Henry Urrutia - Henry Urrutia has been called up and apparently will be serving as the primary DH against RHP for the Orioles coming out of the break. A 26 year old OF from Cuba, Urrutia hit 365/427/531 between AA and AAA in 67 games this year in his first action in a few seasons, and he's managed a 4-10 performance (all singles) with a pair of RBIs in his first three games with the O's. From what I've seen and read, I expect Urrutia to hit for a solid average with average to slightly below average power and speed, and in a lineup as solid as Baltimore's that should give him enough value to be a logical pickup immediately in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only leagues of any depth. With two years of rust to shake off this season due to visa issues, there is some upside here as well for those in more shallow formats.
Jonathan Villar - Jonathan Villar came up to Houston and promptly stepped right into the leadoff spot, going 1-4 on a bunt single with a run, a steal, and 2 K's. Villar is a 22 year old SS with a bunch of tools and some questionable application of them, as lazy errors and huge K rates have plagued him all of the way up the chain, but clearly not enough to derail his eventual arrival in Houston. The Astros seem committed to starting him for the rest of the year as they view him as their 2014 SS, but they've seemed committed to a lot of different things this season that don't last very long, so we will see. Villar has a ton of speed and a bit of developing power, and it's certainly possible to see him as a future 15/30 guy if he can make enough contact to stick. At his position and with his potential, he does warrant a pickup in deeper leagues and AL-only formats, but there is a pretty low floor to go along with the potentially high ceiling, so I'd be loath to use him just yet unless I was pretty desperate for some steals.
Matt Garza - Matt Garza is finally on the move, heading to the Rangers for at least 4 and possibly 5 minor leaguers, including C.J. Edwards, Mike Olt, and Justin Grimm. Garza has been very solid for the past month or so, and he's clearly heading to a team that will give him better offensive support. I worry a bit about all pitchers that are heading to the DH-league, and Garza hasn't been as effective this year as he's been the past few years either, so there is some downside potential for his ERA and WHIP to be sure, but I've to think that the move is pretty close to neutral on the whole for his value. He is obviously an immediate acquisition target for those in AL-only formats, and I'd expect him to continue to perform as a solid mid-rotation starter in all other formats going forward.
Ivan Nova - Nova looked a little rusty with the 12-day layoff, but he managed his 4th straight quality start since returning from the minors in a losing effort in Texas last night. Nova allowed three runs on seven hits over seven innings, walking three and striking out four. Nova has improved across the board in his AAA and MLB time this season, eschewing his 4-seam fastball more and more often for a 2-seamer that has been very effective. With his increased velocity and seemingly improved arsenal, Nova has moved into fairly reliable territory for me in short order, and I feel as if he is a solid choice in most formats for his next two outings against Tampa and San Diego.
Mike Zunino - Zunino is showing a few signs, going 7-21 with 5 walks and 8 runs scored in his last 7 games. He doubled and homered last night against Ubaldo, and while it definitely appears that he was promoted a bit ahead of schedule, I'd rather take a shot on a guy like Zunino realizing his potential a bit early than sit there with another retread as my 2nd catcher that I can be sure will offer zero. You can always pick a guy like that up, but Zunino won't always be available. There is going to be plenty of power here, the question is merely when.
