Morning Java - 09/20: Ohtani "Good Chance" to Return Wednesday as DH, Jobe Sets Third Straight Career K-High, Quantrill Exits With Lat Tightness
TL;DRSkim
The five fastest-moving roster calls of the morning, in priority order:
- HOLD — Shohei Ohtani (99.5% owned) has a "good chance" to be activated Wednesday or Thursday against the Padres. DH only; pitching is shut down.
- ADD — Jackson Jobe (15% owned) struck out nine over six innings — a career high for the third consecutive start.
- WATCH — Cal Quantrill (41% owned) exited with right lat tightness, a week after a back issue.
- DROP — Three relievers hit the 15-day IL overnight: Enyel De Los Santos (HOU, knee), Reiver Sanmartin (SF, oblique) and Michel Otañez (TEX, illness).
- WATCH — Bryce Eldridge (14% owned) is in concussion protocol after a head collision and is out for today's finale.
Ohtani Eligible Wednesday, Returning as a Hitter Only
HOLD · LAD · DH
Shohei Ohtani (99.5% owned) is on track to return during the Dodgers' final home series against San Diego. His 15-day IL placement is backdated to Sept. 8, making Wednesday — the second game of that series — his first eligible date. "There's a good chance he gets activated Wednesday or Thursday," Dave Roberts said.
Saturday's work was the strongest signal yet: Ohtani took 30 to 40 swings off the Trajekt machine, which simulates facing live pitchers, and ran the bases on the field with strength coach Travis Smith during batting practice. Roberts said he looked "strong" and "fast," and when asked about October readiness: "If the playoffs were tomorrow, he'd be in the lineup." There will be no minor-league rehab assignment.
He returns as a designated hitter only — the biceps issue ended his pitching season, and he hasn't been on the mound since July 3. The injuries are his left knee and right biceps.
The number that frames his fantasy value: Ohtani had a .902 OPS with a team-leading 30 homers before the injuries took hold, but over his final 24 games before the IL — the stretch that overlapped with his mound ramp-up — he hit .198 (19-for-96) with 34 strikeouts. Hitting coach Aaron Bates said he'll need time to find his footing.
Action: HOLD. If activated Wednesday he gets four or five games before the season ends Sept. 27. That's real but limited value, and the .198 stretch beforehand is a caution — don't bench a proven bat for him in a final-week matchup unless you're desperate for power.
Jobe's Third Straight Career Strikeout High
ADD · DET · SP
Jackson Jobe (15% owned) threw six innings, scattering four hits with nine strikeouts and three earned runs on 96 pitches, 67 for strikes. It's the third consecutive start in which he's set a new career strikeout high, after eight earlier this month.
Action: ADD in 12-team and deeper leagues. A young arm building velocity and missing more bats each time out is exactly the profile worth chasing in the final week — just confirm he gets one more turn.
Quantrill Exits With Lat Tightness
WATCH · TEX · SP
Cal Quantrill (41% owned) left with right lat tightness after a trainer visit to the mound. It's the second consecutive outing interrupted by an upper-body issue after the back discomfort that scratched him earlier in the week. No timeline has been given.
He also gained 8.6 points on the add tracker, which looks like managers reacting to the line rather than the exit.
Action: DROP in 12-team leagues. Two straight outings cut short by different upper-body problems, with eight days left and no timeline, means he likely doesn't give you another usable start.
Three Relievers to the IL Overnight
DROP · MULTI · RP
Enyel De Los Santos went on the 15-day IL with right knee tendinitis, with Houston recalling Logan VanWey. San Francisco placed Reiver Sanmartin on the 15-day IL with a right oblique strain. Texas put Michel Otañez on the 15-day IL with a viral illness, one day after recalling him.
Action: DROP all three. None held a save role, so this is roster housekeeping rather than a leverage shift — don't read a closer opening into it.
Eldridge in Concussion Protocol
WATCH · SF · 1B
Bryce Eldridge (14% owned) hit his head during play and is in concussion protocol, ruled out for today's series finale.
The timing hurts. Eldridge has been having a genuinely historic age-21 season for San Francisco, and concussion protocol with eight days left likely ends it.
Action: DROP in 12-team redraft — concussion timelines are unpredictable and there isn't enough season left. HOLD in dynasty, where nothing about this changes his outlook.
Judge's Calf Strain Involves the Soleus
DROP · NYY · RF
Aaron Judge (95% owned) said his right calf strain involves the soleus, which he noted is "more crucial to running and hitting," making it harder to play through. He'd "like to be back by the postseason" but offered no grade or timeline. Boone was blunt: "It doesn't matter what grade it is — we're going to get him back, or we're not."
The IL placement is retroactive to Thursday, making Sept. 27, Game 162, his earliest possible return — after the four-game Tampa Bay series that decides the AL East.
Action: DROP in redraft. A Game 162 return has no fantasy value. Heliot Ramos has right field and is the add.
Grissom Ties It, Then Wins It
HOLD · LAA · 2B/SS
Vaughn Grissom hit a game-tying home run in the ninth after stranding six runners in his first three at-bats, then delivered a walk-off infield single in the 11th against Minnesota.
Action: HOLD in AL-only formats. A big night doesn't change the profile — he's an everyday bat in one of the league's weakest lineups.
Benge Breaks Mets Rookie Hit Record
HOLD · NYM · OF
Carson Benge tied Pete Alonso's Mets rookie record with his 155th hit, then broke it with an infield single the next inning. He's hit .293 since April 23.
Action: HOLD and start him. A rookie with 155-plus hits and a .293 mark over five months is a legitimate everyday asset, not just a milestone story.
Jensen Sets Royals Rookie Homer Record
HOLD · KC · C
Carter Jensen hit his 25th home run, a Kansas City rookie record.
Action: HOLD and start him. Twenty-five homers from a rookie catcher is top-five production at the position — if he's somehow available, he's the best catcher on any wire.
Painter Goes 5⅓ With Seven K
HOLD · PHI · SP
Andrew Painter (17% owned) threw 5⅓ innings with seven strikeouts and four earned runs.
Action: HOLD — The strikeouts are there, the length and ratios aren't yet. Stream him only in a favorable matchup.
Bautista Reinstated in Baltimore
WATCH · BAL · RP
Félix Bautista was reinstated from the injured list and is available for save situations.
Action: ADD in any league where saves are live and he's available. Note the 1% ownership figure attached to him in the source data looks wrong for a pitcher of his profile — verify before passing on him.
Mets Activate Cionel Pérez
WATCH · NYM · RP
Cionel Pérez (0% owned) was activated after nearly two months out with a left forearm strain, throwing two-thirds of an inning. Cameron Weston was optioned.
Action: No action outside 15-team-plus leagues. A ramp-up lefty on an eliminated team has no path to value in eight days.
O'Neill Moved to the 60-Day IL
DROP · BAL · OF
Tyler O'Neill was transferred to the 60-day IL, ending his season. Baltimore made several corresponding depth moves involving Christian Franklin and Heston Kjerstad.
Action: DROP. Watch the Orioles lineup for Kjerstad, who has the clearer path to at-bats of the two.
Tucker Avoids Damage on Foul Ball
HOLD · LAD · RF
Kyle Tucker fouled a pitch off his right knee and shin area but said afterward he believes he's fine, noting the contact was higher than the spot where he fractured his shin in 2024. No IL move is expected.
Action: HOLD and start him. Check the lineup card, but the self-assessment and the distinction he drew both point to him playing through it.
Contreras' Hand Improving
HOLD · BOS · C
Willson Contreras (47.9% owned) showed more range of motion in his hand than the previous day after being hit by a pitch. X-rays were negative and the damage is bruising and swelling. He remains day-to-day and intends to play through it.
Action: HOLD — Expect him back within a game or two. Worth confirming which Contreras your source is describing; both brothers have had hand injuries this week.
Spencer Jones Sits With Foot Soreness
WATCH · NYY · OF
Spencer Jones was out of the lineup with left foot soreness he attributed to turf wear and tear, calling it "no big deal" and expecting a one-day absence.
Action: WATCH — Check today's lineup. With Judge out, New York's outfield at-bats are worth tracking in deeper leagues.
Vargas Scores 100th Run
HOLD · CWS · 3B
Miguel Vargas became the first White Sox player to reach 100 runs since 2006, adding to a season that also includes 20 steals and 30-plus doubles and homers. Only Luis Robert Jr. (2023) and Magglio Ordóñez (2001) have matched that combination in a Chicago uniform.
Action: HOLD — Rostered everywhere. A quietly excellent season on a team nobody watched.
Friedl Optioned to Triple-A
DROP · CIN · CF
TJ Friedl (8% owned) was optioned to Triple-A after hitting .172 over a prolonged slump. Cincinnati activated Oswaldo Cabrera and called up reliever Zach McCambley.
Action: DROP — An option in the final week ends his season.
Add-Tracker Movers: Alvarez, Chandler, McGreevy
WATCH · MULTI · SP
Andrew Alvarez (10% owned) gained 3.5 points, Bubba Chandler (27% owned) 2.4 and Michael McGreevy 2.7. All three are starters under 30% ownership.
Action: WATCH — Add-tracker movement reflects what other managers are doing, not what happened on the field. Chandler has the best strikeout profile of the three if you need a final-week start.