Josh Bell (WSN): 4-6, 2 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI.
That Rings a Bell
It’s been a while since his All-Star campaign in Pittsburgh, but Josh Bell has put together a very respectable MLB career, bouncing between several teams over the past few seasons. In his second stint with the Nationals, Bell is slashing a pedestrian .230/.324/.402, but he’s looking to finish his age-33 season in style. Bell’s impressive line of 4-6, 2 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI on Monday gives him three long balls in the past two days after hitting a pinch-hit homer on Sunday.
Bell isn’t anywhere near the upper echelon of players at this stage of his career, but approaching 20 home runs while maintaining a 16.2% K rate and 11.4% walk rate is impressive. Bell’s experience will likely pay dividends for the young crop of Nationals hitters as CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Dylan Crews aim to take the franchise to the next level in the coming seasons.
There’s very little reason to roster a player like Bell with the options available at 1B aside from deeper NL-only leagues, but as the season winds down, it felt right to pay respects to a player who’s made a career out of playing first base and DH for some of the league’s less successful franchises to provide exciting moments for the home crowds. Here’s hoping he sticks around long enough to reach that magic number of ten years of service time in the MLB.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:
Jakob Marsee (MIA): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI, BB.
The sample size is still too small to understand how “real” the phenomenon known as Jakob Marsee is, but if these skills stick around into 2026, the Marlin could be a five-category contributor with the upside to finish as a top-50 hitter next season. If you were lucky enough to snag Marsee off waivers and you’re in a keeper league, he could be an enticing player to hang on to if your keeper rules are based on the place the player was drafted. I don’t anticipate the 20-homer pace that he’s sustaining now, but somewhere between 10-15 homers with plenty of steals and solid ratios is within the cards.
CJ Kayfus (CLE): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Promising rookie CJ Kayfus has struggled in his first bit of big-league action in 2025, but he’s performed better over the past week with a pair of multi-hit performances in his last three starts. Improving his contact ability and cutting down on strikeouts will be priorities for Kayfus’ growth. He won’t be a must-draft in 2026, but track his development throughout the course of the season.
Kyle Manzardo (CLE): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB.
The improvements in Kyle Manzardo’s game in 2025 are goals that Kayfus should strive to replicate in 2026. Manzardo has modestly cut his strikeout rate while drawing more walks and improved his contact ability to reach 25 home runs with respectable ratios. If Manzardo continues to carry these trends into 2026, he could be a late-round steal in leagues with an additional corner infield spot.
Michael Helman (TEX): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 5 RBI.
It’s always nice to see a 29-year-old rookie finding some modest success in the majors after what’s surely been a long road to get here. After seeing just 10 plate appearances with the Twins in 2024, Michael Helman is getting his first crack at a semi-regular role with the Rangers late in 2025. The many injuries to the Rangers’ lineup have allowed Helman to showcase his power and speed, hitting his fourth home run in just 49 at-bats on Monday.
Royce Lewis (MIN): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Royce Lewis is swinging a hot bat lately, with four home runs and five steals over his last two weeks of action. Health is always a concern with Lewis, meaning he likely won’t ever be a top-tier fantasy contributor, but the upside will always be tantalizing. It’s worth mentioning that his expected stats in 2025 don’t look as strong as they have in past seasons, but that could also be due to small sample sizes throughout his career.
Jung Hoo Lee (SFG): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
One of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past week is Jung Hoo Lee, who has four multi-hit games in his last five starts. Monday’s home run was still only Lee’s eighth of the season, so while he has a good approach at the plate and contributes well for average in rotisserie leagues, he doesn’t do much else for fantasy purposes—a classic example of a better real-life baseball player than a fantasy asset.
Gabriel Moreno (ARI): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
If you’re looking for a catcher to stream in the twilight weeks of the season, Gabriel Moreno has performed well at the dish since coming off the IL. In August and September, Moreno has a .953 OPS across 53 plate appearances and figures to be the primary catcher for Arizona down the stretch.
Trevor Story (BOS): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Trevor Story hot streak alert! Like Lewis, Story has four homers and five steals over his past two weeks. He’s only available in 17% of Yahoo! leagues, but if he happens to be on your wire, he’s worth a pickup to see if he can carry this hot streak through the end of the season.
Gavin Sheets (SDP): 3-3, 2 2B, R, RBI, BB.
With Jackson Merrill returning from the injured list, Gavin Sheets likely won’t see as consistent playing time in the outfield. Nonetheless, the lefty will still be a solid option in daily leagues or weekly leagues when the Padres are lined up to face a slew of right-handed pitchers. He’s not a must-hold in any format due to the depth at 1B and OF across the league.
