Waystar Arroyo

Christian Arroyo (BOS): 5-5, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI.

It’s not often you get five hits in a day—unless you’re Luis Arraez—but that’s exactly what Christian Arroyo did in Boston’s 10-4 win in Minnesota last night. He finished the day 5-5, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI as the Red Sox victory pushed them to 39-35, a record that puts them in the basement of the loaded AL East but would be good enough for first place in either of the Central divisions.

As most five-hit days typically do, Arroyo’s involved a little bit of good fortune. Two of his three knocks against Bailey Ober were singles with exit velocities in the low-70s mph range. In Arroyo’s final at-bat of the day with position player Willi Castro on the mound, he took a 41.6 mph pitch and snuck it through the middle of the infield with an xBA of just .250.

Arroyo did have some solid hits during his career day too. His best hit ball was a 102.4 mph, 391-foot blast to left field for his third home run of the year. Arroyo also lined a bases-clearing double down the right-field line that broke the game open in the seventh inning.

On the season, Arroyo’s producing numbers are right in line with what we’ve come to expect from the super utilityman. He’s slashing .256/.296/.419 with three home runs and one stolen base. Arroyo will probably hold onto the starting second-base job until Trevor Story or Adalberto Mondesi work their way back to the field, but aside from AL-only leagues, he isn’t worth a roster spot even with regular playing time.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:

 

Nolan Jones (COL): 4-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.

There aren’t a lot of good things happening in Colorado right now, but Jones is certainly one of them. The rookie has been absolutely raking since making his Rockies’ debut in late May. He’s slashing an incredible .354/.436/.634 with five home runs and five stolen bases over 94 plate appearances. I hate to damper the excitement surrounding Jones, but his .511 BABIP will not stick for long, so you may want to think about selling high on him before those numbers start coming back to Earth. This ride has been so fun though, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to stick it out.

Dylan Carlson (STL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.

Carlson was all over MacKenzie Gore last night, taking the lefty deep twice, and his first was absolutely crushed at 445 feet. The last two seasons have not been kind to Carlson after his impressive rookie year in 2021, but things have been looking up since he came off the IL on June 9th. He’s collected three home runs, five runs, and 7 RBI in those 10 games and is worth a look if you need outfield help in deep leagues.

Ketel Marte (ARI): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Marte finished a triple shy of the cycle last night as he continued his strong bounce-back campaign. His 132 wRC+, 11 home runs, 52 runs, 34 RBI, and six stolen bases have been a huge part of Arizona’s surprising surge to the top of the NL West. His 0.64 BB/K ratio is his best since 2018, and that’s backed by his 70th-percentile chase rate and 75th-percentile whiff rate.

Corey Seager (TEX): 3-4, 2 2B, 5 RBI, BB.

Seager just won’t slow down. His stellar game yesterday included the second-hardest hit ball of the day, a 112.2 mph double off of Aaron Bummer. Seaguer owns a .367/.424/.657 slash line which comes out to a 194 wRC+. That’s the best mark in the league among hitters with at least 190 plate appearances. He’ll be in the thick of the MVP race if he stays healthy the rest of the way.

TJ Friedl (CIN): 4-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Friedl’s four-hit day led the scorching-hot Reds to their 10th straight win last night. Cincinnati’s lefty-swinging centerfielder is putting together the best showing of his career so far in 2023. He has a 128 wRC+ and a .372 wOBA after yesterday’s performance. He’s available in 84% of Yahoo! and 95% of ESPN leagues, but if you’re in a weekly lineup league, be sure to check the Reds’ schedule because Friedl only starts against righties.

Elvis Andrus (CWS): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Andrus notched his second homer of the season yesterday, taking a Nathan Eovaldi inside fastball deep to left field in Chicago’s 7-6 victory. After he posted a .271/.309/.464 batting line for the White Sox down the stretch last year, he’s followed that up with a .209/.281/.277 showing this year. Until he starts going on a run like he did in 2022, you can leave him on the waiver wire.

Aaron Hicks (BAL): 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.

Hicks has been on a tear since joining the Orioles, especially on Tuesdays. This is my third straight Batter’s Box article covering a big performance from the former Yankee. His plate discipline has gotten much better in Baltimore, and I do wonder how much the New York negativity was weighing on him and his performance. He entered the day with a 179 wRC+ as an Oriole, and that was before his big night. This hot streak is going on 63 plate appearances, and if you have an outfield need it may be about time to add him and see how long this stretch will continue.

Tony Kemp (OAK): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Kemp took a well-placed Aaron Civale curveball down and in and deposited it over the right-field fence last night—it was just the second home run of the year for the light-hitting second baseman. You know it’s a bad sign when you start to lose playing time in Oakland, and that’s what’s happening to Kemp right now. His batting line is a measly .172/.273/.245 and you have to think the A’s would rather run out almost any other younger player to see if they can stumble across a future big-league contributor than continue to play Kemp.

Willson Contreras (STL): 3-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI.

It’s been a disappointing start to Contreras’ Cardinals career to say the least, but it looks like he may be starting to turn things around. In his last four games, Contreras is 6-17 with three extra-base hits and four RBI. His season numbers are still at just a .673 OPS, .299 wOBA, and an 89 wRC+ so you can likely still buy low, and that’s exactly what I’d recommend doing. Contreras’ .236 BABIP is well below his career .300 mark. Plus, his plate discipline and batted ball data is in line with what we’ve seen from him in successful seasons. Baseball Savant lists his xWOBA at .344, so it seems likely he’ll start seeing better results soon.

Jorge Alfaro (COL): 1-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Be honest. Did you know Alfaro was playing for the Rockies? I was totally caught off guard seeing Alfaro pop up during my research for this article last night, and there may be some fantasy intrigue here. Alfaro has started five of the six games he’s been on Colorado’s big league roster, and if he keeps seeing that kind of playing time he’ll probably be worth an add in two catcher leagues. He’s not going to suddenly become a top fantasy option in his age-30 season, but the bar for catcher production is low and Alfaro can certainly reach it given enough playing time.

Billy McKinney (NYY): 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI.

McKinney delivered the Yankee’s biggest hit in their 3-1 win over the Mariners—a two-run home run against George Kirby. Injuries have opened an opportunity for McKinney to find playing time in the Yankees’ outfield, and he’s taken advantage of his chance. He’s slashing .289/.308/.579 in 39 plate appearances. With Harrison Bader returning from the IL last night, McKinney may not be long for the starting lineup, but if he keeps producing this way, the Yankees will find a way to work him in.

Tucker Barnhart (CHC): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.

Barnhart launched his first big fly as a Cub yesterday, a 413-foot shot off of a Johan Oviedo four-seamer in the North Siders’ 4-0 win. It should probably go without saying that Barnhart isn’t even near the fantasy radar in any format.