Morning Java - 09/07: Hjerpe Perfect in Debut, Ohtani's Pitching All But Done, Padres Open With Three Straight Off Cole
TL;DRSkim
The five fastest-moving roster calls of the morning, in priority order:
- STASH — Cooper Hjerpe retired all 12 batters he faced with six strikeouts in his Cardinals debut, the longest no-baserunner debut relief outing since Max Scherzer in 2008.
- HOLD — Shohei Ohtani could return today if he clears agility testing. Pitching in 2026 is all but done — Roberts: "not officially ruled out, but we can all do the math."
- WATCH — Luis Robert Jr. went on the 10-day IL with a low-grade left hamstring strain, a week after Baltimore claimed him.
- HOLD — Jackson Jobe (8% owned) went five innings with seven strikeouts on 93 pitches, retiring 11 straight after a rough opening.
- HOLD — Mookie Betts has climbed to exactly a 100 wRC+ after sitting at 74 in June and 86 in early August. The line is rising, but it's still a career-worst year.
Hjerpe Perfect Through Four in Debut
STASH · STL · SP
Left-hander Cooper Hjerpe faced 12 batters in his major-league debut and retired all 12, striking out six over four innings. It's the longest no-baserunner relief outing in a debut since Max Scherzer went 4⅓ in 2008. St. Louis optioned RHP Hancel Rincón to Memphis after his four-earned-run outing Saturday.
The context that shapes his usage: Hjerpe had Tommy John surgery in April 2025, so the Cardinals will manage his workload carefully. His low three-quarters release and swing-and-miss stuff are the real assets.
Action: STASH in dynasty and NL-only formats. In standard leagues, wait for a second appearance and some clarity on whether he's a bulk arm or a rotation candidate — a post-surgery debut in September tells you very little about the role.
Ohtani Could Return Today; Pitching Effectively Over
HOLD · LAD · DH
Shohei Ohtani sat a fourth straight day but could return as soon as today if he clears agility testing, per Dave Roberts. The knee inflammation and biceps discomfort persist, but hitting appears workable.
The pitching side is the news. Asked whether Ohtani would take the mound again in 2026, Roberts said he's "not officially ruled out, but we can all do the math." With three weeks left and no rehab starts built, that's as close to a shutdown as a team gets without announcing one.
Action: HOLD and start him the moment he's cleared. For the rest of the regular season, treat him as a bat only — if you were holding a pitcher slot open for him, release it now.
Robert to IL With Hamstring Strain
WATCH · BAL · OF
Luis Robert Jr., claimed off waivers from the Mets on Aug. 31, was placed on the 10-day IL with a low-grade left hamstring strain. Baltimore will spread the outfield at-bats around in his absence.
Action: DROP in 12-team leagues. He's on the 10-day IL, which with three weeks left leaves almost no runway, and hamstring strains routinely cost speed even after activation.
Jobe Retires 11 Straight in Encouraging Start
HOLD · DET · SP
Jackson Jobe (8% owned) threw five innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs with two walks and seven strikeouts on 93 pitches. He was rocky early, then retired 11 consecutive batters before giving up a solo homer on an 0-2 count.
Note the pitch count — 93 is a starter's workload, and Jobe is a rotation prospect, not a relief piece. This was a step forward on command for a young arm who has had trouble finding his arm side.
Action: HOLD in AL-only and 14-team-plus leagues. Speculative add if you have the roster room; Detroit is in a wild-card fight and needs innings from him.
Betts Climbs Back to League Average
HOLD · LAD · SS
Mookie Betts has reached exactly a 100 wRC+ on the season — dead league average, and the worst mark of his career.
The direction matters more than the number. Betts was at a 74 wRC+ through 40 games on June 18, last among Dodgers regulars, and still sat at 86 in early August. Climbing to 100 means he's been a meaningfully above-average hitter for roughly a month. His hitting coach traced the multi-year decline to a bat-speed drop of about five miles per hour following an illness, and Los Angeles dropped him to fifth in the order in July after opening the season with him hitting third.
Action: HOLD — You're not benching Betts in September, and the trend line supports patience. But price him honestly in any trade talk: since May 2024 he's been a .254/.321/.421 hitter, and the shortstop eligibility is now carrying more of his fantasy value than the bat.
Perdomo Struck in Helmet Running the Bases
WATCH · ARI · SS
Geraldo Perdomo left Sunday's 3-2 win at Houston with a head contusion after being hit in the side of the helmet by a Ketel Marte line drive. Perdomo had singled to open the third and was running to second when Marte's 93 mph single struck him. He was automatically out on the play, went down immediately and stayed on his back for a couple of minutes while players from both teams came over, before walking off under his own power.
Manager Torey Lovullo said afterward that Perdomo is under observation but not in concussion protocol, and that he expects him back in the lineup today. Ildemaro Vargas moved from first to shortstop, with Tim Tawa taking over at first.
Arizona also DFA'd Max Kepler and recalled Adrian Del Castillo.
Action: WATCH — Check the lineup card before you lock. Lovullo's expectation is positive, but head contusions can produce delayed symptoms, so have your backup shortstop ready rather than assuming.
Padres Open With Three Straight Homers, Hold On 4-3
HOLD · SD · TEAM
Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to open the bottom of the first against Gerrit Cole, and San Diego beat the Yankees 4-3 to take two of three.
The Padres had a 3-0 lead on Cole's first 15 pitches. Tatis went the opposite way to right for his 20th, the 19th leadoff homer of his career and his third this season. Cronenworth hit the first opposite-field home run of his career — his seventh big-league season, 85 career homers — off the base of the Western Metal Supply Co. warehouse. Machado went to straightaway center for his 26th. Ty France nearly made it four, flying out to the warning track.
It's only the second time in franchise history the Padres have opened a game with three consecutive homers; the other was April 13, 1987, when Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk did it. Luis Campusano added a leadoff shot off Cole in the seventh — the fourth homer of the day — two days after his walk-off beat the same team.
Michael King was the difference, throwing six shutout innings on four hits against his former club to improve to 10-9. New York rallied for three off Adrian Morejon in the eighth, keyed by an RBI double from Spencer Jones, who grew up in northern San Diego County. San Diego stays a half-game behind Arizona for the third NL wild card.
Action: HOLD across the board. King is the fantasy takeaway — six shutout innings continues a strong second half, and he should be started everywhere. Campusano now has a walk-off and a leadoff homer in three days and remains a legitimate two-catcher-league add.
Cole Tagged for Four Homers
HOLD · NYY · SP
Gerrit Cole allowed four runs on six hits over seven innings with three strikeouts and no walks, falling to 8-8. Three of the homers came from the first three batters he faced — the second time in his career he's opened a game that way, after the Twins did it to him in June 2022, and the third time he's allowed three homers in an inning.
To his credit he settled in and kept the deficit at three the rest of the way. He also tied Al Downing for 11th on the Yankees' all-time strikeout list.
Action: HOLD — Seven innings after that opening is the encouraging part. But an 8-8 record with this kind of homer volatility means he's a matchup start now, not an automatic one. Be careful in hitter-friendly parks.
Pham to IL With Calf Strain
WATCH · CWS · OF
Tommy Pham, acquired from Philadelphia on Aug. 31, was placed on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain, retroactive to Sept. 4.
Action: DROP in all redraft formats. A calf strain on a 38-year-old with three weeks left isn't worth a roster spot.
Caglianone Diagnosed With Grade 1 Flexor Strain
WATCH · KC · 1B/OF
Jac Caglianone was diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow after exiting Saturday's game against Toronto. He's day-to-day.
Grade 1 is the mildest classification, but flexor strains escalate if aggravated, and this is the lead elbow for a left-handed hitter.
Action: WATCH — Bench until he's back in a lineup. If it moves to Grade 2, this becomes a multi-week absence and a drop in shallow formats.
Vargas Building a Career Season
HOLD · CWS · 3B
Miguel Vargas is hitting .252/.362/.487 with 30 home runs, 78 RBI, 95 runs, 30 doubles, 16 steals in 18 attempts, 86 walks and 109 strikeouts — a career year by a wide margin, and an All-Star campaign for a White Sox club leading the AL Central.
The plate discipline is what makes it durable: 86 walks against 109 strikeouts is a strong ratio for a 30-homer bat.
Action: HOLD in all formats. He reached 30 homers Friday off Zebby Matthews, the first White Sox player to get there this season.
Hagen Smith Throws Three Perfect Innings
WATCH · CWS · P
Left-hander Hagen Smith threw three perfect innings with four strikeouts. Opposing hitters are 5-for-52 against him this season — a small sample, but a striking one.
Action: WATCH, leaning ADD in AL-only leagues. The stuff is clearly playing; the role isn't defined enough to spend real FAAB on yet.
Joe Ryan Nearing a Return
WATCH · MIN · SP
Joe Ryan threw three innings on 42 pitches in a Triple-A rehab start Sept. 2 and could rejoin the Twins rotation for the Detroit series.
One correction to the framing: Minnesota is 67-74 and out of the race, so there's no urgency driving this. Expect a conservative build-up rather than a rush back.
Action: WATCH — Add in 12-team-plus leagues once a start is announced. He's a quality arm, but a non-contender in September has every reason to limit him.
Pivetta Returns Tomorrow vs. Washington
STREAM · SD · SP
Nick Pivetta comes off the injured list tomorrow to start against the Nationals.
Action: STREAM — A favorable matchup, but a first start off the IL usually comes with a pitch limit. Fine in deeper leagues, skippable in shallow ones.
Ginkel Riding a Scoreless Streak
WATCH · ARI · RP
Kevin Ginkel (1% owned) has thrown 4.1 innings across his last five appearances without allowing a hit, run or walk, striking out eight.
Action: WATCH — Elite recent form, but Arizona is using a committee in the ninth and the offense isn't generating save chances. Holds leagues only.
Chapman Records 400th Save
HOLD · BOS · RP
Aroldis Chapman (92% owned) notched the 400th save of his career at age 38, finishing with a 101 mph strikeout. He remains Boston's unambiguous closer.
Action: HOLD — Top-tier closer, no change. The velocity at 38 is remarkable and there's no succession question here.
Rushing Won't Catch Again This Season
WATCH · LAD · C
Dalton Rushing (7% owned) had imaging confirm the partial UCL tear, and Roberts said the throwing test "pissed it off." He isn't ruled out for the year, but he will not catch. He remains available as a bat only, and has been hitless in four at-bats since being activated.
Action: DROP in one-catcher leagues — a catcher who can't catch has no eligibility value. STASH in dynasty.
Miller Wins for First Time Since 2024
WATCH · LAD · SP
Bobby Miller threw three innings for the win, his first since Aug. 29, 2024, after being activated over the weekend. He's working in bulk relief and was cleared for roughly 50 pitches.
Action: WATCH in NL-only formats. The role isn't a rotation spot yet, so this is a depth note rather than an add.
Schmidt Needs More Minor League Work
WATCH · NYY · SP
Clarke Schmidt entered the seventh inning for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will need at least a couple more minor league outings before returning to New York.
Action: WATCH — "At least a couple more" outings puts a return into the season's final week or two. Not worth an active roster spot; IL-stash only.
Eovaldi Headed for the Bullpen
WATCH · TEX · SP
Nathan Eovaldi throws live batting practice Tuesday and will likely return as a reliever rather than an opener.
Action: DROP in redraft leagues. A late-September bullpen role has no meaningful fantasy value.
Weathers Begins Throwing Program
STASH · NYY · SP
Ryan Weathers started his throwing program, per Aaron Boone. This is the earliest phase of the rehab.
Action: DROP in redraft; dynasty stash only. Beginning a throwing program in September means he isn't pitching meaningfully this year.
Ribalta Awaiting Imaging on Forearm
WATCH · WSH · RP
Orlando Ribalta felt something in the outside of his right forearm and gets imaging today. Blake Butera said Ribalta "probably won't be able to go in the near future."
Action: DROP — Forearm discomfort plus a manager saying he's unavailable is enough in any redraft format.
Will Dion Strikes Out the Heart of the Dodgers Order
WATCH · WSH · RP
Left-hander Will Dion struck out Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker in succession.
Action: WATCH — Punching out three quality bats in a row is a real signal, but he's a depth arm without leverage innings. Track the usage before acting.
Myers Back With the Mets
WATCH · NYM · P
Tobias Myers has rejoined the Mets after an uneven season.
Action: No action in any standard format.