Written by: Ray Butler (@CoachRayButler)

Follow us on Twitter: @Prospects365

Some random thoughts and tidbits that may have flown under your radar until now…

• Carlos Rodon will make his highly-anticipated season debut on Wednesday at home against the Yankees. I’m a Rodon owner and still think he has the ceiling of a #2 guy. Still only 24 years old.
• If you’re in a bind or looking for a temporary upgrade in the outfield, Raimel Tapia will be an everyday player while Carlos Gonzalez is on the DL. You could do far worse than a high hit tool player batting fifth for the Rockies..
• I like Tapia a little more, but Randal “Single L” Grichuk can carry a team when he’s dialed in, and he’s hit a home run in his first two games since being promoted back to St. Louis. He’ll certainly bat in the top-half of the lineup while Dexter Fowler is on the DL.
• If Holds are a category in your fantasy league, keep your eye on Rubby De La Rosa. De La Rosa threw 18.1 innings in the minors while rehabbing from a ligament issue in which he received a PRP injection. Since being recalled to the majors, De La Rosa has pitched 2.1 innings and has only allowed 1 hit while striking out 5. He hasn’t walked a batter and sports a 0.00 ERA. The Diamondbacks certainly seem like they’re going to win a lot of games, and De La Rosa looks like he could end up being Archie Bradley’s partner in crime in effort to get the ball to Fernando Rodney.
• Joe Girardi said today that neither Clint Frazier or Dustin Fowler were considered to be promoted in wake of the Aaron Hicks injury news. Both made my midseason top 100 prospect rankings list, but I’m beginning to think they’ll be in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre until August or September. They could also be top-value trade bait if the Yankees were to seek pitching at the deadline.
• Rosters for the 2017 Futures Game should be released later this week. I’ll keep you updated via Twitter with information concerning rosters as I receive it.
• In my opinion, the Astros would be foolish to not trade for more pitching at some point before the deadline. Naysayers will say that they’re slated to get Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh, and Charlie Morton back from the DL after the All-Star break, Lance McCullers Jr. was just activated from the DL, and Brad Peacock, Francis Martes and David Paulino have filled in admirably in their absence. But here’s the thing… outside of Keuchel (and maybe McCullers), who do you feel good about taking the mound in a playoff game? How about a win-or-go-home playoff game? The Astros have the prospects to go out and trade for another top-notch arm. They should do it.
• If you haven’t noticed, the Dodgers are absolutely schooling the rest of the league when it comes to the newly-implemented 10 day DL. To give you a brief summary: When they’ve got off days on their schedule in the near-future, they’ll place one of their back-end-of-the-rotation guys on the 10 day DL. Since they can afford to be without a fifth starter (thanks to the off days in their schedule), they’ve found a creative way to add an extra guy in their bullpen. It’s infuriating to fantasy players who own guys like Kenta Maeda, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Brandon McCarthy, but the rest of the league will catch on eventually.
• The Nationals reportedly signing Francisco Rodriguez will simply prolong the inevitable. Let’s say Rodriguez exponentially improves and becomes his 2016 self. Will we all of a sudden feel like the Nationals no longer need bullpen help? No way. And that’s IF K-Rod drastically improves.

Follow prospects-365.com on Twitter: @Prospects365

Credit for featured image goes to The Denver Post.