George Springer (TOR): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

The Wedding Springer

In the middle of a season to forget, George Springer had a night to remember. The veteran right fielder and his teammates made Carson Spiers look like he was tossing batting practice, homering five times off the Reds’ rookie. Springer had the biggest blows, going deep twice and finishing with a 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI line.

Springer’s two homers were his 15th and 16th of the campaign, and although he’s on pace to reach the low-20s threshold for the third straight year, it’s otherwise been an unremarkable season. He’s slashing a disappointing .222/.301/.380. If his 95 wRC+ holds out, it’ll be the first time he finishes as a below-average run producer during his 11-year career, and the fifth straight season he’ll have posted a declining wRC+.

Now in his mid-30s, Springer’s tumbling process statistics should raise concern. He’s putting the ball on the ground more than ever, and he hasn’t been able to reach the power heights he has in the past. His 110.6 mph Max EV is over 3 mph slower than his previous career-low. On the plus side, the plate discipline metrics haven’t suffered much—his strikeout and walk rates are both within one percentage point of his career norms.

Springer still has years of big-league viability left, but from a fantasy perspective, it’s probably time to accept that rather than the exciting early or mid-round outfield option he had been for the better part of a decade, he’s more of a counting stat stuffer reliant on maximum playing time to be an asset in standard leagues. If Springer stays healthy and continues to post 550+ plate appearance seasons hitting at the top of the Blue Jays’ lineup, he’ll be worth a fantasy roster spot, but he’s no longer an integral part of your team.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:

Jarren Duran (BOS): 4-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.

There are no brakes on Duran’s wild breakout ride. Boston’s star centerfielder came up huge in the team’s 6-5 win in Houston yesterday. Not only did he notch four base knocks, but his fourth-inning single tied the game, he came around to score the go-ahead run, and after the Astros knotted things up, Duran won it with his go-ahead eighth-inning solo shot. Duran’s hitting .292 with 27 home runs, 87 runs, 64 RBI, and 31 steals. With how low his draft stock was this spring, he’s certainly in the running for 2024 fantasy MVP.

Triston Casas (BOS): 2-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 BB.

After missing three months with a rib injury, it’s great to see Casas back in the lineup and quickly finding his power stroke. After the game’s first two batters doubled, Casas kept things rolling by hammering a slider that Ronel Blanco left up and over the plate 384 feet for a three-run blast. Because Casas missed so much time, he may still be flying under the radar and lurking on your league’s waiver wire. He’s available in 25% of Yahoo! and 47% of ESPN leagues.

Brayan Rocchio (CLE): 3-5, HR, R, RBI, BB, SB.

Rocchio’s been one of the few Cleveland regulars who hasn’t put together an impressive 2024 campaign. His combo meal last night pushed him to just six homers and nine steals over 344 plate appearances, and his .210/.298/.320 slash line doesn’t hold much value in any fantasy format. The switch-hitting shortstop hasn’t exactly been showing the improvement you’d hope to see from a 23-year-old in his first season against big league pitching.

Zach Neto (LAA): 2-5, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.

There aren’t a lot of bright spots on the Angels’ side of Los Angeles, but Neto is one of them. In his first full go-around at the big league level, Neto owns a .262/.327/.466 slash line with 19 home runs and 22 steals. His 121 wRC+ is the sixth-best mark among all shortstops. Playing for a subpar club has seemingly kept him from garnering much attention, so he may be undervalued entering fantasy drafts next year. Keep an eye out.

Leo Jiménez (TOR): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Jiménez has taken over the lion’s share of shortstop playing time in Toronto with Bo Bichette sidelined, and he’s shown he has the tools to be a quality big leaguer, but maybe not so much a fantasy asset. The 23-year-old rookie is slashing .232/.310/.404 with three home runs over 113 plate appearances. Jiménez never reached double-digit homers or steals over a full season in the minor leagues, so while he may wind up as a valuable utility option for a big-league club, he’s not worth a pick up in fantasy.

Sal Frelick (MIL): 2-4, 3B, R, RBI, SB.

Frelick stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Christian Yelich’s unfortunate season-ending back injury. He’s now started 12 straight games for the Brew Crew. With just two long balls in 420 plate appearances, Frelick is purely a stolen base fantasy option. Last night’s thievery was his 16th bag of the season. Despite Frelick’s limited power potential, he’s done a phenomenal job squaring up the baseball while showing good plate discipline. It makes for one of the more unique Savant lollipop charts.

Whit Merrifield (ATL): 2-3, 2B, 3B, R, BB.

Merrifield’s been holding down the keystone in Atlanta with Ozzie Albies on the mend from a broken wrist, and yesterday was the fifth time in his last six games that he’s recorded a hit. Although the veteran righty has lost most of what little power was once in his bat, he still has 91st percentile sprint speed that he puts to good use. He has 16 stolen bases in just 246 plate appearances, and his attempts have ticked up in Atlanta. If your fantasy squad needs some speed, look no further. Just don’t expect contributions in other areas.

Spencer Torkelson (DET): 4-4, 2B, R.

The youth movement is on in Detroit, which means Torkelson is back up with the big-league squad. It’s been a strong return so far—he has six hits in 10 at-bats to go along with two walks. With how much he struggled to reach his power in the early going this year, it’s even better to see two of his hits yesterday had exit velocities over 100 mph. I’m not sold that he’ll be the 30+ homer hitter we saw in 2023 over the season’s final weeks, but if you’re desperate for power, there are certainly worse bets out there.

Max Muncy (LAD): 1-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.

Speaking of power threats, the Dodgers activated Muncy from the IL before Monday’s game and he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s homered in both games since returning from an oblique strain, and each long ball was a 400-footer. Prior to his injury, Muncy was putting together a typical high-power, high-strikeout season, but with home run potential that few in the game can match, he’s still very valuable in fantasy. He’s on the wire in 27% of Yahoo! and 40% of ESPN leagues.