The Brice is Right
Brice Matthews (HOU): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Matthews has had quite the subpar start to his rookie year, slashing just .136/.224/.273 with a diabolical 40% K rate entering play yesterday. That mattered little, however, as the 24-year-old managed to tally three hits against a number of tough matchups on the Orioles’ pitching staff.
Matthews smacked a 109.7 EV / 387 FT home run off Shane Baz in the fifth inning. He later added a 77.7 EV / .390 xBA double off Andrew Kittredge and lined an 84.8 EV single versus Anthony Nunez — one of the best relievers in all of baseball to start the 2026 season. Matthews’ wRC+ more than doubled overnight, increasing from 40 to 82 within his four plate appearances yesterday. Perhaps this is the type of performance that could jumpstart his confidence and, in turn, production at the dish.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday…
Elly De La Cruz (CIN): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB.
Another day, another highlight reel performance from De La Cruz. While his first single registered just a 69.2 EV, the 24-year-old made up for it by scorching a 104.3 EV knock in the third and later a 105.6 EV / 376 FT home run in the eighth. The switch hitter has slashed .291/.362/.590 with an impressive .388 xwOBA and 158 wRC+ in 2026.
Drew Romo (CHW): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Romo, a former top prospect, has balled out through an extremely limited sample size with the White Sox to start his 2026 campaign. He went yard twice yesterday, once versus standout righty José Soriano (104.7 EV / 377 FT) and then later against Brent Suter (102.6 EV / 397 FT). Romo slashed .298/.385/.561 with Triple-A before amassing a 354 wRC+ in the majors through 9 PAs.
Sal Frelick (MIL): 2-2, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB.
Frelick enters play today with a career-low .229 BABIP fueling his slow start, but boasts a career-best zCon% (94%) and is happily running the same SwStr% as last season. It’s only a matter of time before he starts to find the grass more often, and yesterday is the perfect example of that. On top of a walk, Frelick reached base with a 102.9 EV single and he mashed a 103.4 EV / 396 FT home run against veteran Merrill Kelly.
Ryan O’Hearn (PIT): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
O’Hearn was torching baseballs left and right yesterday, turning in three batted ball events with EVs over 100 mph. He generated two hits with those EVs — a 102.5 mph single and a 104.6 mph / 398 FT home run. The 32-year-old market acquisition has been more than solid to start the year, slashing .323/.410/.515 with a 156 wRC+ in 28 games. His quality of contact is great, the xwOBA (.394) is excellent, and he limits strikeouts (sub-20% rate in 2026) … O’Hearn is an intriguing buy-low add for your fantasy team.
Julio Rodríguez (SEA): 3-5, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
JRod, amid a nifty hot stretch, put together a quality day at the plate yesterday, turning in four hard-hit baseballs — three of which fell for hits. He smacked three consecutive doubles to finish the game, generating EVs of 95.5, 98.6, and 107 mph, respectively. Rodriguez is 17-for-49 (.347 BA) with a 152 wRC+ since April 14th.
Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Who else but Judgey? The 6’7″ outfielder lined an 87.3 EV single off Jacob deGrom in the first inning and later smashed his 12th home run of the year at a whopping 112.7 EV, traveling 424 FT. The 34-year-old owns a .645 SLG and is on pace for yet another 50 HR campaign in 2026… simply put, he’s an unreal talent.
Bo Bichette (NYM): 1-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
Bichette has been far from what the Mets overpaid him to be during the free agency in 2026, but yesterday was a step in the right direction. He went yard against the rival Nationals, launching a 105.4 EV / 386 FT homer — just his second in a Mets uniform. On a positive note, he does have hits in six of his last seven games and owns a 134 wRC+ over that span.
Salvador Perez (KCR): 2-5, HR, R, RBI.
Perez is still chugging along at 35 years old and while the numbers aren’t quite as ideal as you’d expect, he has managed to tally five home runs in 28 games this season. His EVs are still exceptional and that was on display yesterday, slicing a 106 mph single in the fourth and launching a 107.3 mph longball in the sixth, traveling 425 FT. Perez has underperformed his xwOBA by 20 points, so perhaps there’s more of this to come in the near future.
Trea Turner (PHI): 4-5, 2 R, RBI.
Turner, 32, owns just a 96 wRC+ in 2026 but he has been able to hit safely in four consecutive games. Yesterday, Turner dominated in the singles department, tallying four knocks throughout the game (two of which reached 100 mph). He’s averaged an EV over 95 mph over his last three games, and his launch angle is up substantially compared to in years prior.
Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis
