Morning Java - 09/12: De Paula Walks and Works Counts in Debut, Tucker's Grand Slam Backs Snell, Alvarez Out With Ankle Twist
TL;DRSkim
The five fastest-moving roster calls of the morning, in priority order:
- STASH — Josue De Paula (9% owned) went 0-for-3 with a walk as the DH in his debut Friday night, working full counts in his first two at-bats.
- WATCH — Yordan Alvarez sat out against Tampa Bay after twisting his right ankle on the bases. He hit lightly and needs no imaging.
- WATCH — Clarke Schmidt makes one final rehab outing Saturday, with activation expected to follow.
- HOLD — Willson Contreras (50% owned) is scheduled for a rehab game at Double-A Portland and is eligible to come off the IL later this week.
- ADD — Seth Lugo (22% owned) took the win with five innings and seven strikeouts.
De Paula Works Counts in Debut, Walks Once
STASH · LAD · DH/OF
Josue De Paula (9% owned) made his major league debut Friday night at loanDepot Park, starting as the designated hitter and batting seventh. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in a 6-1 Dodgers win over Miami.
The box score isn't the read here. De Paula worked full counts in each of his first two at-bats, took tantalizing pitches and got beaten mostly on timing rather than decisions — late on fastballs, early on a hanging slider he popped up. "I thought coming into tonight he was going to conduct good at-bats," Dave Roberts said. "I felt he wasn't going to be overwhelmed by the moment, and that's exactly what we saw." He also attempted a steal in the fourth.
At 21 years and 110 days, he's the youngest Dodger since Alex Verdugo in September 2017. He skipped Triple-A entirely after slashing .303/.401/.547 with 27 homers, 104 RBI and 31 steals at Double-A Tulsa. The roster mechanics: Ohtani went on the IL and Eric Lauer was moved to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot.
One thing to plan around — his Double-A splits were .314/.416/.600 against right-handers versus .267/.351/.371 against lefties, and Roberts has him in as the primary DH replacement for Ohtani. Expect him to sit against left-handed starters.
Los Angeles is riding a seven-game winning streak, 11 games up in the West with a magic number of six, and 3.5 up on Atlanta for the No. 2 seed.
Action: STASH in dynasty and keeper formats — this is a top-10 overall prospect with a real runway. In redraft, he's a 14-team-plus flier only: strong-side platoon at-bats, roughly two weeks left, and no track record above Double-A.
Tucker's Grand Slam Backs Snell
HOLD · LAD · OF / SP
Kyle Tucker turned a one-run game into a rout, hitting a seventh-inning grand slam off Cade Gibson and finishing 3-for-3 with a triple, a sacrifice fly and four RBI. Blake Snell set it up with 5⅔ innings, four hits, two walks and eight strikeouts on 101 pitches.
Action: HOLD both and start them. Tucker's season has been interrupted by inconsistency, so a four-RBI night with a triple is a meaningful sign he's timing it up heading into October.
Alvarez Out With Ankle Twist
WATCH · HOU · DH
Yordan Alvarez was out of the Astros' lineup against Tampa Bay after twisting his right ankle running the bases in Philadelphia. Manager Joe Espada said Alvarez did some light hitting and no imaging is required — pointing to a minor sprain rather than structural damage. He was available off the bench.
Houston (75-71) can't afford to be without its best hitter in a series this consequential.
Action: WATCH — Do not drop or trade. Ankle tweaks with no imaging typically cost one to three days, but check the lineup card each day rather than assuming he's in.
Schmidt One Rehab Outing From Activation
WATCH · NYY · SP
Clarke Schmidt will make one final rehab appearance Saturday and is then expected to be activated, slotting into the Yankees rotation for their upcoming road trip.
Action: IL-stash now if you have the slot. His first start back could come early next week, and with roughly two weeks left, a healthy Schmidt is worth a speculative claim in 12-team leagues.
Contreras Nearing Return
HOLD · BOS · C
Willson Contreras (50% owned) is scheduled to play a rehab game for Double-A Portland and is eligible to come off the injured list later this week. He's been out since early in the month.
Action: HOLD — Expect activation within five to seven days. Confirm he's actually catching before you start him, since the injury has lingered more than a month.
Lugo Takes the Win With Seven K's
ADD · KC · SP
Seth Lugo (22% owned) threw five innings with seven strikeouts and two earned runs to earn the win, working ahead in counts with a 63% first-pitch strike rate.
Action: ADD in 12-team and deeper leagues. At 22% ownership with a strikeout uptick, he's underpriced — but five innings means the win equity is bullpen-dependent.
Buxton Set for Season-Ending Hip Surgery
DROP · MIN · CF
Byron Buxton will undergo hip surgery next Friday, ending his season. He'd been on the IL since early September with the impingement.
Action: DROP everywhere. There is no return.
Crochet Throws 25 Pitches Off the Mound
WATCH · BOS · SP
Garrett Crochet threw roughly 25 pitches off the main mound at Fenway at an estimated 80 to 90 percent intensity. He remains on the 60-day IL with no defined return timeline after a late-May setback.
Action: DROP in redraft — 25 pitches at partial intensity in mid-September means he isn't pitching this season. Dynasty hold only.
Valdez Posts Second Straight Quality Start
HOLD · DET · SP
Framber Valdez went six innings, allowing six hits and one unearned run with two walks and two strikeouts on 90 pitches, 58 for strikes — his second consecutive quality outing for Detroit.
Action: HOLD and start him. Three of his last four have gone six-plus innings, which is enough to trust him as a back-end mixed-league arm again.
Rodón Reaches the Seventh for the First Time
HOLD · NYY · SP
Carlos Rodón pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this season, a meaningful workload marker for an arm that has been on a climbing pitch count since returning from elbow inflammation.
Action: HOLD — The length is the story. He's in the mix for a postseason rotation spot behind Schlittler, Cole and Fried, and the deeper outings improve his win equity.
Cavalli Sharp Against the Angels
HOLD · WSH · SP
Cade Cavalli allowed one hit — a home run to Mike Trout — through five innings while striking out eight without a walk.
Action: ADD in 12-team leagues if available. Eight strikeouts and no walks is the profile that's been developing all month; he's a legitimate streamer against weaker lineups down the stretch.
Cease Pushed to Sunday
WATCH · TOR · SP
Dylan Cease will start Sunday for Toronto, a collective decision not to push him after a workload concern. Saturday's slot is undecided and may go to an opener or a bullpen game.
Action: HOLD — The Sunday start is confirmed, so you can plan around it. But a club pushing its best arm back a day in mid-September is a soft signal that innings limits are coming.
Yesavage Ramping Toward a Rehab Start
WATCH · TOR · SP
Trey Yesavage threw 30 pitches over two innings of live batting practice, reaching 93 mph and reporting no issues. He flies to Toronto, throws a bullpen Sunday, and is lined up for a rehab assignment next week — possibly needing only one minor-league start before activation.
Action: IL-stash in 12-team-plus leagues. He's a starter, not a bullpen piece, and one rehab outing before activation would put him back with roughly a week left.
Santander Staying at Triple-A Into Next Week
WATCH · TOR · OF
Anthony Santander remains on rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo through the middle of next week as he works back from the 60-day IL.
Action: DROP in redraft. A mid-next-week activation at the earliest leaves under a week of games.
Flaherty and Verlander on Separate Tracks
WATCH · DET · SP
Jack Flaherty throws a simulated game at Comerica Park on Saturday. Justin Verlander will throw off the mound but won't face hitters. River Ryan is expected to get another start at Triple-A Toledo.
Action: WATCH — Flaherty is the only one of the three with a plausible path to meaningful innings this season, and even that is one or two starts. IL-stash only.
Montero to Paternity List, Sears Recalled
WATCH · DET · SP
Keider Montero is on the paternity list and headed to Venezuela for the birth of his child. Left-hander Andrew Sears has been recalled and is expected to start for Detroit tomorrow.
Action: WATCH — Sears is a deep-league streaming option only, and a first big-league start is a coin flip. Montero should return within the standard three-day window.
Wenceel Perez's Season Likely Over
DROP · DET · OF
Wenceel Perez's season is "most likely" finished, per A.J. Hinch.
Action: DROP — No path back this year.
Cardinals Bats Break Out in 7-3 Win
HOLD · STL · TEAM
Joshua Baez, Leo Bernal, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker combined to go 10-for-16 with five doubles and six RBI in St. Louis' 7-3 win over the White Sox at Busch Stadium.
Action: HOLD any Cardinals bats you have. One night doesn't warrant new adds outside very deep leagues, though Walker getting hot matters if you've been sitting on him.
Dingler Breaks Homer Drought
HOLD · DET · C
Dillon Dingler hit his first home run since Aug. 6, a line drive to left, bringing his season total to 27.
Action: HOLD and start him. A 27-homer catcher is a top-five option at the position regardless of a five-week cold stretch.
Otto Lopez Heating Up in September
HOLD · MIA · 2B
Otto Lopez has an .841 OPS in September and a six-game hitting streak after posting a .566 mark in August.
Action: WATCH in 14-team and NL-only formats. A two-week upswing on a team out of contention isn't a standard-league add.
Rudy Martin Jr. Selected After Two DFAs
STASH · TOR · OF
Rudy Martin Jr. has been selected to Toronto's roster after being designated for assignment twice in the last month. He was close to walking away after 12 minor-league seasons.
Action: No action in redraft. Deep dynasty curiosity only.
Jays DFA Jesús Sánchez
DROP · TOR · OF
Jesús Sánchez was designated for assignment to open a roster spot for Martin.
Action: DROP if rostered.
Seigler Back, Eli White to IL
WATCH · BOS · C / OF
Anthony Seigler has rejoined the Red Sox, and Eli White has been placed on the injured list with a foot injury.
Action: DROP White in redraft. Seigler is a deep two-catcher option only.
Benge Racking Up Outfield Assists
HOLD · NYM · OF
Carson Benge has 10 outfield assists, the most by a Mets rookie since Juan Lagares had 15 in 2013.
Action: HOLD — Outfield assists carry no fantasy value, so judge him on the bat. He's been productive enough at the plate to hold in NL-only and 14-team formats.
Okamoto Sets Blue Jays Strikeout Record
HOLD · TOR · 1B
Kazuma Okamoto set Toronto's single-season strikeout record at 171 while hitting 31 home runs in his first MLB season.
Action: HOLD — The strikeouts don't matter in most formats. Thirty-one homers from a rookie in the middle of a contending lineup is the whole case.