Byron Man
Byron Buxton (MIN): 5-5, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI.
It was a superhuman day for Byron Buxton on Saturday. Only two days after giving Twins fans and fantasy managers alike a scare due to a HBP on his hand, Buxton hit for the cycle for the first time in his career, securing the cycle in dramatic fashion with a home run in his fifth and final at-bat of the day. His final line on the day was a perfect 5-5, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI. Oh, and Buxton did all this on his bobblehead day!
Buxton is having a special season, slashing .286/.350/.571 with 21 homers, 55 RBI, 64 runs, and 17 steals. He not only earned his spot on the AL All-Star team, but also in the Home Run Derby, and he is also probably on the short list of the top first-half fantasy all-stars. He has his highest HardHit rate of his career at 53.9%, which is 16th overall in MLB, and he has the highest wOBA of his career at .373, which is 15th overall in the league. Put those two together, and you have a season like Byron Buxton’s 2025.
It’s hard to look for any warts in Buxton’s game, though Process+ does question his ability to succeed long term at this level, especially when it comes to power and contact, with a recent peak at the end of June. His xwOBA is also falling back to early to mid-June levels (currently at .380, as opposed to a .441 peak last week). Still, given his dark red underlying stats on Statcast, I can’t imagine his Process+ will dip any lower than where it was in mid-June.
Buxton is finally putting up first-round production, and there’s not much more fantasy owners should do than start him and enjoy it, especially since it would be difficult to sell high. While Buxton has been working extremely hard in 2025 to shed the injury-prone label that has followed him throughout his career, fantasy baseball managers are notoriously stubborn when it comes to this label, and many, if not all, will be hesitant to trade for Buxton. Just enjoy the ride and hope he keeps proving all the doubters wrong!
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday:
Julio Rodríguez (SEA): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.
Julio collected a combo meal on Saturday, hitting his 13th home run and stealing his 16th base of the season. Rodriguez will be going to the All-Star game on Tuesday, but his season has been less than stellar, hitting .249/.308/.405, easily the worst year of his young four-year career. Still, the 24-year-old has just hit two homers in two games, and if anyone can turn around a season, it’s a talent like Julio.
Randy Arozarena (SEA): 3-5, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, SB.
Julio shared his combo meal with Randy Arozarena, who also got a sock and a shoe in the Mariners’ blowout win over the Tigers in Detroit. This is Arozarena’s eighth home run in his last 16 games, giving him 16 on the season, after a slow start in the power department. Process+ shows us how bumpy the ride has been owning shares of Arozarena in 2025, but the spike weeks seem worth it. Just buckle up for the rest of the season.
Riley Greene (DET): 1-3, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Riley Greene is also headed back to the All-Star game, and for good reason. His three-run oppo taco on Saturday was his 23rd of this season, and he collected four RBI on the day. He is now up to 77 RBI on the season, tied for third in the league. His Barrel% is 10th overall, sandwiched between Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto. Yup, Riley Greene has arrived. Buy this man in dynasty.
Brady House (WSN): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
It was double-dinger day for three MLB players on Saturday, but we’ll start with 2021 first-round pick Brady House, who not only hit two homers but the first HRs of his MLB career. These were also not baby homers. They were both crushed, and both landed in the same part of Miller Park.
House has had a relatively strong start to his career (minus the homers) and has been under the radar in fantasy, being rostered in only three percent of Yahoo! leagues. That should change this morning, and deservedly so. The Nationals’ starting 3B is hitting .310 over his last 10 games, and slashing .290/.313/.468 over the past two weeks. Not bad for someone with only 94 plate appearances.
Jackson Merrill (SDP): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Merrill came into Saturday without a homer in 34 games, and then went ahead and smacked two homers off Zack Wheeler of all pitchers. While Merrill was stuck in a terrible slump, it’s important to remember that this is the 22-year-old’s second season in the league. Sophomore slumps are a part of baseball, and even the best hitters have to work through all the adjustments major league pitchers make. Hopefully, this performance will turn the young slugger’s season around heading into the second half.
Eugenio Suárez (ARI): 2-3, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Our third double-dinger awardee of the day goes to Eugenio Suárez. Suarez is now up to 31 homers with the best HardHit rate of his career (an even 50.0%) and has collected 77 RBI, tied with the aforementioned Greene for third in the league. His solid season might be going under the radar, but his fantasy owners know and appreciate him. He’s rumored to get moved at the deadline, boosting his value even more.
Aaron Judge (NYY): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Another day, another Aaron Judge monster game for the Yankees and your fantasy clubs. His homer was the 350th of his career and his 35th of the season.
Fewest career games to 350 home runs:
Aaron Judge: 1,088
Mark McGwire: 1,280
Juan Gonzalez: 1,298
Alex Rodriguez: 1,301
Harmon Killebrew: 1,319
Albert Pujols: 1,320 https://t.co/ZSb21CwyPD— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 12, 2025
He might be three HR behind Cal Raleigh for the league lead, but Judge will have the last laugh, as he’ll likely be the No. 1 pick in 2026 fantasy drafts.
Xavier Edwards (MIA): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Speedy soft-hitting Xavier Edwards finally hit his first home run of the 2025 season. Remind me why he was rostered in 63% of Yahoo! leagues without having hit a home run before today? Oh, his speed. But he only has 16 stolen bases on the season, tied for 17th overall, and he’s only stolen two bases in the last two weeks… I wouldn’t hold him unless you’re in a 15-team Roto league.
Andrew Vaughn (MIL): 2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI.
Andrew Vaughn is taking advantage of the opportunity awarded to him, first from a mid-season trade from the White Sox, and second from Rhys Hoskins‘ recent injury. Vaughn is up to 10 RBI in his first five games with the Brewers, hitting 6-for-14 with two homers, including a game-tying two-run double in the ninth inning. Vaughn has always hit the ball hard, but has struggled to make consistent contact. Maybe the change of scenery can help in that regard. Keep him on your watch list for now.
