RosterResource Chat – 4/16/26

Jason Martinez: Welcome to the RosterResource Live Chat. Big news for us this week is that Jon was able to add some really cool and much-needed features to our Closer Depth Chart. You can check it out here … https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/closer-depth-chart

And now we’re ready to talk some baseball …

Chris: When Volpe comes back do you think Yanks might option Escarra, knowing Wells starts the vast majority of games and can give Grichuk a bit more time to find his footing (I assume theyd give Rice some time back there first to make sure hes ready 1-2 times a week)

Jon Becker: It’s a big “if” on how often they’ll be able to get Rice behind the plate, but I do think that’s the simplest move. Grichuk hasn’t gotten the results yet but he’s hitting the ball okay, and the platoon with Grisham is pretty rigid so far. It’s way easier to get Goldy into the lineup if Rice can catch more, too.

Emerson Hancock: Do I still get to start once Bryce Miller’s back from the IL?

Jason Martinez: Miller made one appearance in ST before being shut down so I imagine he still has a long ways to go. Once he starts his rehab assignment, I think the state of their rotation will dictate how much of the 30-day window they utilize. No reason to rush him back if Hancock continues to pitch the way he has been.

Once Miller is ready to be return, they could go with a temporary 6-man if the other 5 are healthy/effective. Castillo has been shaky his last 2 starts so that’s maybe something to keep an eye on down the road in terms of a potential odd man out.

PJ Jones: Hey guys – has Daniel Susac pulled away from Patrick Bailey in SF? It seems like they are looking to split their at bats rather evenly. Do you think that will hold up?

Jon Becker: The latest from Vitello is something along those lines, that they’re looking into 50/50 as a distinct possibility. It already looks like Susac is the top option against LHP right now, at minimum. Bailey’s defense is so good and the pitchers love working with him so much that I’m not sure he’ll ever be a true backup, though.

Sal’s Mom: Am I crazy to think the the Reds should be playing Hinds everyday in CF? That’s where he was playing at AAA and its hard to believe he’d be worse than Friedl out there

Jason Martinez: Hinds getting back-to-back starts vs RHP is a good sign that’s he actually going to get a look as a lineup regular this time around. Not sure how comfortable he is in CF. Reds said he’ll see some time out there. But my guess is that they wouldn’t want to put too much on his plate if this is an audition for him to be a starting OF. His bat is what is going to keep him in the lineup. If he establishes that he should stick, maybe they start easing him in at CF.

Martian: I am I about to land in New York?

Jon Becker: Don’t think so. He was sent down in the first place because there just wan’t playing time for him, and that hasn’t changed. He’s 2-for-6 with a homer against lefties so if that continues I suppose he could take Grichuk’s job, but that’s of course too small a sample to draw any conclusions from right now.

O: Thoughts on how Boone has handled NYY’s platoon situation? Seems like there’s no good answer if you believe in Goldy, but surely Rice needs to see more LHP just for developmental reasons

Jason Martinez: Fine so far. Bringing Goldy back was as much (or more) about having some insurance for Stanton, who won’t play every day and gets hurt a lot. Getting him at-bats while Stanton is healthy and balancing that with giving Rice at-bats vs LHP would be the challenge. They only faced 1 lefty starter in the 1st 10 games and Goldy started over Rice. They’ve now faced 5 lefty starters (I believe) in the last 8 games with Goldy getting 3 starts and Rice getting 2 starts. That seems about right to me. I’d expect more of the same unless Rice’s production vs LHP is too good to keep him on the bench.

Jon Becker: My only real qualm was sitting Rice against Detmers and his reverse splits, but you can probably find something to pick apart in every single lineup if you try hard enough.

Sal’s Mom: What do you see a fair Sal Stewart extension would look like? 9/140?

Jon Becker: He can really hit but how you’re regarded as a prospect is going to factor into this and he’s at least a tier down from McGonigle (8/$150M) and Griffin (9/$140M). Also have to factor in that Stewart is mostly a first baseman now and that cuts into his value/long-term projection. So maybe more like 8/$120M? But that price is going up every day, it seems.

PT Party: Curious if you see any of these young-ish guys having regular PT by year’s end: Brice Matthews, Richie Palacios, Oswaldo Peraza

Jason Martinez: I don’t know if Matthews will get a chance to play regularly unless things have gone really bad for the Astros late in the season. It’s no surprise that he’s not hitting as a part-time player. Probably needs to play every day if he has a chance to figure things out but it’s too risky while they’re competing for a playoff spot.

Peraza is getting his opportunity now. He’s already cooled down a bit. By mid-season, his chances of becoming a lineup regular will be over if he hasn’t proven himself.

Palacios isn’t young (about to turn 29) but he hasn’t really gotten many chances even though he usually hits when he plays. Since he’s the only lefty bat who can play 2B at the moment, I think there is a real chance he can continue getting playing time until Lux returns from the IL. If he can be productive for the next few weeks, the Rays will look for ways to keep him in the lineup between 4-5 defensive spots.

Keith: Thanks Jason and Jon. Hector Rodriguez’s chase rate is way down to start this season and his walk rate is 20%. Were you surprised Reds called up Rece Hinds instead or is Rodriguez’s performance too small of a sample?

Jon Becker: Not surprised, no. Hinds had a great spring training and kept doing what he was doing down at Triple-A to start the season. And even though it hasn’t translated to his small sample since the call-up, the Reds liked whatever changes he made going into spring training to cut down on the whiffs. But Rodríguez is close, should be between him and Bleday next time they need an outfielder.

Tippy: Are the White Sox about to call up Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith?

Jason Martinez: Calling up Schultz was surprisingly aggressive. Antonacci getting the call was less surprising but also a sign that they’re not afraid to move their top prospects quickly. I don’t know if they’re about to call anyone else up. They only have 5 rotation spots and Burke, Kay, Martin, Fedde have all been fine. And I’m sure they want to get Shane Smith back on track and back to the majors soon.

With that said, I think McDougal will be up in the near future. He’s already on the 40-man. Maybe Smith is in the picture by mid-season.

mike: Wallner looking like last year, not the two previous….How long until one of the AAA OFers replaces him if this continues? And, why is it happening? thanks,

Jon Becker: I don’t think he’s in particular danger of losing his starting spot, though he could get less time against LHP. He’s been above-average against RHP (116 wRC+), but has almost as many PA against LHP and has been awful against them (41 wRC+). Guys like him (tall, long swing, huge power, big swing-and-miss) are inherently going to be streaky so the Twins are probably fine with rolling with him for awhile longer.

Big Buckston: Hi guys, always enjoy the chat. My question is, how long of a leash does Konnor Griffin get at the plate before maybe being sent down for a AAA reset? Any thoughts?

Jason Martinez: Getting 3 hits in his past 2 starts should extend it quite a bit. He also recently had 3 consecutive games with 2 Ks, which is concerning. But this is to be expected.

The Pirates are playing well and can afford to bat him 8th or 9th (less pressure) and letting his talent take over at some point. Once he gets comfortable, he could carry them for a series or two.

My guess is that he gets another 3-4 weeks. If he’s still scuffling and hasn’t made much improvement, maybe they send him to AAA for a quick reset at that point.

Tacoby Bellsbury: What is the medium-term expectation for the Astros rotation?

Jon Becker: Without defining medium-term this is a tough question to answer, so let’s just define it as “until Hunter Brown comes back” since he’s the real linchpin of the rotation. McCullers and Arrighetti (who looked great yesterday) should probably stick, and I think they’re gonna give Burrows a pretty decent leash since he’s at least staying healthy and eating some innings. From there I think it’s going to be a lot of trying guys out and seeing who can get outs consistently. So far, it’s been a struggle for everyone auditioning there besides Arrighetti.

Jack: How much more of a leash do you think Mikolas has in DC? They don’t really have SP depth, though Parker looked fine in his piggyback start. Seems like they might have to just hold onto him until Herz or Williams are back. Maybe try Alvarez again?

Jason Martinez: For what they paid him ($2.25MM), I’d think anything less than 2 months would be a considered a complete disaster of a signing. Unless he gets lit up again like he did in his 2nd start (11 ER) or continues to only give them 3 innings per start, I’ll guess that they’ll stick with him thru May and make an assessment after that. Alvarez or Cornelio could be ready to step in whenever they decide to move on. Not sure Herz or Williams will be much of a factor until late in the season.

Insert Witty Name Here: If Romero loses his closer job, who do you think takes it? Or will it be the dreaded committee?

Jon Becker: Assuming you mean Romano on the Angels, my guess would be a committee. Nobody else in that bullpen is exactly distinguishing themselves and we’ve already seen Kurt Suzuki lean in heavy to L/R matches in managing a bullpen. They’d love for Kirby Yates to look like closer material when he’s healthy.

PJ Jones: Do you think someone separates themselves in SF as closer? Seems like Walker not the guy. I’m guessing its between Caleb Killian and Keaton Winn?

Jason Martinez: Yes I do. Winn looked great in his first 3 appearances and has looked better since a couple of shaky ones. Kilian has been great. Not enough to make things interesting just yet, but trending in that direction. Joel Peguero is also working his way back from the IL. He throws 100 MPH and looked pretty good in his 1st MLB stint late last season. I’d say it’s between those 3 if Walker doesn’t get back on track in the next month or so. And if Erik Miller can bounce back and stay healthy, he can be the primary lefty if they go with a committee.

Jon Becker: Walker got the seventh today and Winn is pitching right now in the eighth, so looks like Kilian is the guy right now. But also worth noting that Walker got 4-5-6 in the lineup (starting with Sal Stewart) so that could’ve been based on matchups. Hard to evaluate who a bad team’s closer is this early in the season with so few save opportunities.

Chance Crisco: Will Ryan Ohearn get some at-bats vs lefties? He hits so well youd have to imagine that he could still be productive even against the platoon

Jon Becker: He already has been — they’ve played five games against LHP and he’s started three of them. And I think if it was a night game today he may well be in there right now, the day-after-night lineups just aren’t a great indicator of platoons/lineups in general.

Tim: Is there a path for Senoja to be a regular or is he a utility-bench talent?

Jason Martinez: There appeared to be once Conine got hurt. But in the 5 starts vs RHP since that injury, Heriberto Hernandez has gotten 3 starts and Sanoja has 2 (in Conine’s spot). Might not be a better opportunity and, regardless, he’s sharing the spot with a guy hitting .149 even though he’s hitting .357. So that’s not a great sign that he’s viewed as more than a super-utilityman.

Guest: who is anthony nunez and why does is savant page look like a wildfire?

Jon Becker: Really fun story. Switch-hitting infielder who wasn’t even that bad of a hitter in the minors, then went back to college(!!!) as a D-2 eligible, became a two-way guy and then got signed by the Mets to pitch before heading to the Orioles in the Mullins trade last July. He seems like a legit setup man (maybe even better), and as Mike Petriello noted he’s essentially two different pitchers depending on whether the hitter is a righty or lefty.

Jason Martinez: Anthony Nunez, the former 3B prospect for the Padres who had a .637 OPS in rookie ball back in 2019? He’s one of the best rookie relievers in baseball 7 years later. I love baseball.

Total Bummer: Aaron Bummer is sitting 90 with his fastballs and has poor peripherals so far. In the past it was easier to chalk up poor results to unlucky BABIP but at what point should the Braves consider cutting bait on the 9mil left on the contract? I’m having a hard time weighing the factors for a struggling reliever who is also owed significant money given the variability inherent to bullpen arms

Jason Martinez: Results were good until his last appearance. And the Braves’ top 4 relievers (Iglesias, Suarez, Lee, Kinley) have been lights out so they don’t necessarily need Bummer to pitch in high-leverage very often. They’re gonna stick with him because of his contract and track record. Even if things go really bad, they’d find a reason to IL him. They have another lefty reliever, Danny Young, who is an interesting candidate for a bullpen spot once he’s healthy later in the season.

MilwaukeeBeerJays: Fantasy-ish question: I have both Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez in my line-up. Do you think they will both get regular AB’s all season? Or will the Guardians – Guardian, and play 15 other guys throughout the season?

Jon Becker: I don’t think your two questions are mutually exclusive. They’ll both play a lot — DeLauter especially — but with Valera back from the IL and Hoskins and Schneemann both hitting well enough to deserve to play at least a few times a week, there are naturally going to be days off.

Chance Crisco: What might the Orioles center field situation look like rest of the year? Colton Cowser has been unbearable at the plate, and as good as Leody Taveras has been, hes running a 500 BABIP. Dylan Beavers? Enrique Bradfield?

Jason Martinez: Taveras is a good short-term option. He can give them a spark but his track record shows that he’s unable to sustain any kind of success. I don’t know if Bradfield can hit enough to make an impact in 2026. Maybe if they figure that no one is hitting, they might as well call up the elite defender.

Once O’Neill is healthy, I think it will come down to Cowser vs Beavers with some Taveras mixed in. So that competition is happening now. If they get really desperate for offense, maybe Kjerstad enters the picture and O’Neill plays some CF.

Larry: Any idea what is going on with Milwaukee’s closer spot?

Jon Becker: Murphy didn’t give a straight answer about Uribe vs. Megill but he’s very good at giving oblique answers that reveal a lot, and re: Megill he basically said that he’s been really bad and is considering a change, and then went to Uribe that night to close. But Megill’s stuff is so good he might only be a couple lower-leverage outings away from reclaiming the job, because they really like to use Uribe as a fireman who can get 4+ outs.

Petey Pablo: Do you think we see one of the Twins prospects soon – E. Rodriguez is on the 40 man already but Walker Jenkins may be the better talent. Thoughts?

Jason Martinez: Seems like Outman’s days are almost numbered. Alan Roden is probably next in line and Austin Martin probably deserves more playing time. I’d guess that Emmanuel Rodriguez gets a shot by mid-season and Jenkins is a late-season option. Both have a chance to be in the starting OF by early 2027.

A Boy Named Yu: What’s up with Michael Busch so far?  Any worries he gets sent down if he doesn’t pick it up soon?

Jon Becker: No worry whatsoever. It was an awful o-fer but he got past it and is a (modest, but better!) 3-for-12 since then. If he was this bad for another month, sure, maybe sending him down is a consideration, but it’s so early.

Sal’s Mom: Ke’Bryan Hayes crushed 2 balls again last night and dropped another into rf but runner got thrown out at 2nd so no hit. Is he the unluckiest hitter in baseball rn? He’s hitting the ball hard, just seems to be right at people

Jason Martinez: I believe you. Watching the games is important for this reason. Quality of at-bat, etc. tells more of the story. But this is also a guy who has 3 singles in 47 at-bats this season. He had a .762 OPS and 15 HR in 2023 so I get why the leash is long. Just seems to be running out of time. Letting Suarez play 3B would open up a spot for Lowe or another bat.

Jason Martinez: That will do it for today. Thanks for joining us! We’ll be back next week.