Closing Time: Waiting game with Stephen Strasburg, Coco Crisp

When Stephen Strasburg hurts, we all hurt. And it also means we look for another option in the Washington rotation.

Strasburg labored through his three-inning start against Miami on Tuesday, looking uncomfortable all the way. The Nats eventually lifted him early, diagnosing an alignment problem in his shoulder. He’s set to see a chiropractor Wednesday.

The Nationals are known for their pitching depth, so they probably have the freedom to take their time with Strasburg. Tanner Roark looks like an excellent speculation pickup in the meantime; despite his 15-10, 2.85 season last year, Washington didn’t have a spot for him to open 2015.

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Roark’s had a curious season in relief to this point: the 3.21 ERA looks good, but it’s come despite a 1.36 WHIP and a vanishing strikeout rate (just three in 14 innings). Perhaps it speaks to the difference in roles. His fastball velocity is actually up a tick, though that could also be a residual from shorter appearances. He’s getting ground balls with regularity and keeping the ball in the park, two of his best skills.

Roark is free to add in two-thirds of Yahoo leagues. The next two Strasburg slots are Arizona (road) and San Diego (road). You'll have to pay some K/9 tax, but I like the speculative Roark move in head-to-head formats (and leagues with uncapped leagues or innings).

• Logan Morrison was an interesting batter in the early part of his Miami days, but it’s been a while since we took him seriously for mixed leagues. Perhaps that’s about to change. He’s on a nifty 13-for-26 binge over his last seven starts, with three home runs. He’s only struck out twice in that span, so you know he’s seeing the ball well.

The Mariners face a lefty on Wednesday and then have a day off, but after that it’s clear sailing for the lefty-swinging Morrison. Starting with Friday’s game against Oakland, the M’s are set to face 10 right-handed opponents in a row. Morrison’s currently owned in just four percent of Yahoo leagues. Maybe you have room for some LoMo in a deeper pool.

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We don’t know exactly when Coco Crisp will be back with the A’s, though it sounds like this week. And anyone at the top of the Oakland lineup sounds like a good fantasy play to me.

Crisp has recovered speedily from elbow surgery, and might be activated as soon as Wednesday. He’s hit for a mediocre batting average over the last four seasons, but he’s still an excellent source of speed and runs scored. And while everyone recognizes the 22 homers from 2013 were a stone fluke, he’s never going to be a zero in that category. The depth of Oakland’s lineup also comes into play here – on a per-game basis, Crisp will drive in more runs than the average leadoff man.

Crisp is still ready to add in two-thirds of Yahoo leagues. Buy now, avoid the rush.

As soon as Crisp is activated, it probably means we’ll bid temporary adieu to Billy Burns. That’s a shame. Burns was off to a dynamic start with Triple-A Nashville, and he’s 7-for-19 with three runs and a steal through four Oakland games. The moment you hear of another Crisp injury (or perhaps a setback on this week’s timetable), make the add.

• The bloom has come off the Drew Pomeranz rose over the last few turns – he hasn’t made it past six innings in four straight appearances. Nonetheless, he’s sitting on a strong K/BB ratio (four whiffs for every walk) and his FIP is considerably lower than his front-door 4.61 ERA. It might be a good time to buy on Pomeranz, in advance of his Thursday turn against the ordinary Twins. Pomeranz qualifies at both pitcher spots and is still free in 77 percent of Yahoo leagues.

• What does Kelly Johnson have to do to earn a spot on your team? He qualifies at three Yahoo positions (first, third, outfield) and he’s become a staple in the Atlanta lineup. His three-run homer was a highlight in Tuesday’s 9-0 victory over the hapless Phillies, and he’s homered three times in his last five games.

Johnson's entire slash line has some jagged spots, but he is slugging .534 against right-handed pitching. Spot-starting isn’t just for DFS, it also works in many roto formats. He's currently owned in a modest 11 percent of Yahoo leagues.

• Chris Heston is another player owned in about a third of the Yahoo world, and that number looks light to me. His full-season numbers are sellable on their own, but they really catch the eye if we, reasonably, take out the Coors Field start. With that thin-air assuagement removed from the ledger, this is what’s left: 27 IP, 21 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 21 K. All four of those turns were useful.

If you have daily transactions available to you, perhaps you’ll want to start Heston on Wednesday against San Diego. After that it’s a couple of trickier spots on the road: at Houston, at Cincinnati. Big picture, I expect this to be a full-season story.