Clayton Richard- P- SD- Idea- Richard has quality starts in the last 2 of his 3 starts since he was put in the rotation last month. He will be facing a Dodgers team where only Charlie Culberson has a batting average higher than .268 against southpaws. This is a good opportunity for Richard to continue success in his latest comeback attempt. Value play- Draft Kings salary $4400
Fernando Salas- RP- LAA- Trade- Salas made his first appearance for the Mets after being acquired from the Angels late Wednesday night. He did pretty much what they brought him in to do, allowing a single and recording a strikeout in an inning of work. This was after coming in for Josh Smoker, who had surrendered a 3-run homer with none out in the 7th. It was Salas' 59th appearance of the season and gives him 57.1 IP. Although he picked up 6 saves for the Angels, his role for the Mets will be as a middle reliever. If your league counts holds he will have some value moving over to the NL.
Darin Ruf- 1B- PHI- Rise Value- Ruf is reportedly one of the Phillies' September callups. He it 20 homers at AAA Lehigh Valley, sparking hopes that his power potential might finally be realized at age 30. Manager Pete Mackanin, however, doesn't seem inclined to find playing time for Ruf, so he will likely spend most of his time on the bench. Much of Ruf's earlier struggles in the majors this season could be tied to bad luck, as he has a .225 BABIP with Philadelphia. With a .324 BABIP at Lehigh Valley he hit .294. Ruf earned playing time last season by hitting .371 against southpaws. This year he was hitting just .238 against them, which was what got him sent down.
Jesse Winker- OF- CIN- Rookie- Winker is a likely addition to the expanded roster for Cincinnati. He put up a .298/.388 slash line with 3 homers in 425 PAs. The power was a major downgrade for Winker, who hit 13 homers in 526 PAs at AA in 2015. He was dealing with wrist injuries for part of this year and that may have had a major impact. Winker will hit for average and has potential to get to 20 homers if he stays healthy. Keeper leagues should see him gone when he is added to the roster.
Mike Montgomery- P- CHN- Cold- After walking 4 batters in 5 IP in his last start, Montgomery walked 3 in 4 IP yesterday. Only 32 of his 58 pitches were strikes and he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 4th. He has yet to make it past 5 IP in any of his 3 starts as a Cub. Montgomery has walked 9 in 13.1 IP in those starts. If he doesn't improve his control his place in the rotation will be suspect.
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