Kerry Carpenter (DET): 3-5, 3 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI.
Kerry on My Wayward Son
The past few weeks have not been kind to Kerry Carpenter, but he broke out of a mini-slump in a big way on Monday by posting one of the best offensive performances of any player this season: 3-5, 3 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI. Carpenter has made a living by mashing right-handed pitching while sitting against lefties, and 2025 has been no different. The 27-year-old has an .870 OPS against righties compared to .594 against southpaws, albeit in only 35 ABs.
The fact that Carpenter usually sits against lefties can be pretty annoying, but does it matter when he’s posting numbers that are this solid? The strong-side platoon role gives Detroit plenty of opportunities to mix in other players, such as fresh-off-the-IL Parker Meadows and Wenceel Pérez (more on them later). Importantly, the return of these players will likely push Carpenter to the cleanup spot, where he played on Monday, which should give “Kerry Bonds” a big uptick in RBI numbers in this improved Tigers lineup. I’d recommend grabbing Carpenter wherever you can if he’s available, and even advocate buying slightly high to get him on your roster. I believe he has the upside to finish as a top-50 hitter when it’s all said and done.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Hunter Goodman (COL): 3-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Hunter Goodman would have easily been today’s featured player if Carpenter hadn’t scored a hat trick. The Rockies’ catcher went deep twice on Monday to bring his season total to nine, raising his OPS to a respectable .780. The catcher position is deep this year, but Goodman has been a solid option that many found on the waiver wire with strong counting stats and power upside. The most notable thing about Goodman’s profile? He’s a Bizarro Rockie, with an .870 OPS on the road compared to a .683 OPS in Coors. One would expect the latter number to rebound throughout the season, but what this tells us is that Goodman is a solid play in any matchup.
Jo Adell (LAA): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
We’ve seen this song and dance with Jo Adell before: there’s tantalizing power upside that tends to show up in bunches to mask poor ratios and counting stats. While his expected numbers suggest Adell has been a little unlucky this season, his track record over the past several seasons should tell you that this is exactly what to expect. He should be left on waivers in all but deep AL-only leagues.
Parker Meadows (DET): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 2 BB, SB.
Parker Meadows returned from the 60-day IL to make his season debut on Monday and immediately contributed in a big way from the leadoff spot. Much like Carpenter, there will be times that Meadows sits against lefties, especially as Detroit eases him into a full workload, though he did post comparable splits against both RHP and LHP in 2024. Still, Meadows is expected to function primarily as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter, making him a great source of runs in this much-improved Detroit lineup. The power numbers probably won’t knock your socks off, but Meadows should still be able to scatter 10-15 long balls the rest of the way.
Mike Trout (LAA): 3-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Death, taxes, and Mike Trout hitting monster home runs. He’s recorded at least one hit in every game since returning from the IL a few days ago, including two three-hit performances. He needs to be in your lineups as long as he’s on the field.
Wenceel Pérez (DET): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Another Detroit hitter who recently returned from the IL, Wenceel Pérez, has made an immediate impact in his first week of the season, adding his second homer of the season on Monday night. Pérez should be a decent source of average and RBIs hitting in the bottom half of Detroit’s lineup, but I would prioritize adding Meadows over Pérez due to the former’s lineup spot and slightly higher power upside.
Christian Yelich (MIL): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.
Christian Yelich was back in the Milwaukee lineup despite leaving Sunday’s game after being hit by a pitch. For those worried the incident would impact Yelich’s recent power surge, you can rest easy after he hit his 13th home run of the season and fourth in the past six days. Though Yeli hasn’t shown his usual sparkling ratios, he’s already exceeded last year’s home run total and is hitting for a more consistent average.
Thairo Estrada (COL): 3-4, 2B, RBI.
Here’s a deeper league option for those of you struggling to find a consistent contributor at 2B. Thairo Estrada has only played a few games in 2025, but his three-hit performance on Monday was his best so far. Estrada struggled in his last season with the Giants in 2024, but now figures to be the Rockies’ everyday second baseman and also gets the added benefit of playing in Coors. He’s worth streaming if you’re desperate for a change at the keystone, but don’t expect eye-popping power numbers. As our guy Scott Chu mentions in his Hitter List rankings, it ain’t much, but it’s honest work.
Lawrence Butler (ATH): 2-2, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB.
The “Law Dog” is on fire. After enduring a slump during which he bounced around the lineup in early May, Lawrence Butler has reawakened over the past two weeks to the tune of a .373/.458/.725 slash line. Butler’s three-run homer against Joe Ryan was his big moment of the night, but he also added a double that was just a few feet short of clearing the fences in his first at-bat and walked in his other three at-bats to reach base all five times. It will be exciting to see what Butler can do at Sutter Health Park throughout the hot Sacramento summer.
Byron Buxton (MIN): 2-5, 2B, R, 5 RBI, SB.
Don’t look now, but Byron Buxton now has ten home runs and steals after he swiped his tenth bag of the season on Monday night. Buxton has been fantastic when healthy this season, making him somewhat of an enigma in terms of figuring out what to do with him from a fantasy perspective. He’s somehow both a buy and a sell, and what you should do with him depends entirely on your managerial style when it comes to risk management. If you can afford the headaches with a sky-high injury risk, he’s worth holding on to or buying in most formats.
