Mangum, P.I.
Jake Mangum (PIT): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.
Outfielder Jake Mangum received little fanfare when he was included by Tampa Bay in the Brandon Lowe trade this offseason. Most of the attention was on Lowe, which made sense given the resumes.
Lowe was a two-time All-Star with the Rays who hit 30+ home runs in a season twice (2021 and 2025). Mangum was a defensive-first outfielder who only hit three home runs and posted a .698 OPS in 428 plate appearances in his rookie season with the Rays as a 29-year-old (though he did steal 27 bases). Thus, it’s not a surprise that Mangum was absent from many fantasy managers’ radars during draft season, especially with Mangum’s role unclear in Pittsburgh.
Mangum is proving this season that he’s pretty much the same player that he was in Tampa Bay.
In 40 games and 114 plate appearances, he is hitting .267 with a .656 OPS. He hasn’t shown much power, as he didn’t get his first home run until Saturday night against the Twins. That said, he has proven to still be a weapon on the basepaths with seven stolen bases on eight attempts this year.
Against Minnesota on Saturday, Mangum had three hits, scored runs, collected two RBI, and stole a base, in addition to his first home run of the year. He ranks in the 81st percentile in whiff rate and 84th percentile in strikeout rate. At the very least, Mangum is going to put the ball in play and put himself in a good position to hit for a high average when the batted balls are falling in the gaps.
It’s difficult to say if Mangum is a fantasy option in traditional 12-team formats, especially since he’s only worthwhile for average and stolen bases (and while those numbers are fine, they aren’t what they were a year ago). However, his .716 OPS in May is the best mark of any month this season. Therefore, he may be worth a stream, especially for managers who are desperate for outfield help.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB.
Is Acuña back? It seems so, as evidenced by his two-homer, two-stolen-base night. He’s only hitting .246 with a .788 OPS this season, down from his .290 average and .935 OPS a season ago. However, he is hitting .267 with a .957 OPS this month. That also includes four home runs (two more than April) and six stolen bases on six attempts. The latter is not only more than his May total (he had five), but also more efficient (he was caught three times in April).
Jeremy Peña (HOU): 3-5, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB.
Peña missed a lot of time due to injury, as he only has 96 plate appearances this season. However, the Astros’ shortstop is trending in the right direction. In 50 plate appearances this month, he is hitting .289 with an .829 OPS. That includes three home runs, with his latest coming on Saturday against the Brewers. He also had a stolen base, his third of the year. With Houston trending upward, they may go as far as Peña takes them.
Wade Meckler (LAA): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB.
Baseball can be a funny game sometimes. The Angels absolutely thrashed the Tampa Bay Rays 14-3 on Saturday. The Rays have been one of the best teams in baseball, while the Angels…have not. Furthermore, the Angels got a lot of production from Meckler, a 26-year-old outfielder who had 64 plate appearances with the Giants last year and has just 27 with Los Angeles. However, Meckler is making the most of his opportunity, as he is hitting .308 with an .871 OPS. On Saturday, he also hit his second home run of the year and collected his second stolen base.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 4-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
It was a classic “rivalry” game performance for Crow-Armstrong as he collected four hits and two RBI in the Cubs’ 6-1 win over the rival Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The main highlight for Crow-Armstrong was launching his seventh home run of the year into the “Tarps Off” section at Busch Stadium, right after they serenaded him with “Overrated” chants. The “Tarps Off” movement has been rabid in St. Louis, but Crow-Armstrong made them eat some… well… crow on Saturday night.
Carter Jensen (KCR): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Royals lost again, as they were walked off at Globe Life Field by the Texas Rangers. They at least gave the Rangers a fight in this one, thanks to Jensen, who had two hits, three RBI, and launched his seventh home run of the year. Furthermore, Jensen made one of the plays of the year, making a diving catch on a bunted foul ball in the 8th that ended the inning with runners on second and third. The 22-year-old is proving to be a nice heir apparent to Salvador Perez.
Andrew Benintendi (CHW): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
No walk-off needed on Saturday night, as the White Sox comfortably beat the Tigers 7-1 on Saturday night. (What’s going on with Kansas City and Detroit?) Benintendi fueled the White Sox’s offense against Detroit with two hits, two runs scored, two RBI, and a home run, his fourth of the year. It’s been a bit of a down year for Benintendi, as he is hitting .236 with a .671 OPS. However, the White Sox are winning, so it doesn’t matter if he’s more of a “bottom-of-the-order” bat at this point in his career.
Jarren Duran (BOS): 2-6, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Duran had another strong performance on Saturday. He didn’t just get two hits and three RBI, but also hit his ninth home run of the year in Boston’s 9-1 over Cleveland. After hitting .172 with a .464 OPS and one home run in April, the Red Sox outfielder is hitting .259 with a .847 OPS and eight home runs. The Red Sox have a long way to go in the AL East, but Duran is finally looking like his old self again at the plate.
Josh Jung (TEX): 3-5, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Jung got the party started, both in the first inning with a solo home run against Seth Lugo, and in the ninth, as he had a base hit against Royals closer Lucas Erceg in their three-run comeback. After hitting .251 with a .684 OPS and 14 home runs in 511 plate appearances last year, Jung is off to a much better start in 2026. In 221 plate appearances, he’s hitting .312 with an .857 OPS and seven home runs. The former eighth overall pick is certainly making his case for an All-Star appearance this year.
Jake McCarthy (COL): 3-4, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB, SB.
The Rockies aren’t good (22-37), but they’re scrappy, thanks to guys like McCarthy. On Saturday in Colorado’s 8-3 win over the Giants, the former Diamondback had three hits, three runs scored, four RBI, a home run, and a stolen base. It was his second home run of the year and ninth stolen base. For the year, McCarthy is also hitting .274 with a .737 OPS. The 28-year-old showed flashes of promise in Arizona, but couldn’t earn regular playing time. Thankfully, he’s getting that in Colorado and making the most of it.
