impressive debut stat line.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Daniel Mengden vs HOU (Doug Fister)
The Astros can represent a pretty tough out, with an offense that ranks just a shade below average overall and one that gets there with a bit of pop and some great eyes. That last point, in particular, makes Daniel Mengden a bit of a risk given his control issues through seven major league starts, but since that wasn’t exactly a common minor league problem for him, he might be able to figure it out. Beyond the free passes, Mengden has been solid behind the 5.54 ERA, and he should be good for a punch-out an inning against Houston. I mean, unless you want to ride that low-yield Lucas Harrell train.