Welcome To The Hit Paredes
Isaac Paredes (HOU): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
It took a little over a month for Isaac Paredes to get rolling at the plate for Houston, but the 26-year old power bat has taken off in the month of May. After hitting just four HRs in March/April, Paredes now has four HRs in his last four games following the pair of blasts against Tampa Bay on Wednesday. He is hitting .306/.404/.735 with six HRs over the last two weeks and his 13.9 BB% and 15.8 K% on the season represent his best rates of his career. Paredes experienced a severe drop off in power last season (19 HRs in 2024 after 31 in 2023), but he has shown this month that he still is a strong middle of the order bat, which Houston is dying for with Jose Altuve, Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker struggling right now.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday:
Adley Rutschman (BAL): 2-6, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI.
It has been an extremely tough 2025 for the Baltimore Orioles and Adley Rutschman’s season at the plate has epitomized those struggles. He even got dropped in one of my fantasy leagues which seemed shocking to me. Hopefully the franchise catcher’s big Wednesday, which included a three-run 11th inning HR that propelled Baltimore to victory, can get his bat going which could be the shot in the arm the Orioles need to get this season back on track.
Leody Taveras (SEA): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Injuries to the Seattle outfield opened the door for former Ranger Leody Taveras to carve out an every day role and he rewarded the Mariners with a two-run eighth inning go-ahead HR for a 6-5 victory over the White Sox. The 26-year old has been a moderate source of power and speed but he is best left on the waiver wire right now with a 3.1 BB% and 30.8 K%.
Salvador Perez (KC): 3-5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI.
The timeless wonder Salvador Perez has struggled out of the gate and even after a big game in Kansas City’s 8-4 win over San Francisco, the 35-year old is hitting just .223/.258/.346 with three HRs. If you are a fantasy manager with Perez on your team I would lean towards holding and waiting on him, but that may prove tough with a plethora of catchers having strong offensive seasons right now.
Carlos Santana (CLE): 3-7, 2 HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Speaking of timeless wonders, Carlos Santana followed up a HR in Cleveland’s suspended game against Minnesota with his sixth HR of the season in the second game of the “doubleheader”. The 39-year old has had a good week at the plate (.316/.381/.632) and continues to be a solid veteran presence for whatever team he is on.
Yandy Díaz (TB): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Tampa Bay held just a 5-4 lead over Houston when Yandy Díaz stepped to the plate and launched a 435-foot three-run HR to put the game away. He is now riding a six-game hitting streak and has shown good power (seven HRs) this season, albeit at the expense of his batting average (.254).
Nathan Lukes (TOR): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Nathan Lukes put on a show in Toronto’s blowout 14-0 win against the Padres and he has actually had a very nice 2025 in his limited 79 at-bats with a .266/.366/.443 line and 11.5 BB% and 13.5 K%.
Francisco Lindor (NYM): 2-5, HR, 2B, R, RBI, 2 SB.
Francisco Lindor did it all out of the leadoff spot for the Mets in their 5-1 win over Boston on Wednesday, hitting his tenth HR and stealing his eighth and ninth stolen bases. Lindor is having a typical Lindor season so far with his .283/.351/.480 line and has settled in nicely to his starring role in Flushing.
Cody Bellinger (NYY): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
On the other side of town, Cody Bellinger is finding his way in the Bronx in the shadow of Aaron Judge and he is actually having a strong season power-wise after hitting his eighth HR on Wednesday. The 29-year old is taking advantage of the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium after hitting only 18 HRs in 516 at-bats with the Cubs last season. There is no way he reaches the 47 HR mark from his 2019 MVP season, but he has rewarded the Yankees faith in him so far at the plate batting behind Judge.
J.T. Realmuto (PHI): 3-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI.
J.T. Realmuto is in a similar boat in fantasy circles as the aforementioned Salvador Perez in that he is a former top catcher who has fallen behind some of the younger offensive minded catchers littering the MLB this season. He has returned to being a decent source of stolen bases (four in 2025) after stealing only two bases in 380 at-bats in 2024, but days like Wednesday have been few and farther between for the 34-year old three-time former All Star.
Logan O’Hoppe (LAA): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Logan O’Hoppe has unlocked the elite power that he displayed in 2023 when he had 14 HRs in just 182 at-bats. After hitting his 12th and 13th HRs of the season, O’Hoppe is tied with teammate Taylor Ward for seventh in baseball in HRs and is second among catchers behind Cal Raleigh.
Nick Kurtz (ATH): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Athletics top prospect Nick Kurtz has struggled a bit in his first taste of the Majors, but that should be expected considering the 22-year old was playing college baseball at this time last year and only had 122 minor league at-bats before his promotion. Kurtz showed off the power on Wednesday that has excited Athletics‘ fans, with his first of undoubtedly many multi-HR games and if you are a fantasy manager, buy-in now on Kurtz before he figures MLB pitchers out and really takes off.
