Major League Baseball

MLB Quick Hits: No more Nathan

Published Apr. 24, 2015 6:01 a.m. ET

John Halpin

Thursday was supposed to be an easy day for Tigers closer Joe Nathan. He'd throw an inning in a rehab appearance at Toledo, and if all went well, he'd be activated from the DL today. Unfortunately, Nathan felt a "pop" in his elbow that turned out to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He'll have Tommy John surgery, and his season is over.

This doesn't change things too much for fantasy owners, as we were skeptical that Nathan would be able to reclaim his closer role from Joakim Soria. Soria is owned in 73.5 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and should obviously be owned in all formats. If something should happen to Soria - as long as it's not too soon - the next man in line is probably hard-throwing Bruce Rondon, who is currently on the DL with biceps tendinitis. Rondon has been throwing bullpen sessions, and could return as soon as mid-May.

In other news ...

The Blue Jays don't think OF Jose Bautista (shoulder) needs a DL stint, but he might get the weekend off.

Marlins OF Christian Yelich (back) still isn't playing, and this Wednesday report suggests that a DL stint is possible.

Want a Devin Mesoraco update? Me too. The Reds aren't saying anything about his hip injury, or his availability. Don't start him until you see him on the Reds' lineup card.

So, the Royals got in another fight last night. Suspensions will be coming, and they usually matter more for hitters than for pitchers, since pitchers can plan basically plan them for rest days in between starts. However, since Yordano Ventura is on a bit of a fight-starting streak, he could get a longer-than-average penalty. No action required from Ventura's fantasy owners until he actually serves whatever suspension he gets.

Rafael Montero had a tough Triple-A start on Thursday, but is still expected to join the Mets' rotation next Tuesday.

OMG JOHN AXFORD GOT A SAVE FOR THE ROCKIES! Eh, not a big deal. Adam Ottavino got the day off due to "usual pitcher soreness."

Angels SP Nick Tropeano tossed six shutout innings and got a win against the A's on Thursday. Who is Nick Tropeano, you ask? The Halos acquired him during the offseason from the Astros, where he wasn't a scouts' darling but did post some solid K/BB numbers in the minors. Tropeano very well might get sent back to the minors today, and might be behind Andrew Heaney on his team's depth chart, but keep him on your radar in AL-only leagues. Here's some background on Tropeano, courtesy of FanGraphs.

Drew Smyly starts tonight for the Rays. I don't think I'd start him in fantasy tonight against the Blue Jays, even if they don't have Bautista.

Remember when I said I didn't like any of the Thursday streaming options? Jeff Locke whiffed seven batters, but was subpar otherwise. The weekend selections are Mike Leake (owned in 8.5 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) tonight against the Cubs; Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa (1.7 percent owned) versus the Giants on Saturday; and Anaheim's Hector Santiago (7.9 percent owned) against the awful Rangers on Sunday.

In DFS play, I would pay up for Jose Altuve (11-for-22 vs. Scott Kazmir) and/or Mike Trout (7-for-20, 2 HR vs. Wandy Rodriguez). If you want a value play, check the smaller-sample BvPs of Cardinals 1B Matt Adams (7-for-12) and OF Jon Jay (9-for-16) against Matt Garza.