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Hitter List 9/18: Your Hitting Guide For The Playoffs

Your hitting guide for the fantasy baseball playoffs.

Scott Chu
Hitter List 9 Hours Ago

The regular season ends in a week, so this is my last update for 2026 before the Too Early Top 200, which should be coming sometime in October.

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 – 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 are 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.
  • Droppable  – Players you might be too attached to based on early-season performance or name value. You can drop them for Streamers in a H2H playoff context or a very tight roto race, but you ought to keep them over Desperate options.
  • Desperate – For players in deep leagues or can provide one specific stat. Prospects waiting to be called up will usually be in this category.
  • IL – This will be limited to hitters who would actually make one of the tiers above immediately upon activation AND have a chance to be activated for two or more series.

 

And of course, the usual details still apply:

  • As a reminder, these rankings are geared toward a standard, daily, 12-team H2H redraft league, which 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.
  • These are not best ball or draft and hold rankings. The 12-team redraft format with daily moves is the fundamental opposite of that. Pure volume plays are not valued as much here as in those no-move formats.
  • I take rankings like this more as art than science. Every person’s rankings are influenced by their biases, strategic philosophies, risk assessments, and projections. It’s why no two rankings are ever exactly alike. My way of evaluating and ranking players has worked well for me, but it might not be an excellent fit for you. I can’t possibly predict your team’s specific needs, your leaguemates’ 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 leave a comment.
  • 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 I’ll add them once those eligibilities are earned. 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 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.
  • 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 with tools such as our PLV Hitter Attributes (available to PL Pro members). I also use various projections (some free, some I buy) and dollar value generators.
  • Positional eligibility, specifically multi-eligibility, is neat but isn’t a huge factor in many 10- and 12-team leagues anymore due to the prevalence of multi-eligible players. It’s more valuable in deeper contests like the NFBC or in leagues with limited roster moves (draft-and-hold leagues, transaction limits/costs, extremely short benches, etc.). Still, the value is fairly situational and context-dependent.
  • Similarly, 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.
  • Regardless of true talent, anyone talented enough to make it to the big leagues can be brilliant or putrid for 50 to 100 at-bats. 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 will be valid until it’s over, though track record, scouting, and trends can give us hints.
  • One of the most difficult things to account for in these rankings is the dynamic between low-ceiling players with clear roles and players with higher ceilings who lack a clear path to playing time. I try to note this in the blurbs as much as I can.
  • THIS IS NOT A TRADE CHART. Trade charts need to account for “market” value, which is largely perception-based.

 

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

Gabriel Moreno doesn’t strike out much, plays nearly every day, hits the ball fairly hard, bats third, and is a catcher. Don’t overthink it.

Ketel Marte has a hit in all but one game so

Nolan Arenado is scorching hot right now, with five homers in his last 10 games. Let it ride.

Geraldo Perdomo is droppable, unless you’re in points or desperate for that 3-game trip to Coors.

Corbin Carroll smacked two home runs last week, though the 38.5% strikeout rate was less encouraging. Still, you’re rolling with Carroll this week, who despite being a disappointment based on draft capital, has been a borderline top-50 hitter this season.

The D-Backs have a short three-game set against the Rockies in Coors, who will have two left-handed starters toeing the rubber. Jordan Lawlar gets a bump for that series. Tim Tawa (who has lost most playing time against righties to Pavin Smith), Ildemaro Vargas, and Ryan Waldschmidt are deep league streamers for that series, but I’m not interested in their services otherwise.

 

Athletics

The A’s have a tough series this weekend in Cleveland, but return to their home park for six games next week, with five of those games coming against righties.

Lawrence Butler gets six games at home next week, and five against righties. All systems are go.

Henry Bolte and Lawrencewill be leading off at home. That’s as deep as we need to go.

Zack Gelof isn’t as good against righties as he is against lefties, but none of that matters in Sacramento. I don’t love him in Cleveland and would see him as a bench guy there, but then he’s a starter all next week.

Shea Langeliers would be in the Solid tier if I knew he’d play in five of those six games, but there’s a non-zero chance it’s more like four (or even three), so I’m hesitant.

Jeff McNeil should be avoided in Cleveland but can be fired up for the homestand.

Jonah Heim is for two-catcher leagues only.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer is on a rehab and might be useful to those in very deep points leagues.

 

Atlanta

Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Michael Harris II are all heating up at the same time, which elevates all of them to the Auto-Start tier.

Mauricio Dubón is also hot and hitting behind those guys, though his upside is not nearly as high.

Ozzie Albies had a nice game earlier this week, but remains a replacement-level second baseman at this point.

Austin Riley just isn’t that useful outside of volume. I’d drop him for anyone labelled a Streamer and even some guys with the Desperate tag.

Mike Yastrzemski is left-handed and will see plenty of righties.

 

Baltimore Orioles

Gunnar Henderson is droppable if there’s an appealing Streamer out there.

Coby Mayo has a great week and the strikeouts have come down, but I fear a big factor in his success was that five of the last six starting pitchers he has faced are lefties, and Mayo mashes lefties. Unfortunately, five of the next six opposing starters are right-handed, and Mayo has a .530 OPS against same-sided pitching this season.

Colton Cowser plays everyday now but hits ninth.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand has everyday plate appearances now with a hot bat and third base eligibility, so I won’t get in your way if you want to roll with him. These hot streaks haven’t lasted long in the past, but there isn’t long left so you don’t really need it to.

Dylan Beavers won’t play against lefties, but is the leadoff man against righties with Holliday on the shelf. He’s better in OBP than in standard, but is deployable in both. It’s worth noting that he has not looked good great as a leadoff guy (.207/.258/.379 with a boatload of strikeouts), but the opportunity is there.

Samuel Basallo is no longer DHing, which is problematic, and he’s definitely not playing against lefties. The fact he has just two extra-base hits since returning from the IL might be a sign that he’s not quite 100%, and catcher is deep enough that you might be able to stream a quality option. That said, there are plenty of righties on the docket coming up, so playing time should be less of an issue.

 

 

Boston Red Sox

The BoSox face six lefties from now to the end, so all of their lefties get a downgrade while righties get an upgrade.

Trevor Story’s production of late continues to largely be luck-based, but he’s always been decent against lefties, and the schedule is packed with them, so let it ride.

Willson Contreras would have been the guy I felt most comfortable with by a wide margin, but he bruised his hand Thursday. If he’s fine, he would go back to Solid.

Wilyer Abreu’s line against lefties has been excellent in 2026 overall, but it’s taken a huge downturn since the start of August as he’s sporting just a .627 OPS against them since then (49 PA). I wouldn’t normally put a ton of weight on a smaller sample of platoon splits, but they are much closer to his career norms, so I’m a little more weary of starting him against lefties (the Red Sox don’t have a choice, though).

Caleb Durbin may never return to the highs we saw this summer, but he’s one of the few righties on this team and should get a ton of opportunities.

Roman Anthony’s strikeout rate continues to move in the wrong direction, and he has been flummoxed by lefties for his entire 2026 campaign (47 wRC+). He’ll keep leading off, but that’s the only silver lining I see here for the home stretch.

Mickey Gasper sits against lefties, which means he’s sitting for all but three games over the next three series (though he’ll start twice against the Rays).

Adley Rutschman is a switch hitter, but struggles against lefties.

Jarren Duran should be dropped.

Ceddanne Rafaela might get into the action before the end of the year, and if he does, he’d be a Streamer due to all the lefties on the schedule.

 

Chicago Cubs

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman are winning people leagues right now.

Seiya Suzuki is taking walks like crazy, which is nuts since I’d imagine pitchers would rather face him right now than PCA or Bregman. Suzuki is hitting the ball hard right now, but too often that ball is on the ground. Still, he’s healthy and sandwiched between two of the hottest hitters in the solar system, so it’d take a VERY enticing option in a standard league to make me even consider sitting him. If Suzuki can just get the ball off the ground a little more, he’d be piling up the stats.

Michael Busch hits in the heart of this order and is hitting lately so keep it rolling, especially with only one or two lefties on the horizon.

Dansby Swanson will be back starting today, which pushes Pedro Ramirez out of the lineup. Swanson has always been streaky, and he’s been at his streakiest in 2026, so he’s a Streamer for me if you just want to ride the coattails of this offense.

Ian Happ won’t sit more than once or twice the rest of the way, and has hit fourth or fifth lately on a good offense, but that knee has been an issue so I’d be fine streaming him for someone with more heat or a solid opportunity.

Carson Kelly’s bat remains hot, but he’s going to sit about three times a week.

 

Chicago White Sox

Miguel Vargas has kept his value in the black with steals and little else this month, but remains a Solid for me as the upcoming schedule is soft.

Sam Antonacci will see a ton of righties to end the year and is hitting a bit better of late. His .798 OPS against righties is mostly from his early production, but a leadoff man who is eligible at second base remains valuable.

Munetaka Murakami hit a homer and that’s fun, but he has been a sandbag on rosters since the start of August, slashing just .139/.284/.335 with a 41.6% strikeout rate. How much are you willing to sacrifice for the occasional home run right now?

Chase Meidroth is the hottest hitter  on this cold offense of late, though all of the recent production has come in games started by lefties, and there are only two of those projected for the rest of the season (and only one after today).

Kyle Teel hits second against righties, so if you need volume from a catcher who is probably on the wire, there ya go.

 

Cincinnati Reds

The three games this weekend are the last trip to Great American Ball Park this season, so savor the moment.

Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz are monsters and have no business anywhere near your bench.

Eugenio Suárez is finishing strong with six home runs in his last 16 games and a .989 OPS which is supported by the underlying batted ball metrics. Let it ride.

Tyler Stephenson is a volume-based streamer with a decent lineup spot.

OK, I see you, Juan Brito. He’s a September call-up who has found extra playing time of late at second and third thanks to a .361/.385/.583 line in 39 plate appearances. There’s a quite a bit of batted ball luck carrying this profile right now, and he doesn’t bring much power or speed to the table (11 homers and eight steals in 105 games down in the minors this season), but he’s putting a ton of balls in play and is a streamable infielder  in deeper points leagues.

Leadoff has been a revolving door in Cincy this year, and Carlos Jorge took the torch against the last righty the Reds faced. Jorge is a speedster who almost never hits the ball hard, but if you’re desperate for a stolen base, there’s a chance he can swipe one or two against righties the rest of the way.

JJ Bleday will see plenty of righties, but after this home series he’s just deep league fodder.

Matt McLain is a volume play at best.

Héctor Rodríguez sees more lefties over the next week, with two this weekend, two against the Dodgers, and two more against the Cubs.

There are only two lefties on the schedule so Dane Myers is out.

 

Cleveland Guardians

Steven Kwan keeps hitting so just leave him in.

Travis Bazzana has dramatically reversed his fortunes the last two weeks against pitchers from both sides, which is a boon for us as the Guardians have a very balanced slate the rest of the way.

Jo Adell is heating up a bit and the matchups aren’t bad, so go ahead and stream if you need a guy with power upside.

Chase DeLauter has a wrist injury that kept him out the last two games and several games last week. He’s hit the ball hard when active, but if your playoffs end today then I wouldn’t trust him. If you play through next week AND DeLauter plays all weekend AND he hits the ball hard, then you can move him up to Streamer.

José Ramírez just cannot hit the ball hard right now. I mean, he was never a Statcast darling, but this is ridiculous. The injury is undoubtedly impacting him. Most hamate injuries don’t cause lingering problems, but when they do, it looks  like this. Unless it’s a keeper league, he can go.

Nathaniel Lowe will get a few games in if you need a day-to-day streamer that you can cut by morning.

Brayan Rocchio is piling up RBI, at least for a guy at the bottom of a weak batting order, but outside of that massive two-dinger day in Detroit, there hasn’t been a lot going on besides some good batted ball luck at exactly the right times.

 

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are at home for two more series before heading to the South Side to face the White Sox.

Jake McCarthy and TJ Rumfield keep on hitting.

Hunter Goodman is battling a thumb issue and has sat for three straight, but even if he only plays four of these six games in Coors, I want him locked in.

Cole Carrigg is back to an everyday role in the middle of the order.

This SHOULD be a time I recommend Mickey Moniak, but he’s been dreadful ever since coming off the IL back in June and has been even worse lately. In his last 30 games, Moniak is slashing .165/.212/.294 with just three homers, eight runs, and 12 RBI. It’s the eighth-worst OPS in baseball in that timeframe, which is incredible for a guy who has played half his games in Coors. I don’t want him for this homestand unless it’s a 15-teamer. Go get someone else.

Connor Norby will sit maybe once each series, but he’s been moved to second in the order and is rocking and has gotten on base in seven straight with plenty of hard contact. On a 2027 note, one more appearance at third would give him eligibility at all three bases next year, though he won’t be terribly relevant in 12-team drafts.

Adael Amador has found more time close to the top or middle of the order lately, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Amador isn’t going to jump off the page with his Statcast numbers or game logs, but the former top-50 prospect is putting a ton of balls in play, which is all you can ask for a guy who is likely just floating around on 12-team waiver wires. Amador is not the feature because he’s crushing the ball (he does have a .862 OPS this month, though it’s largely luck-based), he’s the feature because he’s eligible at second base, is likely available, and can help you close out the season strong…and also because I used Carrigg already.

Ezequiel Tovar, Troy Johnston, and Zac Veen should all see time in Coors and are desperation plays in 15-team leagues. To me, they are roughly equivalent to Moniak (with Veen being slightly worse because he plays less).

 

Detroit Tigers

Riley Greene and Kevin McGonigle are still the truth.

Max Clark is significantly overperforming his quality of contact metrics of late, but he’s got nine runs scored in his last eight games thanks to a .500 OBP as part of what has been an insanely streaky offense in Detroit. I wouldn’t count on home runs, but Clark could steal a few more bags and pile up some  counting stats if he continues to put the ball in play to close out the season.

Dillon Dingler still isn’t hitting well and Gleyber Torres has started to sit every few games. Let them go.

GO TORK GO! Spencer Torkelson is on a hot streak over his last eight games, and while I wouldn’t expect it to last long (this is just kind of how it goes with patient hitters who are bad at contact), he could give you a power boost here at the final hour because he is smashing the ball in the air right now.

Hao-Yu Lee can cover the corner and middle infield spots in deep leagues without hurting you too much.

 

Houston Astros

Yordan Alvarez found that power stroke again, just like we always knew he would, with three homers in his last eight games and two of them in his last three. When it comes to just what a guy can do in the batter’s box, Alvarez is my pick for the best in the game. Sure, Judge has more raw power and PCA is a more complete player, but Alvarez’s worst wRC+ so far in any month is his 133 back in August. His 20-game rolling wRC+ has never g0ne below 100 this season. Incredible.

Jeremy Peña has turned this back around just in time to end the season strong. The strikeouts are still a problem, but he just put a serious whopping on the Royals with eight hits (including a double and three dingers) with just two strikeouts in three games, so I’d just let it ride.

Isaac Paredes is the main benefactor of Alvarez and Peña heating up again, so leave him locked in.

Yainer Diaz can be streamed at catcher, but he’s struggled to stay consistent for any extended period.

Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Daulton Varsho, and Cam Smith can be dropped in any non-dynasty format (and even then, they can probably go in many 10-12 team dynasty leagues, too, unless they’ve got awfully deep rosters).

 

Kansas City Royals

Bobby Witt Jr. had a terrible week at the plate, though he does have five steals in his last eight games. No concerns.

Carter Jensen is still hot and needs to be left in lineups without thought.

Salvador Perez has been the victim of some rough batted ball luck of late, as he’s continued to hit the ball hard enough to succeed even in this brutal eight-game stretch. If there’s a hot catcher headed to Coors you can make the swap, but otherwise Sal should see better fortunes soon.

Vinnie Pasquantino sat in two of the last four games, but still is making hard contact.  He’s not someone I’m desperate to replace, but I’m not opposed to it, either.

Jac Caglianone is striking out in bunches again, hitting a bunch of grounders again, getting days off to try and manage his health. He’ll be a sexy pick in 2027 drafts, but for these last three series in a 12-team league I’d be fine with moving on to someone else.

Maikel Garcia can fill in at a lot of positions, but he’s looked dreadful all season and I wouldn’t be excited to use him even in a 15-teamer. He’s better than taking a zero, but that’s about it.

 

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Zach Neto is basically the whole offense right now, which ain’t much but it’s something.

Mike Trout has one home run in his last 150 plate appearances so I get it. At least he has been OK in OBP leagues?

Wade Meckler would be a Streamer for points leagues but his lack of power and limited speed caps his upside in category leagues pretty hard.

Moisés Ballesteros is seeing time at catcher, first, and DH, and is currently blessed by the BABIP Gods.

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers don’t have a day off for quite a while, and some pretty nice matchups on the horizon (including four games in Cincinnati).

Mookie Betts keeps on hitting just in time for us to fall in love with him again.

Kyle Tucker has been one of baseball’s best hitters for the last week or so, with four home runs in his last eight games and a 1.486 OPS. I don’t understand it.  I don’t know how it’s happening. I also don’t care. Despite what has been a remarkably average season, Kyle Tucker is still a guy with a 132 career wRC+, and if you’ve gotten this far with Tucker on the roster (or managed to scoop him up for nothing in the fall), then let it ride.

Teoscar Hernández is slowing down a bit from his insane hot streak, but he still has two homers in his last four games, and is weirdly willing to take a walk of late. I’d keep riding his coattails into the sunset.

Max Muncy is just fine. No need to spend much time thinking about what to do with him. Just leave him in there unless there’s something REALLY good on the wire.

Josue De Paula has a ton of walks so far, but still just two hits despite strong quality of contact in his first seven games. Hopefully he was just saving up the hits for the homestand. If you spent the capital to acquire him, then you should be happy with all of the positive signs (even if the production itself is lacking so far).

Will Smith is sitting a lot so if you need a more full-time catcher then look elsewhere.

Freddie Freeman has a knee injury, and you can see it in the exit velocities of late. In a redraft, I’m looking elsewhere (though in a keeper/dynasty, Freeman should still finish as a top-60ish hitter).

Andy Pages is going to be activated sometime this homestand though exactly where he plays is a bit of a mystery with De Paula looking strong unless the team is willing to fully bench Tommy Edman. He wouldn’t be higher than a Streamer if activated today.

Shohei Ohtani can technically be activated around the end of the homestand, but it’s unclear right now what the plan is. He’s fine to stash on your IL (I mean, who else are you using it on?) but it’s unknown if he’ll play more than a game or two in the regular season.

 

Miami Marlins

Otto Lopez is still hitting enough, so let it ride.

Javier Sanoja is still hot so just keep going. If you’re wondering about his 2027 outlook, I’ll have mroe on that in October, but this is a guy who has a really bad first half and a rather good second half, so he’ll likely fall somewhere in the 100-120 range, though he’d be a bit more valuable in points leagues. It’s a very Luis Arraez-like profile, but with less track record and a bad team around him.

Jakob Marsee has a homer in two of his last three, gets to see plenty of right-handed starters the rest of the way, and is getting hits in bunches. Let it ride.

Griffin Conine will see righties in all but two games the rest of the way, so he is safe to continue streaming.

Xavier Edwards can steal some bases and hit for average if those things are up your alley, but don’t count on much else.

Kyle Stowers has lost control of the strikeouts, so I’m out.

Heriberto Hernández only will see two more lefties the rest of the way, and lefties are how he paid the fantasy bills. He can be let go.

Joe Mack is getting playing time and is left-handed, so the week’s matchups line up well for him if you need volume from a catcher.

 

Milwaukee Brewers

Jackson Chourio has been mortal for four games. That’s all.

William Contreras and Brice Turang continue to hit lasers all over the field.

Jake Bauers seems over the shin issue so keep it going.

Cooper Pratt and Joey Ortiz are mostly benefitting from so much offense happening around them, which makes them strong Streamers for the time being (both are slightly better than that for points leagues, though).

If Garrett Mitchell gets over this neck issue, he would move to Solid. His contact issues make him streaky, but the patience, pop, and speed are real.

Christian Yelich has seen the bottom fall out.

 

Minnesota Twins

Luke Keaschall, Kody Clemens, and Brooks Lee have slowed down a bit of late, but the schedule to end the year has very few intimidating pitchers lined up, so I’m inclined to keep starting all three.

Royce Lewis could always turn out another hot streak, but I wouldn’t count on it. If you’re holding, it’s because there are no third basemen on the wire and you are just hoping that the soft pitching schedule is enough to spark a fire.

Ryan Jeffers sits two or three times a week and isn’t hitting well at the moment.

Walker Jenkins likely will sit quite a bit this week with all the lefties.

Byron Buxton is done for the season and Kaelen Culpepper is unlikely to return in time to make any difference.

 

New York Mets

Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor look good enough to leave alone.

Bo Bichette has gone back to slumping, but he hits behind Soto and Lindor, and it’s not like you have a ton of options.

A fair number of southpaws are on the docket for the Mets through the end of the year, which lightly downgrades A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge while removing Jared Young and Brett Baty from any kind of  consideration.

Marcus Semien stopped hitting but might be a streamer in very deep points leagues as he’s putting a lot of balls in play.

 

New York Yankees

If you have Aaron Judge, you start him. He’s a bit rusty, obviously, but that won’t take long to shake off.

Spencer Jones isn’t getting extra-base hits much lately, but he’s hitting a ton of balls hard and in the air, so I’m willing to be patient even after a brutal five-strikeout game on Wednesday.

Luis García Jr. is streaky and on the wrong side of that pendulum right now, but there are plenty of righties remaining on the schedule that he can use to tune up against.

Anthony Volpe isn’t striking out at all, which is new and worth watching, plus he has a steal in three straight.

George Lombard Jr. might string a few hits together and swipe a bag before the season is out, but I’m not expecting much.

Aaron Judge will be a first-rounder next year, but with this lower leg injury and a need to prepare for the playoffs, I’m guessing they are going to put the kid gloves on and play it very safe.

 

Philadelphia Phillies

Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper should stay locked in. Don’t get cute.

Trea Turner went back to being terrible on the road trip, but returns home all next week against two teams who likely won’t be playing for much as they’ve already punched their tickets to the playoffs by winning their divisions.

Luis Arraez wont strike out and is hitting .302 in September, but counting stats should not be counted on.

Alec Bohm is eligible at third, not terrible, and has a five-game hit streak going. It’s not exciting, but it’s honest work.

Bryson Stott might swipe a bag or randomly put up a multi-hit game here or there, but if you roster him it’s because you scoured the wire and found nothing.

J.T. Realmuto plays a lot and isn’t awful, if you need a second catcher or something.

Justin Crawford has a hit in eight straight contests, though he didn’t manage to steal any bases and the counting stats are quite light. Still, he doesn’t strike out much if you need a desperation streamer for ratios, steals, or points.

 

Pittsburgh Pirates

This is technically a top-five offense in baseball on the season by runs scored, but that production is EXTREMELY front-loaded and they’ve been one of the worst run-scoring offenses in the second half.

Oneil Cruz should stay in your lineups. Easy call.

Bryan Reynolds has lost a bit of mojo over the last three games or so, but the remaining schedule is soft and I think he could turn it back on.

Brandon Lowe his hitting again so leave it alone.

Konnor Griffin looks fine from a rust and ability perspective, even if he hasn’t been terribly productive lately.

Nick Gonzales has been bad for a month now and is losing playing time.

Ryan O’Hearn looks average right now and you can move on.

Rafael Flores Jr. is playable as a volume catcher with some pop, but that’s it.

 

San Diego Padres

The team heads to Coors for four games on Monday, elevating most of the roster.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill all continue to hit well.

Ty France isn’t hitting for much power these days, especially if you take away the three doubles in Coors, but his proximity to a bunch of very hot hitters makes him appealing for counting stats to go along with his ratios.

Xander Bogaerts is scoring a ton of runs lately and absolutely smashed the ball while in Coors (even if the box score didn’t show it), so I’d be fine letting it ride if you can’t find a more exciting shortstop on the wire.

Dustin Harris is mostly producing via proximity to the rest of the top half of the order, but sometimes that’s all it takes. There’s no home run power here whatsoever, but there’s a bit of speed and he’s batting second on an offense that clicking on all cylinders.

Samad Taylor swiped some bags and lit up the Rockies, but I’m still not a fan of the skill set overall and the production he has is highly driven by batted ball luck.

Jake Cronenworth gets volume, occasionally hits second, and puts the ball in play.

 

San Francisco Giants

The loss of Rafael Devers crushes this team’s upside as he was the only reliable hitter over the last few months. To make matters worse, they’ll get the teeth of the Dodgers rotation twice as well. I’ve severely downgraded the whole lineup.

Bryce Eldridge can hit some home runs against the Twins to start next week, but I don’t count on much else.

Jung Hoo Lee is a singles guy with no one to drive in or to drive him in.

Drew Gilbert, Turner Hill, Jonah Cox, and Christian Koss all have shown some hotness for a short time of late, and I trust none of them as it’s mostly batted ball luck. I’m out on all of them unless you’re desperate.

 

Seattle Mariners

They’re in Coors for three games and then get to beat up on the Angels staff to close out the year.

Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena have been the heart of this offense the last several weeks and should do well the rest of the way.

Josh Naylor has multiple hits in five of his last six games, and while he isn’t hitting the ball terribly hard, it’s still a hot bat heading to Coors.

Julio Rodríguez did fairly well against a slew of lefties over the last week and should rake in Coors, plus hte following matchups aren’t scary at all.

Dominic Canzone has done a cromulent job and should continue to do so.

J.P. Crawford has taken his hot bat and turned it into a leadoff job again at the perfect time. He’s a solid streamer in all formats for the weekend and  an OK streamer after that.

I don’t see Brendan Donovan coming back in 2026.

 

St. Louis Cardinals

Alec Burleson is the only guy who feels reliable at the moment in this offense.

Jordan Walker’s strikeout rate and walk rate are worse than they’ve been all season, really, and the timing is horrendous. I don’t see how you can drop him, but in a very shallow league, it might be plausible. He could break out any time, as he broke through other times this season, but man, it’s as ugly as it gets for him at the moment.

JJ Wetherholt is coming back from a wrist injury for a team really not playing for anything. If he hits the ball hard this weekend, though, I’d move him to Solid.

Thomas Saggese was a great late-season story, but Wetherholt’s return really clouds the playing time here.

Leo Bernal has been on fire since coming up to the majors, which is a surprise as he was merely an above-average hitter in triple-A. The plate discipline has been strong, which is a good sign, and he’s played every single game while hitting as high as second in the order. Stream away.

Ivan Herrera fell off a cliff again, so he’s a volume-based catcher with a bit of upside in OBP leagues.

Joshua Báez lost playing time and is extremely volatile, at best.

Nathan Church plays every day and puts the ball in play but doesn’t really do much else.

 

Tampa Bay Rays

SO MANY LEFTIES for the Rays the rest of the way (three this weekend, two more against the Yankees, and another against the Phillies). That hurts several upside streamers in this offense.

Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero should have a great finish to the season.

Chandler Simpson hits everyone for average and plays every day, so the lefties on the schedule don’t make much of a difference these days.

Jonathan Aranda isn’t unusable against lefties, but the power takes a huge step back. He’s a better bet than the other three names in this section, but not someone I am super comfortable rolling with.

Liam Hicks, Victor Mesa Jr., and Richie Palacios will sit more and hit less with all the lefties on board. I’d move on.

 

Texas Rangers

Corey Seager keeps hitting, so start with confidence.

Josh Jung is back, and while he was ice cold when he went on the IL, he’s got three multi-hit games since his return and three extra-base hits in his last two starts. Stream away, especially if you need a third baseman.

Jake Burger is walking a ton lately and is back to his hard-hitting ways, so I’m OK letting it ride if you can’t find anything on the wire.

Ezequiel Duran isn’t hitting well (not that he’s hit the ball hard much this season even when he’s produced), but he’s leading off some in Pederson’s absence.

Wyatt Langford perhaps won’t go on a heater in September this year after all. The strikeouts are up, the batted ball quality is down, and in redraft leagues I’m fine with moving on to the next schmo who flows.

Classic Brandon Nimmo, dropping off entirely out of nowhere. The volume and batting order spot are good, but everything else is bad right now.

 

Toronto Blue Jays

Kazuma Okamoto keeps on hitting, so  let it ride.

George Springer has been surprisingly decent of late, and is riding a five-game hit streak into the home stretch with plenty of hard-hit balls.

Brett Bateman is just a slap-hitter, but when you give a slap hitter the leadoff role and have a few guys with hot-ish bats behind him, you can squeeze quite a bit of production out. That’s what is happening right now, and while you won’t get homers or steals, the runs should pile up and the ratios should be strong. He’s right on that Solid/Streamer borderline based on your needs, but if you need runs, ratios, or points, Bateman is somewhere between Auto-Start and Solid.

Alejandro Kirk would be Solid if he didn’t sit so often lately.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. now has two homers at home! He’s actually slashing .293/.364/.448 in September, though it has led to remarkably little production due to some bad luck, especially in terms of singles versus doubles. If you’ve kept him this long, or need some ratios at first base, I trust Vladito with that. If you want more homers, well, you ought to look elsewhere.

 

Washington Nationals

James Wood hasn’t set the world on fire in his return, but his average exit velocity off the IL is 96.2 mph  and he has swiped four bases, so more than enough is happening to just leave him in your lineup and wait for the pop to return.

CJ Abrams hurt his neck just as he was heating back up a little, though he still has just one home run in his last 26 games. Still, four straight starts with a double is promising, and assuming he gets back into games this weekend, I’d be fine letting it ride. If he misses two or more games, though, I might turn elsewhere in redraft.

Daylen Lile has hit well when in the lineup, but the Nats will see four more lefties on the season and he’ll likely sit against each of them.

Dylan Crews fell off again and I am not waiting it out.

Brady House sits even more than I thought but should play against the four lefties on the schedule, as should Andrés Chaparro, for the extremely desperate.

 

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

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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