Acuña Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street?

Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL): 1-3, HR, R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB.

The number of the day is four! 1…2…3…4 RBI! Ha…Ha…Ha…

Ronald Acuña Jr. blew yesterday afternoon’s game against the Boston Red Sox wide open with a late grand slam over the Green Monster in Fenway Park. Atlanta’s superstar has had a rough start to his age-28 season, as yesterday’s performance now brought his totals up to three home runs, 10 stolen bases, a .238/.358/.363/.720 slashline and a respectable, but uncharacteristically low 109 wRC+. Acuña’s average exit velocity has dropped to 89.6 mph, again respectable, but 3.1 mph slower than last season. So, how can Acuña find his way back to Sesame Street?

Well, some of this may simply be some rust. A hamstring injury at the start of May has limited him to 48 plate appearances this month. The extra rest appears to have been just what the doctor ordered, as since returning to the lineup on May 19th, Acuña’s average exit velocity has leaped back up to a far more typical 91.7 mph.

Of course, there’s nothing like a towering grand slam over the Green Monster to spark one of baseball’s best bats to dial it up to 100.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday:

Ian Happ (CHC): 3-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Ian Happ notched his 12th home run of the season last night to help the Chicago Cubs bury the Pittsburgh Pirates. Don’t panic over his 31.8% strikeout rate this year. Happ has continued to create tough at-bats for opposing pitchers with a 25.3% chase rate, and his 89.8 mph average exit velocity is in line with his 89.9 mph career average. Happ’s actually managed a career-high 16.1% barrel rate in 2026, which may come down to Earth somewhat, but a career year could be in play here.

 

Colson Montgomery (CHW): 2-4, R, RBI.

One of the biggest surprises of 2026 has been the Chicago White Sox entering June as a Top 10 team in the standings with the eighth-best Team wRC+. It’s okay, you can read that again. I did too. Munetaka Murakami has garnered most of the attention here, and rightfully so, but Colson Montgomery has also played a pivotal role in the rapid turnaround of this offense. In his first 516 plate appearances in the majors, Montgomery has 34 home runs, 69 runs, 89 RBI, and a .236/.318/.504/.823 line. It’s no surprise that the 24-year-old sells out for power with a 37.8% whiff rate (2nd percentile), but given a 76.1 mph bat (93rd percentile), wouldn’t you do the same?

 

Bryan Reynolds (PIT): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, RBI, BB.

After a slow start to the season, Bryan Reynolds has shown up in May. The Pirates’ superstar outfielder has posted two homers, 16 RBI, a .307/.397/.489 triple slash, and a 151 wRC+ with three games left to go in the month. Some of Reynolds’ slow start may be the result of a new approach at the plate, which has resulted in a career-high 15.2% walk rate and 0.70 BB/K. Given Reynolds already elite hit tool, I’m buying in on this change in all of my OBP leagues. Backed by the best offense he’s played beside in Pittsburgh, a career year could be on the table here.

 

Wenceel Pérez (DET): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, RBI, BB.

While the rival White Sox have been surging, the Detroit Tigers have been one of the year’s biggest disappointments. There’s no doubt that a slew of pitching injuries, headlined by Tarik Skubal, has been a factor, but the Tigers’ rotation has picked up the slack for their offense. Yesterday’s home run was only the fourth of the season for Wenceel Pérez, who has stepped into an everyday role in the Tigers’ outfield. His .176 BABIP has him as one of the unluckiest hitters in baseball this season, so there is certainly room for Pérez to bounce back. However, he may be forced to fight for playing time soon, as Detroit could call up top prospect Max Clark to help turn their season around before it’s too late.

 

Coby Mayo (BAL): 1-2, HR, R, RBI.

Coby Mayo has stepped in as the Baltimore Orioles‘ third baseman, with Jordan Westburg undergoing Tommy John surgery. Mayo’s 110.3 mph home run was the second hardest hit ball of yesterday’s slate of games. Sure, there’s a ton of swing and miss here, but the raw power is hard to match. The 24-year-old has come alive this season with an elite 91.6 mph average exit velocity and 75.4 mph bat speed. As long as he keeps his spot at the hot corner, hitting in the middle of that lineup, Mayo is a sneaky play worthy of your consideration.

 

Isaac Paredes (HOU): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.

The Houston Astros have been one of the hardest hit teams by 2026’s flood of injuries. Isaac Paredes has taken full advantage of the job security, and speaking of hard hits- well, he actually doesn’t have a lot. Don’t let that fool you, though, while Paredes may have one of the league’s quietest power tools, he’s a hyper-efficient hitter. Opposing pitchers have been unable to ragebait the 27-year-old third baseman, as he’s put up an elite 16.2% whiff rate and 130 Whiff Avoid value so far this season.

 

Tristan Peters (CHW): 3-4, 2B, R, RBI.

Another bright spot for the White Sox this season, Tristan Peters has quietly emerged as a consistently productive outfielder. So far, Peters has two homers, four steals, and a .274/.342/.385 triple slash. That bat, coupled with a plus glove in centre field, has earned the youngster regular playing time in a high-octane offense. There isn’t much power upside to Peters’ game, but his contact skills and a 28.7 ft/s sprint speed (89th percentile) make him a valuable stolen base threat who’s still sitting there on most waiver wires.

 

Zach Neto (LAA): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB.

After back-to-back seasons of 20+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases, Zach Neto has struggled to get back into the swing of things. Literally. Neto’s strikeout rate has jumped up to 30.3%, and his average exit velocity has dropped by over a tick down to 89.8 mph. The scariest part is his 131 Pitch Runs value, which suggests this all comes on some of the easiest pitches thrown to a single batter this season. Uh-oh. I’m not ready to go full panic mode on Neto yet, given his upside, but in redraft leagues, it may be worth asking around to see how high your leaguemates are willing to go for a bounce-back second half.

Bonus: A knee injury sent Yoán Moncada to the IL last week, and the Los Angeles Angels brought up Donovan Walton to fill his spot at third base. The 32-year-old journeyman has a solid glove that will earn him playing time, and has already banked seven home runs this year as an overager in Triple-A. Walton doesn’t have the upside to be a stash candidate, but given the third base landscape this year, put him on your watchlist while we wait for the first round of summer call-ups.