[hitter_list list_id=”24464″ include_stats=”1″ season=”2018″]
Welcome back to Hitter List. Every Wednesday during the regular season, I’ll rank the current value of the top 150 hitters for the remainder of the year. Use these rankings to help get a sense of both a player’s expected performance and his trade value in your fantasy leagues moving forward. They’re constructed with 12-teamer, H2H, 5×5 leagues in mind; adjust as needed for your specific setup. Position eligibility does factor in to a degree.
We’re entering the home stretch of the 2018 season, so expect to see plenty of aggressive adjustments to the List each week. In particular, injuries will take on added importance as even a minimum DL stint will cost a player a decent chunk of their remaining games. Rest assured that any rankings you vehemently disagree with were explicitly an attempt to insult you and/or your favorite player(s) personally. Seriously, before you work yourself into a rage in the comment section, understand that this is only one person’s opinion. I’m wrong a lot! Comes with the territory of doing this sort of thing.
On to the highlights!
- Injury roundup: Edwin Encarnacion (arm) was the only major casualty since last week, although Brian Dozier’s situation (irregular heartbeat) should be closely monitoring. Let’s check in on the rehab status for the handful of big names currently on the shelf. Mike Trout (wrist) did end up needing a stint on the disabled list, and now is attending to a family issue that may keep him from returning when first eligible on Thursday. Jose Altuve (knee) was unable to resume running over the weekend as planned. Aaron Judge (hand) still isn’t swinging a bat, while teammate Gary Sanchez (groin) reports that he’s pain free but isn’t running at full speed yet. Kris Bryant (shoulder) has been taking dry swings but has not progressed to participating in batting practice. Josh Donaldson, meanwhile, is still “ramping up intensity” and at this point it would be a surprise to see him back before September. George Springer (thumb) won’t be back when first eligible, but should return by the end of the week. Wilson Ramos (hamstring) and Nomar Mazara (thumb) are currently on rehab assignments and should also be back soon. Not much news on Tommy Pham (foot) but the early reports were encouraging.
- New to or back on the List this week: Robinson Cano, Aledmys Diaz, Randal Grichuk, Ryan Zimmerman, Harrison Bader, and Nick Ahmed. With his suspension served, Cano will reportedly see time at first and perhaps even third base in addition to his usual spot at the keystone. Diaz is hitting .328 with seven home runs since the break. Teammate Grichuk has been quietly effective since returning from injury on June 1, hitting .264/.313/.524 with 14 homers and good run production. Bader’s taking advantage of the opportunity for everyday at-bats in the wake of Dexter Fowler’s injury, slashing .325/.372/.550 with a pair of homers and three stolen bases thus far in August. Finally, Ahmed has probably been better than you realize, since a horrific May has dragged his overall numbers down.
