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Hitter List 8/29: Your Hitting Guide For The Playoffs

Your hitting guide for the fantasy baseball playoffs.

Scott Chu
Hitter List 8/29/2025

With the playoffs approaching for many and everyone now in crunch time, this article will now have a new format to help guide you through the short-term decision-making that comes into play at point in the season.

I will group players into tiers and go over each team’s lineup and outlook for the next three series. Players will be classified as Auto-Start, Solid Start, Streamer, and Desperate. If I don’t list a guy, it’s because you don’t need him.

Auto-Start – Just leave them in all season. Don’t get cute.

Solid Start – A safe start at the moment, but if they’re struck by a slump, they could get moved down to Streamer by the next update.

Streamer – Worth considering in a 12-teamer due to a hot streak, a specific matchup (such as heading to Coors), or a specific tool (such as speed). It may also include players who I would usually consider a Solid Start but is dealing with playing time issues due to either injury or platoons that might cause them to play in fewer than four or five games that week.

Desperate – For players in deep leagues or in very dire straits. Prospects waiting to be called up will usually be in this category.

As you may have noticed, we no longer allow comments on the site. I’m grateful to have been able to engage with you all here, and if you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter (@ifthechufits), BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).

IL – This will be limited to hitters who would actually make one of the tiers above immediately upon activation.

  • As a reminder, this article is geared toward a standard, daily, 12-team H2H redraft league, as that is typically the most popular fantasy baseball format. They will only factor in the five standard categories: Runs, RBI, Home Runs, Batting Average, and Stolen Bases.
  • I take rankings like this as more of an art than a science. Every person’s rankings are influenced by their own biases, strategic philosophies, determinations of risk, and projections. It’s why no two rankings are ever exactly alike. My way of evaluating and ranking players has worked out well for me over the years, but it might not be a great fit for you. I can’t possibly predict your team’s specific needs, your league mates’ player evaluations, or your current waiver wire, and if I could, it’d be weird. In a bad way.
  • This is a safe space for me where I answer to no one but myself…and you if you hit me up on Twitter (@ifthechufits), BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).
  • I’m doing my best to use five starts or 10 appearances as the threshold for positional eligibility. I have not included presumed eligibilities based on likely new positions, but once those eligibilities are earned, I’ll add them in. This is just a maintenance thing, and we will update eligibility throughout the season. Feel free to let me know if I’m missing any!

 

Ranking Philosophy

 

To keep things in the same ilk, here are a couple of notes on how I generally evaluate hitters before we dive in:

 

  • In 12-team formats, I just don’t see much value in guys who only provide stolen bases. It’s an important category, especially in Roto, but in shallower formats, there are too many other (and better) ways to get the steals you need without sacrificing production in the other categories.
  • If I want to get some insight on whether what I’m seeing is new or if it’s just normal fluctuation, I’d use my favorite tool—the rolling chart, which I’ll also reference as appropriate. You can also get rolling charts from sources like FanGraphs or Baseball Savant. If you have any questions about how to do that or how to read these charts, reach out to me!
  • No stat is an island, and they should all be taken in proper context. For ranking purposes, the primary starting points I use are plate discipline, wRC+, quality of contact metrics (also known as Statcast batted ball data), lineup context, and the skills we can measure using tools such as our PLV Hitter Attributes (available for PL Pro members). I also use various projections (some free, some I buy) and dollar value generators.
  • Positional eligibility, and specifically multi-eligibility, is neat, but also isn’t a huge factor in many 10- and 12-team leagues anymore due to the prevalence of multi-eligible players. It’s of more value in deeper contests like the NFBC, or in leagues with limited roster moves (draft and hold leagues, transaction limits/costs, extremely short benches, etc.), but even then, the value is fairly situational and context-dependent.
  • On a similar note, I don’t penalize players for only qualifying in the utility slot. At most, it is a mild inconvenience if a DH-only player is available at a great value and you already have filled your utility spots.
  • Anyone talented enough to make it to the big leagues can be brilliant or putrid for 50 to 100 at-bats, regardless of true talent. Heck, it could even last over a month with no change in potential or skill. It also could be wildly meaningful. We can’t and don’t know which of these will be true until it’s over, though track record, scouting, and trends can give us hints.
  • If you’d like input on a player or have any feedback, your best bet is to reach out to me on the website formerly known as Twitter (@ifthechufits) or BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).

 

Read The Notes

 

  • These rankings talk about what I generally project for a player, but these rankings are not projections. They include projections but also take into account performance risk, injury risk, team context, ceiling, and floor.

 

Check out the Hacks & Jacks podcast featuring Scott Chu and Brett Ford, which also happened to be a finalist for Best Baseball Podcast of 2021 by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA)!

I also host an AMA in the r/fantasybaseball subreddit every Friday starting around noon ET that lasts through the rest of the day and into the weekend, so feel free to join the fun and ask questions or make comments.

 

Arizona Diamondbacks

@ LAD, vs. TEX, vs. BOS

 

Geraldo Perdomo is progressing towards 20 home runs and I am extremely curious whether he gets there and how 2026 projections deal with such a major change in power with such minor changes in his batted ball profile.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. remains one of the league’s most baffling players. As of now, August would be just the second month this season where Gurriel Jr. has posted an OPS above .700, most because his hot and cold streaks tend to last for extended periods. He’s on the upswing right now, and on the season he’s performed like a top-100 player due to the volume and the fact he hits somewhere near the middle of the order most of time; however, if he starts bottoming out he will quickly move to the Desperate tier.

Jordan Lawlar will likely get another shot at the majors when call-ups happen, and as a prospect he is much more exciting than Blaze Alexander. That said, Alexander has performed admirably of late and I fear Lawlar’s call-up will make both of them part-time players.

 

Athletics

vs. TEX, @ STL, @ LAA

 

This has been a top-five offense since July 1 and should remain in the top 10 for the rest of the season. Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker, and Tyler Soderstrom all have made or are making a case to be top-50 hitters in 2026, and if Jacob Wilson performs well through September, he’ll make a push for the top-75.

Lawrence Butler is starting to get platooned and has a paltry 34 wRC+ with just a single steal in the second half. He plays enough to justify him as a desperate play in deeper leagues, but in 12 teamers you should be moving on.

 

Atlanta

@ PHI, @ CHC, vs. SEA

 

Now that the season is all but over for Atlanta, they’ve decided to start hitting? Jurickson Profar has been the second-best hitter for fantasy over the last 14 days and the fourth-best hitter over the last 30 days thanks to this most recent heater, and while I still have questions about exactly where I’d rank him over a full season, he’s a must-start for at least the next two weeks.

Matt Olson has been somewhat disappointing based on where you drafted him, but thanks to volume and the handful of multi-week hot streaks he’s had this season he’s been a top-60 hitter per the FanGraphs Player Rater. There’d have to be a very tempting option for me to move on at this point, not just a streamer.

Ozzie Albies has been the third-best second-baseman in the second half after being the 33rd-best in the first half. I’m calling him a solid for now as second base is bereft of talent and you don’t have many realistic alternatives, but even a strong finish to the season won’t get me drafting Albies in 2026 at anything close to his 2025 ADP.

Michael Harris II has cooled off in a big way, and many will likely hold for now, although he’s not been known for quickly breaking slumps over his career. Marcell Ozuna also fizzled out after that big flare a few weeks back. The rest of the offense is cruising so these guys might get some benefit from it even after cooling off, but you might have better options in the outfield or at utility for the immediate future.

 

Baltimore Orioles

@SFG, @ SDP, @ LAD

 

Gunnar Henderson still hasn’t shown the power we saw in 2023 or 2024, but his overall contributions of late have been more than good enough to lock him in for the foreseeable future.

Colton Cowser has a hot bat and is obviously the team’s preferred option in center at this point. Unfortunately, he’s also notoriously streaky due to his strikeout-heavy profile, and even this strong recent performance has come with a strikeout rate well north of 35%.

In his last 15 games, Jackson Holliday has 13 walks to just 10 strikeouts (18.1% and 13.9% rates, respectively) and while it hasn’t come with a lot of hard contact, I’m very interested to see how this plays out.

Jeremiah Jackson had an excellent showing in his 40 games in Triple-A and is off to a hot start in the majors. If Jackson was hitting in the bottom-third of the order, he’d be in the Desperate tier but as of now he’s hitting second.

The future may be bright for Samuel Basallo (and to a lesser extent, Dylan Beavers), but there is at least one lefty in each of the next three series

Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, and Tyler O’Neill will all likely be back by the end of the season but between their poor/erratic performance on the season and the multiple IL stints for the latter two, none of them demand and IL spot on your team. When activated, all three would be in the Streamer tier.

 

Boston Red Sox

vs. PIT, vs. CLE, @ ARI

 

Strikeouts have climbed a bit for Roman Anthony, but the hard hits keep coming. He’ll need to adjust, of course, but as of now there’s no reason to suspect that this will turn into major impact to the bottom line.

Alex Bregman has struck out just three times in his last 15 games while walking eight times. Sure, the power isn’t there, but it’ll come around.

Ceddanne Rafaela seems to be turning it around quickly with four doubles and a home run in his last five games. He’s a drag on your ratios (especially in OBP), but the major improvements to his strikeout rate, barrel rate, and exit velocity seem real. Rafaela should be a solid 20/20 contributor next season even if he falls a touch short this season thanks to this extended (but possibly ending) slump.

Wilyer Abreu might be back in mid-September but shouldn’t be considered more than a streamer for those last two weeks.

 

Chicago Cubs

@ COL, vs. ATL, vs. WSN

 

Notably, the Cubs have one of the easiest slates of opposing starters for the next three series, making them appealing options in the short term.

It took nearly two months but we are finally seeing Kyle Tucker look like Kyle Tucker again, albeit for just five games. The exit velocity remains down since the start of July, but I still see a path for Tucker to be a top-10 outfielder for the rest of the season and several paths to being a top-20 outfielder.

Nico Hoerner is a perfectly cromulent second baseman for fantasy and his consistency is commendable. The only reason you’d bench him is because you’re in a daily league, it’s late in the week, and you need as much power as you can get and have someone like Brandon Lowe in reserve.

Seiya Suzuki probably feels like a streamer to some due to a very rough second half so far, but I’m willing to give it at least one more week as he continues to bat third and is taking a bazillion walks. We’ve seen Suzuki slog through one or two month slumps before (May 2024, June and July 2023) and then rebound dramatically.

Michael Busch would have been a streamer if the schedule was tougher, but leading off against bad pitching gives him a boost.

Matt Shaw’s performance has tapered off and because he bats ninth while occasionally sitting it’s tough to justify holding while he’s cold.

 

Chicago White Sox

vs. NYY, @ MIN, @ DET

 

Lenyn Sosa has quietly been a fine back-end option as both a second baseman and third baseman in standard leagues, though in OBP he’s more of a streamer thanks to the sub-.300 OBP.

Kyle Teel has been pretty decent over the last two weeks, though this 32.1% line-drive rate in August isn’t going to hold. He should be a good volume and batting average option at catcher, but his upside is limited and there are plenty of options at catcher.

Colson Montgomery has missed a few games with an injury and is generally just a streaky power hitter. Hopefully the injury doesn’t disrupt the mojo, but I don’t trust it to last all season.

Miguel Vargas plays a lot and sometimes is useful, but he’s merely a replacement-level option while you wait for something better.

Luis Robert Jr. could be back this season, but not for more than a week or so.

 

Cincinnati Reds

vs. STL, vs. TOR, vs. NYM

 

It has been a rough August for Elly De La Cruz, but he’s about to have a nice long homestand which should help turn things around. One thing that I do find encouraging is that his strikeout rate spike is merely 30% instead of the 40% or higher we’ve seen in the past.

Injuries have held Austin Hays back in 2025, but he’s certainly exceeded my expectations when healthy, and three straight series at home (even though he’s been less productive there, somehow) should give him an even better chance to keep it rolling a little longer.

Noelvi Marte has moved up to second in the order and that’s the bump he needed to solidify a spot as a solid start.

TJ Friedl has been awful in August, but perhaps three series in his home ballpark turns it around. He’s right on the border between Streamer and Desperate.

Spencer Steer is a much better hitter at home and despite a lackluster season over all, you could do worse than play him if you need a guy to cover some positions.

 

Cleveland Guardians

vs. SEA, @ BOS, @ TBR

 

This entire offense has come to a screeching halt, and that combined with Steven Kwan’s limited speed and power means he’s more of a streamer in standard leagues. If this were focused on points, he’d be in the Solid tier.

Kyle Manzardo continues to show flashes here and there, but he’s not easy to trust with his up-and-down season.

None of the three Desperate guys are all that appealing, but they do play fairly often. CJ Kayfus should have some intrigue in 2026, Bo Naylor has some pop for a catcher, and Angel Martínez walks a lot and is OK for points.

 

Colorado Rockies

vs. CHC, vs. SFG, vs. SDP

 

The Rockies are in Coors for all three series, so most of the lineup has some level of viability.

Brenton Doyle is swinging a hot bat at the perfect time as he rolls into this homestand. The only reason he isn’t an auto-start is because he’s been SO bad at times and if it were to happen again he could get benched here and there.

The remaining primary hitters are all useful in their own ways: Jordan Beck has some pop and speed, Mickey Moniak has pop, Tyler Freeman has speed and a hit tool, and Ezequiel Tovar is streaky but can put a ton of balls in play with decent power.

Warming Bernabel and Kyle Karros has showed some heat immediately on their call-ups but have faded, and that early burst was likely just

 

Detroit Tigers

@ KCR, vs. NYM, vs. CHW

 

Riley Greene got off to a sluggish start in the second half with way too many strikeouts, but things are WAY looking up over his last 17 games as Green has swatted six home runs with 27 combined runs and RBI in that stretch with 11 walks (15.3%) to just 13 strikeouts (18.1%) and a .254/.375/.610 line. Riley has holes in his swing due to the extreme angle he uses to attack the ball, but he’s making much better swing decisions to offset it. This is the version of Riley that makes me want to put him in the top-10 outfielders and top-20 hitters for 2026.

I struggled with where to put Spencer Torkelson and settled on streamer just because first base is incredibly deep, and also because the Tigers strangely only have a single week left where they play all seven days (five of the last six Thursdays of the regular season off).

Colt Keith is streaky and sits against lefties, but leads off against righties and is eligible at all three bases. Kerry Carpenter is also streaky and also is platooned against lefties, but has much more upside than Keith due to the power. If he’s been cut, add him to your watch list.

Gleyber Torres is a second baseman with steady volume and a boring-yet-useful profile who is at his best in points and OBP leagues thanks to the improved plate discipline this year.

Dillon Dingler and Zach McKinstry have been useful at times this season, but both have lost a little pizazz and playing time as the season has dragged on. If Parker Meadows is activated and gets to play most of the time, he’d sneak into this tier as well (but just barely)

 

Houston Astros

vs. LAA, vs. NYY, @ TEX

 

If you’re looking for volume, the next day off for the Astros isn’t until September 8, so the guys in the top half of the order should get plenty of plate appearances.

Jose Altuve has struggled the last two or three weeks, but he smacked a home run Thursday and due to the lack of elite talent at second base, you’re riding this to the end.

Yordan Alvarez only has four batted ball events since being activated, but they’ve clocked exit velocities of 107, 100.3, 111.9, and 98 miles per hour. I’m not that worried about him sitting Thursday in a game they were heavily favored to win, plus they let him take a pinch hit appearance. He looks strong and ready to help carry you to the finals.

Jeremy Peña is stringing hits together and as I mentioned above should get a ton of volume over the next three series. It wouldn’t shock me if he led the league in plate appearances between now and September 8.

Christian Walker put his slow start to the season behind him when the calendar flipped to July, and with his two home runs Thursday he now has five in his last eight games.

Carlos Correa should now be eligible at third base in all formats next year with 22 starts under his belt, and he’s hitting well as an Astro. I’m a little hesitant to keep him in this tier forever due to the lack of power (his .133 ISO in August is the same ISO as Steven Kwan’s in 2024), but for now he’s getting it done.

Jesús Sánchez is a platoon bat right now, and the Astros face four lefties in the next two series. Still, he’s hot as heck, with nine hits in his last five appearances (four starts). Yainer Diaz will get a ton of volume and is a fine catcher for the next week and a half assuming he’s healthy.

If Cam Smith gets hot again, cool.

 

Kansas City Royals

vs. DET, vs. LAA, vs. MIN

 

For all the talk about Bobby Witt Jr. being a disappointment due to his slow start, he’s currently the fourth-best fantasy hitter on the season per the FanGraphs Player Rater. He won’t get to 30 home runs like he did in 2023 and 2024, but he could get to 25 and pair them with 40 steals and a .300 average.

Vinnie Pasquantino has nine home runs in his last 17 games with 12 runs and a whopping 25 RBI. He’s been a machine in the heart of this hot Royals lineup and is all but guaranteed to get to 30 this season, if not 35 while clearing 100 RBI.

Mike Yastrzemski has been surprisingly good lately, hitting .351/.442/.784 over his last 12 games (10 starts). It’s likely just a flash in the pan as we’ve seen him do spikes like this before that only last two or three weeks at most, but leading off ahead of Witt and Vinnie P when you’re taking walks and tallying up hits has its perks.

When Jac Caglianone is activated, he might be a desperation play assuming he has an everyday role.

 

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

@ HOU, @ KCR, v ATH

 

Zach Neto has as many home runs (23) and just six fewer steals (24) in 2025 as he had in his breakout 2024, but has played in 41 fewer games. He’s likely a top-30 bat heading into 2026.

Jo Adell hit his 30th home run of the season earlier this week and has a non-zero chance of getting to 100 RBI. Sure, the ratios are bad and his cold streaks will tank you in head-to-head for a bit, but there’s a good case to be made for Adell being close to a top-50 bat next year.

Mike Trout strikes out a TON these days, but was a useful fantasy contributor for June and July, hitting a total of 10 home runs and compiling 56 combined runs and RBI with an OBP of .410 in 52 games. It’s not hard to see him finishing the year with bang, but I recognize many of us can’t afford to wait and see if it happens. He’s still got a ton of power in his bat, but if you need something besides power and moderate levels of counting stats, Trout is unlikely to provide.

Nolan Schanuel is a decent streamer in OBP and points leagues when healthy.

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

vs. ARI, @ PIT, @ BAL

 

Shohei Ohtani might not be the exclusive choice for the first overall pick in 2026 as the steals slowed down considerably after he swiped nine in April, but he’s a hop, skip, and jump away from back-to-back 50 home run seasons.

It’s been a great month for Freddie Freeman, which has helped get the sad taste of his rough summer out of our collective mouths. He has eight home runs and 21 RBI in his last 25 games and a four-digit OPS, and the only reason he’s not in the Auto-Start tier is because he brings more injury risk to the table (though he does tend to play through them).

Andy Pages seems to have rebounded from that little adjustment phase earlier this month and even hit fourth on Wednesday while Freeman took the day off.

Teoscar Hernández gets plenty of volume and RBI, but we haven’t seen a proper Teoscar-style hot streak since May.

Mookie Betts has been better of late, though four games in Coors might have played a role. He’ll score runs, but I don’t see Mookie finishing the year with 20 home runs or 10 steals (he has just one in each of the last three months, unless he ends up stealing a base this weekend). If you don’t need runs or OBP, I’m not sure how much Mookie is doing to help you.

Assuming Max Muncy is back in time for your season, he’s a power streamer with obviously high injury risk. I know he looked good for a handful of games last time he was activated, but Muncy won’t be activated for two or three weeks from now and that means he’ll have started just seven major league games since July 2 when he’s back on the field.. Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim are desperation speed streamers when healthy.

 

Miami Marlins

@ NYM, @ WAS, @ PHI

 

Jakob Marsee is not at all the same caliber of player I’ve included in other Auto-Start tiers, but you can’t get off this train yet.

Once again, Xavier Edwards has abruptly stopped producing in any way. If he doesn’t turn it around by the time I write this again, he drops a tier.

Agustín Ramírez gets plenty of volume but crushes your ratios and is hitting just .194 in August (though he also has seven steals because why the heck not?!).

Kyle Stowers was slumping when he hit the IL and is unlikely to be back for more than two weeks or so. If your season is still going and you need power, he might be worth a stream.

Connor Norby is a desperation power streamer when active.

 

Milwaukee Brewers

@ TOR, vs. PHI, @ PIT

 

William Contreras has a .916 OPS in the second half and has been the William Contreras we’ve been hoping for all season.

Christian Yelich’s 26 home runs and 90 RBI are the most he’s had in a single season since the rabbit-ball era of 2019. He’s on pace to play in at least 140 games for the third time in four seasons, and it’s hard to see how we draft him outside of the top-25 hitters next spring.

Brice Turang seems to have reclaimed at least a share of the leadoff role and has a hit in each of his last 12 starts. More importantly, though, he’s already more than doubled his 2024 home run total and in doing so also has more home runs than he hit in all of 2023 and 2024 combined (granted, that was only 13 home runs). He isn’t going to get close to the 50 steals from last year, but being a guy who can hit 15 home runs, steal around 30 bags, and hit for a good average while doing it is plenty valuable.

There’s some valid concern that playing time for Andrew Vaughn will dry up a bit when Rhys Hoskins returns.

Sal Frelick seems to be sharing that leadoff role with Turang, and hit his 10th home run of the season, doubling the total number of home runs he hit in his first 202 games. This is far from a power bat and the ceiling is quite low, but he does enough of everything to give you a boost in most formats, especially in points.

Caleb Durbin is playing well, especially for points leagues, but his limited pop and speed and his mediocre ratios on the season plus the impending return of Joey Ortiz make him a short-term investment.

Jackson Chourio is on a rehab and should be back in a week or two, at which time he will move to the Auto-Start tier.

Rhys Hoskins will return soon and his playing time will determine whether he’s in the Streaming tier or the Desperate tier. Joey Ortiz should get his job back on activation, but is just a desperation fill-in for your middle infield.

 

Minnesota Twins

vs. SDP, vs. CHW, @ KCR

 

When Byron Buxton is healthy, he’s in your lineup.

Like Marsee for the Marlins, you can’t take your foot off the gas with Luke Keaschall at this point. If he tanks for a week, then we’ll talk.

Matt Wallner’s rolling zone-contact rate is above 80% of late, and that has an extremely strong correlation with his production. It’s not too complicated: when you’re not whiffing in the strike zone, you do better. Volatility has been the theme for Wallner’s career so far so don’t get too comfortable, but Wallner can be a force when he’s on.

Brooks Lee is eligible at second, third, and shortstop, and while he doesn’t shine in any one particular area, he puts the ball in play and can be plugged into many of the toughest spots of your lineup to fill.

Trevor Larnach has a decent role in this offense, but he’s struggled to do anything special with it on the season. Still, they keep letting Larnach hit first or second and in a deep league that’s got value in and of itself. Ryan Jeffers might heat up for a week or two and has some pop, but catcher is deep so it probably won’t really matter.

 

New York Mets

vs. MIA, @ DET, @ CIN

 

You don’t need much on the three core pieces of this lineup.

Mark Vientos is so hot right now that you just lock him in and let it ride. Once he starts cooling off, we can have a more serious discussion.

Jeff McNeil has been useful in stretches and August has mostly been one of them. He’s at his best in points leagues, especially points leagues that only give one point for runs and RBI since he rarely gets many of either. The more counting stats matter, the less helpful McNeil becomes.

Brandon Nimmo is super streaky despite the fact that his surface stats appear to be somewhat consistent. He likely has another hot stretch in him, and in his last 12 games is hitting .349 with a .465 slugging percentage and an average exit velocity of 93.8 miles per hour.

Brett Baty is still getting the ball in the air (not a ton, but more than usual) so he can be streamed, just watch out for lefties.

When Cedric Mullins has been in the lineup for the Mets, his speed has made him a viable back-end outfielder in five outfield formats. Thing is, that’s only going to be against righties, and not necessarily all righties.

Francisco Alvarez looked great right before hitting the IL, and to make matters worse he was recently hit on the hand in a rehab game. If he gets activated with enough time left, he’s a power streamer at catcher.

 

New York Yankees

@ CWS, @ HOU, vs. TOR

 

The heart of this lineup should be in your lineup every day.

Ben Rice should be playing every day but the Yankees have too many mouths to feed. As I mentioned in Hacks & Jacks, the underlying metrics have shown he’s been mashing all season, it’s just that the results have lagged.

Trent Grisham doesn’t have Rice’s upside but he’s got a lot more playing time, the leadoff job, and five home runs in his last eight games. His excellent numbers on the season as a whole make it easy to forget that he was basically unrosterable in May and June and was average at best in July (for fantasy purposes, that is).

If you’re in a daily league with a spare bench spot, Giancarlo Stanton has been great. In his last eight starts, he has six home runs and 13 RBI. That said, he’s also sat seven times in between those eight starts. If your bench is deep, then he’s a Solid Start. If your bench is shallow, then he’s a Streamer.

Paul Goldschmidt has two home runs since June 20, and he got them both in the sane series earlier this month against Texas. The ratios have been quite good in August for Goldy, but the sporadic playing time and four total RBI make him tough to trust in any standard format.

Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells still have some upside and could be good pieces for this team in the future, but right now they are merely long-term dynasty plays.

 

Philadelphia Phillies

vs. ATL, @ MIL, @ MIA

 

The Phillies have struggled mightily on offense, but you’re not benching the top three bats in this offense yet.

Alec Bohm has at least one hit in every game since coming off the IL, and while he only has a single home run, he should get a lot more than six RBI per 14 hits going forward. The other guys will start heating up soon and that will help Bohm get his counting stats.

J.T. Realmuto gets a lot of volume at catcher and hits fourth behind three of baseball’s finest hitters. That’s it.

If Nick Castellanos starts heating up, he’s a solid play in standard leagues, and if Bryson Stott heats up get can get you some steals.

Harrison Bader plays quite a bit because of his defense and has been known to hit some home runs and steal bases. He’s far below replacement in 12-teamers, but in NL-only or 16+ team leagues he fills a gap in your roster.

 

Pittsburgh Pirates

@ BOS, vs. LAD, vs. MIL

 

Y’all this offense is really bad.

Oneil Cruz, by talent, is a Solid Start or better; however, concussions are tricky and the strikeouts are brutal. Still, if he shows a bit of life in the next week or so, there’s a path to becoming a Solid Start.

Bryan Reynolds and Spencer Horwitz have low ceilings but are hitting and playing everyday right now.

Jared Triolo just had a ton of two-hit games and while there’s very little chance that continues, it did earn him some time leading off.

Tommy Pham had a hot streak this summer out of nowhere and I don’t really trust it at all.

Nick Gonzales plays almost every day and has some pop, but the bad has outweighed the good far too often.

 

San Diego Padres

@ MIN, vs. BAL, @ COL

 

Fernando Tatis Jr. finally hit another dinger! He has just two in the second half, but the speed, upside, and runs scored make it easy to wait for the talent to break through again.

Manny Machado has been merely good for the last month or so, but the overall consistency is something to behold, and his next stolen base will give him more than he’s had in a season since 2018. If he steals three more bags, it’ll be the most since 2015 (when he hit a career high of 20).

I still have no idea where this is all coming from for Ramón Laureano but there’s no time to question it. Just lock him in and see what happens.

Luis Arraez has been a significant disappointment this season for fantasy, but he is hitting .290 in the second half with five steals, so there’s just enough happening to see if he can break out in the final month of the season (assuming you need ratios or are in a points league).

Xander Bogaerts looked like his old self in June and July in that he hit a handful of home runs, stole a handful of bases, and hit over .290, but August has been a return to the poor form we saw at the start of the season. There’s a chance Bogey taps back into his old self again, but if there’s a hot shortstop on the wire in 10-12 teamers and I am fighting for my life, I might not wait and see.

Gavin Sheets and Ryan O’Hearn are both platoon bats who mash righties and are ideally benched against lefties. Sheets has more raw power and his hot streaks are explosive, but he also has extreme extended slumps. O’Hearn has a better hit tool with less extreme peaks and valleys. I’d start either of them against the righties Baltimore and Colorado have to offer, though.

Jake Cronenworth plays a lot if that’s your thing.

Jackson Merrill never found the power stroke in 2025 and while I do expect him back this season with enough time to be worth your attention, he’ll start in the Streamer tier.

 

San Francisco Giants

vs. BAL, @ COL, @ STL

 

Rafael Devers has looked more like himself in August, though there are still a bit too many extended lulls for my liking. Still, he’s hitting for power and average again so keep him plugged in.

Willy Adames has been a bit of a roller coaster the last few years, and we seem to be on one of the upswings at the moment. He has two home run games in the last week, and while he continues to be feast or famine of late, his soft upcoming matchups pull him up into the Solid Start tier for the time being.

The back-to-back games with a home run for Matt Chapman were nice to see, but if not for the easy matchups coming up, I’d likely put him in the Streamer tier until he showed this wasn’t yet another “I’ll be good for one week and bad for three” episodes.

Heliot Ramos has always been streaky, but this last cold stretch was particularly icy. He seems to be hitting a little better though, and kept a grip on the leadoff spot long enough to ride it into Coors next week.

Luis Matos and his contact-oriented approach are popping off right now and it’s just in time for that trip to Coors.

The guys in the Desperate tier are viable at Coors but I’d avoid them otherwise (except maybe Jung Hoo Lee in points leagues, where he’s between Desperate and Streamer).

 

Seattle Mariners

@ CLE, @ TBR, @ ATL

 

The two through five hitters in this lineup are as chalky as they come right now. Keep going.

Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco have a bit more up and down in their nature and don’t have the extreme hot streaks of Eugenio to balance it out at times, so they have just a little less trust. If either went ice cold for a week or two, we’d be asking the tough questions. Right now, though, keep them in.

J.P. Crawford doesn’t get the volume he used to as a leadoff hitter, but he does play every day.

Victor Robles isn’t hitting at the top of the order, which is here he needs to be for peak fantasy value, and also is set to serve a suspension of up to 10 days at any moment. There’s probably a better use of that roster spot in most leagues, at least until the suspension is over.

 

St. Louis Cardinals

@ CIN, vs. ATH, vs. SFG

 

If not for the six-game suspension looming for Willson Contreras, he’d be an Auto-Start.

Alec Burleson hits third, puts the ball in play, and has decent-enough power to drive in a fair number of runners.

Iván Herrera has upside, but he’s come no where close to showing us he can tap back into what we saw earlier in the season. Whether it’s due to the time on the IL or something else, it’s hard to see him as more than a streamer for the final month.

Lars Nootbaar is a streamer because he walks and is leading off. If he loses that role, he drops a tier.

Masyn Winn is going to fall short of 15 home runs or 15 steals and he’s not a lock for 60 RBI, either. There’s volume, but not much else.

Nolan Gorman is eligible at second and third and hits the ball hard. He’s showing slightly better zone contact this season than in years past, but the production still comes in bunches with long quiet periods in between.

Victor Scott II is on a rehab and likely falls into the Desperate tier, possibly leaning Streamer if you need steals and they’re letting him run. Brendan Donovan should be back for two or three weeks to end the season, but he’s just a streamer.

 

Tampa Bay Rays

@ WAS, vs. SEA, vs. CLE

 

Sitting just one home run shy of 40, the question for Junior Caminero is this: how early in the first round does he go?

Yandy Díaz would be an auto-start in points leagues.

If Brandon Lowe wasn’t a second baseman, he’d likely just be in the Streamer tier, but even with the missed time it looks like he’ll knock on the door to 30 home runs and could end the season leading all second basemen in homers (though Jazz and Ketel still have something to say about that).

Chandler Simpson is an elite base-stealer with a strong batting average who doesn’t score as many runs as you’d hope and who could finish the year with zero home runs despite playing in a park where the pull-side power pole is just 314 feet away. He’s a negative in two categories, neutral in one, and really positive in two, so he’s either an awesome fit for your squad or he’s the opposite if what you need based on construction.

Carson Williams is a well-regarded prospect who will likely have a strikeout problem for a while. If the walks start coming, though, we might be on to something.

Josh Lowe is not hitting at all in August (59 wRC+, .578 OPS), but he does have eight steals so I guess that’s something. He also has 10 runs scored despite only being on base 21 times while mostly hitting in the second half of the lineup, which doesn’t track.

If Jonathan Aranda returns, he’ll be a streamer. It’s a big if.

 

Texas Rangers

@ ATH, @ ARI, vs. HOU

 

In his last 15 games, Wyatt Langford is slashing .353/.500/.686 with four home runs, 26 combined runs and RBI, three steals, and a walk rate of 19.7%. He finished 2024 extremely strong and the sequel is shaping up to have a similar ending.

It hasn’t been the season Corey Seager hoped, but he has four home runs in his last 11 games. With a juicy matchup in Sacramento and the fifth-best wRC+ in the league since July 1 (among qualified hitters), Seager should be a solid anchor for your late season run. So much for that! Seager had an appendectomy and will miss most of what remains of the season.

Adolis García hasn’t sustained his hot streaks like he did in years past, but I’d at least let him do his thing against the Athletics. Ditto Josh Jung.

Josh Smith and Joc Pederson are somewhat viable in deep leagues, but they’d be someone I was always looking to upgrade from.

 

Toronto Blue Jays

vs. MIL, @ CIN, @ NYY

 

I did not expect George Springer and Bo Bichette to be such fantastic contributors this season, but here we are. No sense in slowing down now. And don’t worry about Vladimir Guerrero Jr., he’s fine.

Alejandro Kirk doesn’t have a ton of power but he puts the ball in play and hits in a sweet part of the lineup.

Daulton Varsho is streaky and injury prone, but he’s hitting well right now and seemingly not hurt, making him a short-term option.

Nathan Lukes is a platoon bat who has cooled off a bit, but daily leaguers who notice the Blue Jays facing a weak righty could do worse than to plug in Lukes, especially considering that Varsho’s return didn’t hurt his playing time nearly as much as expected.

Addison Barger has gone ice cold. If he heats up again I’ll be interested, but you’re only rostering him now because the third base options on the wire don’t exist or are Ryan McMahon.

Ernie Clement has a hairline fracture in his finger and doesn’t have enough tools for me to feel confident that he can play through it well enough for fantasy. For real life, perhaps, but not for fantasy.

Anthony Santander may make it in time for the end of the season, but he’s merely a desperation play to see if he yolks a home run in one of those five or six games.

 

Washington Nationals

vs. TBR, vs. MIA, @ CHC

 

Yes, James Wood is still a must-start for me. The counting stats and home runs leave a bit to be desired, as does the 39.7% strikeout rate, but believe it or not Wood is hitting .294 over his last 17 games with a 122 wRC+. Do you know how hard that is to do with a 39.7% strikeout rate and a 6.8% walk rate? I didn’t even think you could. I still firmly believe in the talent and power, and that he’ll find his swing decision mojo again before the end of the year. This is a player with top-10 upside and I don’t sit those guys.

CJ Abrams is only hitting .221 in the second half so far and didn’t steal a base so far in August despite stealing at least eight in the two prior months. Still, he’s been a top-50 hitter on the season and should turn things around sooner or later. In 10-teamers with no required MI, I guess you may have a better option, but otherwise you can keep rolling with Abrams.

Luis García Jr. and Josh Bell are replacement-level options who get hot enough to consider sometimes, but make sure there are plenty of right-handed starters on the docket first.

Dylan Crews is volatile, but the speed is real and he could pop off any given week.

Keibert Ruiz will be a volume-based desperation catcher in points leagues if activated.

 

Photo by Icon Sportswire | Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)

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Scott Chu

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Scott Chu is a Senior Fantasy Analyst here at Pitcher List and has written about fantasy baseball since 2013. He's also the inventor of Fantasy Curling (as seen the Wall Street Journal) and co-host of the Hacks & Jacks Podcast on the PL Podcast Network, and 4x FSWA Award nominee for Best Fantasy Baseball Podcast. In addition to being a fantasy analyst, he's a dad of three, animal lover, Simpsons fanatic, amateur curler, a CODA, and an attorney.

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