Easy Like Stephensonday Morning
Tyler Stephenson (CIN): 3-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.
I hope everyone was able to enjoy a long weekend and some day baseball this Memorial Day Weekend! While it’s a shame we didn’t see all 30 MLB teams in action on Monday, there were plenty of good offensive performances around the league, including a standout day at the plate from Tyler Stephenson. The Reds catcher helped lead his team to victory in Kansas City with a line of 3-5, HR, R, 3 RBI. The two-run homer is obviously the highlight here, but it’s also worth noting that this was Stephenson’s first multi-hit performance since May 10th.
Stephenson is an interesting case as a catcher who plays most days while filling in at DH once or twice a week, but he hasn’t made the most of his time since returning from an early-season oblique injury. His .209/.312/.373 slash line and stratospheric 41.7% strikeout rate across his first 77 plate appearances suggests he’s having trouble finding his footing at the plate, and his Process+ chart gives us a better idea of what’s going on:
Stephenson’s Process+ breakdown shows us that his decision value and contact ability are below league average, which isn’t surprising given his sky-high K rate. This means that Stephenson is chasing outside the zone a decent amount, and when he’s swinging, he isn’t making much contact. The silver lining is that his power numbers are still there, so if he can find a way to select his swings better, there might be something here. Still, for right now, the catcher position is too deep in fantasy this year to consider picking up Stephenson, and leaving him on waivers for now is an easy decision.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Dylan Carlson (BAL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB.
That’s back-to-back games with a home run for Carlson, who also stole his first base of the season to help the Orioles to a much-needed victory over the Cardinals. Unfortunately, Carlson’s playing time is still too big of a question mark to add right now, and his underlying stats in his small sample size of plate appearances don’t paint a very appealing picture from a fantasy perspective. You can leave him on waivers for now.
Jonathan Aranda (TBR): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Jonathan Aranda is a classic case of Tampa Bay syndrome, in which he tends to play well when he’s in the lineup, but Kevin Cash’s managerial style means he’s going to sit most of the time when a lefty is on the mound. Aranda has cooled off at the plate as of late, posting just a .583 OPS over the past two weeks, but Monday’s performance was a step in the right direction. Aranda is more valuable in daily leagues where you can sub him out against southpaws, but he’s still worth rostering in most formats.
Will Smith (LAD): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.
Though his playing time hasn’t been as prolific since the arrival of Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith is putting together an excellent season at the plate. His fifth home run of the season raised his slash line to .333/.456/.511, and I’d argue he’s been a little underappreciated in fantasy circles this season. Maybe that’s because he’s sharing a lineup with the likes of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, but all that does is give him plenty of chances for RBI. Smith should give you steady and reliable production for the entire season, even if he’s only playing five games most weeks. If that caveat irritates you as a Smith owner, it might be worth shopping him around your league–you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a buyer.
Daulton Varsho (TOR): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, RBI.
The Blue Jays’ center fielder continues his torrid stretch since coming off the IL, hitting his eighth home run in just 78 ABs. While the pace is obviously unsustainable, Varsho has made adjustments to his swing (read this article for a more in-depth breakdown), and those adjustments are paying dividends–at least in the power department. Varsho is still striking out a ton and isn’t drawing many walks, so it’s been feast or famine for most of Varsho’s PAs. He’s worth a pickup in daily leagues if you need an outfield spot filled, but don’t hold on too tightly if the power doesn’t stick around.
Carlos Correa (MIN): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
He’s back … maybe. That’s two home runs in three games started for Carlos Correa since returning from a concussion. The mini-power surge and name value might have you considering adding him, but I’m still not buying stock here. Correa doesn’t hit the ball hard enough often enough to warrant a spot on your fantasy rosters for now–I’d prefer a player like Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop. Without a tendency to steal bags or hit for a ton of power in a weak Twins lineup, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze here.
Jackson Chourio (MIL): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.
Jackson Chourio took Garrett Crochet deep on the latter’s first pitch of the game to hit his first home run in 14 games. While it’s been a frustrating season for the young superstar, he’s turning a corner over the past week, slashing .310/.394/.448 in that span. Remember last year that Chourio struggled at the dish in the first half of the season before turning in a monster second half–the talent is still there for another huge season, especially if he can find that power stroke.
Vinnie Pasquantino (KCR): 3-4, 2 R.
Speaking of players on fire, we have Vinnie Pasquantino, who now has four straight multi-hit performances and a .937 OPS over his past two weeks. The upside is still there for Vinnie to reach 20 homers and close to 100 RBI on the season hitting behind Bobby Witt Jr., and I think it’s worth trying to acquire him if you need help at 1B, as he’ll be much less expensive than some of the other options at the position. He is available in about 20% of Yahoo! leagues and 35% of ESPN leagues, so check your waiver wire to see if he was dropped before he began this hot streak.
Logan O’Hoppe (LAA): 0-3.
Logan O’Hoppe has been red-hot lately but was forced to exit Monday’s game early after being struck by a Jorbit Vivas backswing while playing behind the plate. It didn’t seem like anything too serious, but the situation is worth monitoring in case you need to find a short-term replacement on waivers.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 1-3, HR, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB.
We’ll wrap things up today with Shohei Ohtani, who is in this column today for one big reason–the crack of the bat on his leadoff home run was simply one of the best sounds I’ve ever heard. If you haven’t seen it, take a listen for yourself.
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X)
