Nacho Supreme
Nacho Álvarez Jr. (ATL): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Detroit Tigers‘ freefall continued on Saturday.
The Tigers lead 5-3 going into the 8th inning and ended up losing 6-5 to an Atlanta team that is 11 games under .500. The loss is Detroit’s fifth straight and eighth in their past 10 games. They are now only one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central division.
A primary force for Atlanta in their one-run victory in Detroit was Nacho Alvarez Jr., the Atlanta 22-year-old infielder who is in his first full MLB season.
In Saturday’s win, he went three-for-four with two runs scored and three RBI. He also hit his first two Major League home runs, including one in the 8th inning that helped Atlanta crawl back in the game despite a two-run deficit at the time. Alvarez also had a game-tying single off Detroit closer Will Vest in the bottom of the ninth with two outs that scored Ozzie Albies from second. In the next at-bat, Jurickson Profar hit another single that ended up scoring Ha-Seong Kim from second for the lead (and eventually, the win).
It’s hard to tell whether Alvarez could be a long-term option in Atlanta or if he’s benefiting from Atlanta’s plethora of injuries as well as a down season.
In 186 plate appearances, the former fifth-round pick is slashing .249/.310/.355 with a .655 OPS. In addition to two home runs, he’s scored 18 runs and 14 RBI. He has zero stolen bases, making him a pretty limited fantasy option at this time, especially for managers entering (or in) the championship weeks of their respective fantasy seasons.
It will be interesting to see how Atlanta handles Alvarez in 2026. Austin Riley will be back, and he will be the primary third-baseman for a long time (he’s under contract until 2032). Thus, would Atlanta find value in him as a utility infielder? Could he fill in at the keystone, especially if Atlanta opts to deal Albies this offseason? (Albies has a club option.)
Alvarez likely won’t be a target in any fantasy drafts next winter, even in the deepest leagues. That said, he may be worth watching after the season starts, and he could be a waiver wire worth picking up, depending on the direction Atlanta takes in 2026.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday.
Bo Naylor (CLE): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
The Guardians swept the Saturday doubleheader in Minnesota, putting them in striking distance of the Tigers in the Central. Naylor was a prominent performer in their 6-0 victory in Game 1, as he had two solo home runs and got on base three times. The Guardians catcher is hitting below the Mendoza line, but he has 14 home runs this year, which is a career high.
Jackson Merrill (SDP): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB.
Merrill’s strong September continued on Saturday. Against the White Sox, he had two hits, scored three runs, and launched his 15th home run of the year. In 70 plate appearances, the Padres outfielder is slashing .273/.314/.682 with a .996 OPS and six home runs. His home run total in September is two more than the previous three months combined. For San Diego to make a run in the postseason, they will need Merrill to continue this hot streak into October.
Connor Norby (MIA): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
The Marlins played spoiler to the Rangers, whose 4-3 loss to Miami put them five games back in the Wild Card race. Norby had a lovely day for the Marlins, as he had two hits and hit his seventh homer of the season. It’s been a disappointing second season in Miami for Norby, who came into the season as a fantasy dark horse. Injuries and ineffectiveness have limited him to a .255 average and .693 OPS in 314 plate appearances.
Giancarlo Stanton (NYY): 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
The Yankees gained some ground in the AL East with a 6-1 victory over the Orioles. Stanton set the tone with a three-run home run in the first inning off of Baltimore starter Tomoyuki Sugano. In 256 plate appearances, Stanton has a .916 OPS and 21 home runs. The latter is six fewer home runs than he had in 2024 in 459 plate appearances. If the Yankees want to add another World Series title to their mantle, a healthy Stanton could be key.
Cal Raleigh (SEA): 1-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Raleigh continues to make history this season. On Saturday, he hit his 57th home run, which broke the Mariners’ single-season home run record set by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997. In addition, his homer helped the Mariners in their 6-4 victory over the Astros. They are now two games ahead of Houston in the AL West and seem like a sure thing to make the postseason, barring a crazy collapse.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB.
It was another night of “Ohtani Being Ohtani” at Dodger Stadium. He launched his 52nd home run of the year on Saturday, and he also scored two runs and drew two walks against the rival Giants. At some point, Ohtani will be stopped. Whether it will be this season, especially in the postseason, is to be determined.
TJ Friedl (CIN): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
The Reds stayed alive on Saturday with a 6-3 win in Cincinnati over the Cubs. Friedl had a big day for the Reds, collecting two hits, two runs, and a home run, his 13th of the year. For the season, Friedl is hitting .259 with a .735 OPS and has 12 stolen bases, all improvements in those categories from a year ago. Cincinnati is only one game back in the Wild Card race, so a strong Friedl performance down the stretch will be much welcomed.
Bobby Witt Jr. (KCR): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI.
The Royals are nearly out of the playoff race (they are six games back of a Wild Card spot). However, they played spoiler on Saturday, beating the Blue Jays 2-1. Unlike Friday, where both teams combined for 21 runs (20 of them by the Royals), it was a more subdued affair in game two of the series. Both teams only had four hits each, and all three runs were scored on solo home runs, including one from Witt. This year hasn’t been quite as eye-popping as his AL MVP runner-up campaign. Still, he has 23 home runs, 37 stolen bases, a .293 average, and .855 OPS, which are all impressive numbers.
