Roto Riteup: May 28, 2015

I of course adore baseball, but I love soccer as well. Count me among the millions of fans who were happy to see FIFA begin to get their just desserts with a series of federal indictments. The official Department of Justice release can be found here.

On today’s agenda:
1. Quick thoughts on Khris Davis
2. Scott Kazmir’s potential injury
3. Justin Verlander heads to Triple-A
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Quick thoughts on Khris Davis
In the wake of yesterday’s 2-for-4 performance — where he hit a pair of triples — Davis is now hitting for a 114 wRC+. He sports a 10.8 percent walk rate as well, something that has served him well since being slotted in the second spot in the lineup as of late. The chance for Davis to score runs goes up with the higher batting slot, however his RBI chances will suffer as a result. Despite being a right-handed hitter he fares best against right-handed pitchers — both this season and throughout his career. He’s a starting corner outfielder who has shown the ability to drive the ball in the past. That Davis is available in 57 percent of CBS formats, 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues and over 80 percent of ESPN leagues is surprising. A slow month of April is no doubt hurting his ownership numbers yet I found myself picking him up in two leagues.

Scott Kazmir’s potential injury
Kazmir left yesterday’s start after three innings and 47 pitches due to tightness in his throwing shoulder. The A’s sent him for an MRI yesterday after the game, though according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, no further details will be known until sometime today. While he no doubt has an injury riddled past, since staging a comeback in Cleveland back in April of 2013 Kazmir hadn’t missed a start. For now lets hope Kazmir can get back into action without significant delay.

Justin Verlander heads to Triple-A
Slated to start on Sunday for the Toledo Mudhens, Verlander will be making his first career appearance in Triple-A. He’s on the comeback from a triceps injury and has made a handful of simulated games already. Count on Verlander joining the Tigers rotation sometime in early or mid-June as the club’s rotation has combined for a 4.05 ERA and 4.16 SIERA, rating 16th and 14th respectively. Keep an eye on his velocity as his fastball has steadily dropped since 2011. Verlander is already largely owned in most leagues but if he happens to be available in your league, pick him up as a speculative add. Teammate David Price is excited to see Verlander making strides, especially considering how well Verlander performed in Tuesday’s simulated game.

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

A pitcher for today: Chris Heston vs ATL (Shelby Miller)
Heston is free to pick up in more than 40 percent of CBS leagues as well as 75 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN formats. He owns a strong ground ball rate and has shown the ability to miss bats. Count on a quality start against a mediocre Braves offense.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Dan Haren at NYM (Matt Harvey)
Given his 77 percent ownership rate in CBS leagues, I’m not sure Haren qualifies as a stream option anymore. He is still owned in less than 52 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN formats, so he gets the nod. The Mets have struggled against right-handers thus far and own the 29th ranked wRC+ against them.