Loftin Expectations
Nick Loftin (KCR): 4-5, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI.
Loftin, 27, has put together quite the interesting campaign throughout the 2026 season, slashing .264/.358/.448 with a .320 xwOBA and 121 wRC+ while featuring career-best marks in nearly every category. This was a guy that entered the season as a career 84 wRC+ bat… it’s safe to say he’s earned some more run with the Royals this season.
Loftin started his day off with a bang yesterday, literally, taking Shane McClanahan deep in the first inning. The ball traveled 403 feet and registered a 103.8 mph exit velocity. He would proceed to fly out in his next at-bat, but then singled in three consecutive plate appearances to finish his day off. Over his last twelve games, Loftin has gone 15-for-41 (.366 BA) with a monster 1.118 OPS and 203 wRC+. Pretty darn impressive!
Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday…
Jac Caglianone (KCR): 3-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Loftin wasn’t the only man from Kansas City who balled out yesterday. Caglianone was torching the ball left and right, producing EVs of 105+ mph in three of his four plate appearances, including his first two that yielded home runs against Shane McClanahan. The first longball came in at 109.1 EV / 443 FT — a no-doubter that is gone in 30/30 ballparks. His next was hit even harder at 110 mph, but traveled “only” 416 feet — a homer in 28/30 ballparks. Cags is such an impressive young talent to watch at the dish.
Bryson Stott (PHI): 3-4, HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, SB.
Stott finished his day off strong, tallying hits in three consecutive at-bats to end the game. The first two knocks were singles (79.2 and 95.6 EVs, respectively), while the last was a 104.4 EV / 403 FT home run. Stott owns just a 92 wRC+ this season, but over his last 15 games, he’s managed to slash .333/.410/.519 with a 159 wRC+, amassing seven extra-base hits over that span.
Daulton Varsho (TOR): 3-6, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
All three hits from Varsho yesterday were for extra bases. He doubled in back-to-back plate appearances in the fourth and fifth innings (102.8 and 107.3 EVs, respectively), and later produced a 106 EV / 395 FT home run off Enyel De Los Santos in the seventh inning. Coming off a career-best 123 wRC+ season last year, Varsho has been able to turn in new career-bests in other departments like BA and OBP fueled by a major change in K%.
Wilyer Abreu (BOS): 2-4, 3B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.
Abreu has been such a fun, underrated player to watch over the last few years and this season he’s finally starting to get his flowers. He knocked out the hardest part of the cycle early yesterday, searing a 105.6 EV triple to center to get the party started in the first inning and later producing a 103 EV / 443 FT no-doubt home run off Sean Sullivan in the fifth. Abreu has certainly cooled off since his MVP-caliber start to the season, but he’s still very much in line to set some new career-highs in 2026.
Dansby Swanson (CHC): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Swanson, despite the 82 wRC+ in 2026, has now hit safely in four consecutive games and owns a .429 BA over that span. He laced a 95.3 EV double off Tobias Myers and a 104.4 EV / 380 FT home run off Kodai Senga yesterday. It’s good to see him getting back to impacting the baseball, even over a small sample size.
Alex Call (LAD): 2-4, HR, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB.
Call has been pretty remarkable with the Dodgers this season, slashing .270/.383/.500 with a 115 wRC+ over 48 games. If you had that on your bingo card, I owe you some props. He’s boasting a career-best walk rate over 13% and put that on display yesterday, taking ball four twice, plus he was able to tally two hits (including a 99.7 EV / 368 FT home run) against the Twins yesterday.
Heriberto Hernández (MIA): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Hernandez doesn’t hit all that often, but when he does, he sure knows how to impact the baseball. He launched his eighth home run of the season yesterday, registering a 103.2 EV / 416 FT shot against Cal Quantrill. He also smacked a 97.3 EV double off Jose Corniell in his final at-bat. If he’s able to hone in that swing-and-miss (or at least start racking up a few more hits per week to offset the 14% SwStr rate), Hernandez could become a really exciting right-handed power threat for Miami.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SDP): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Tatis Jr. launched a game-tying solo home run yesterday (106.6 EV / 410 FT) en route to an exciting 7-6 victory over the Braves. He also had a 104.2 EV double off JR Ritchie earlier in the game. Don’t be fooled by the superstar’s mediocre 106 wRC+ to start the season… over the last month (27 games), Tatis has slashed .366/.400/.527 with a 162 wRC+. It’s good to see him back to dominating!
Jung Hoo Lee (SFG): 2-3, HR, R, RBI, BB, SB.
Speaking of scorching hot bats from the NL West, Lee has been such a high quality performer for what feels like the entirety of the 2026 season (minus his first 13-or-so games), slashing .331/.365/.470 with a 134 wRC+, all while limiting strikeouts at a clip under 10%. Lee managed to single (92.7 EV) and homer (99.9 EV / 414 FT), plus draw a rare walk en route to a Giants victory over the Athletics.
Featured image by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X) and adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)
