What a deadline! While not a ton of hitters got moved, some of the moves were actually impactful in that they either gave a player a new team context (mostly for the better) or opened up paths to playing time for minor leaguers or platoon players. I’ll focus mostly on these players for this edition.
- As a reminder, these rankings are 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 would recommend not paying super close attention to the specific ranks of each player, and honing in more on the respective tiers that they’re in. Each tier represents a grouping of players that I think could arguably perform at a similar level, and/or carry similar levels of risk in terms of injury concerns or playing time obstacles. If Player X is ranked at #55 and Player Y is ranked at #65, but they’re in the same tier, it means that I personally like Player X a lot better, but think there’s a valid argument to be made for Player Y performing just as well.
- 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 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 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 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 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 in the comments!
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 Joe Gallina, 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 sometime in late March) 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.
Tier 1
- No changes at the top. These three guys are definitely my first three off the board in standard formats.
Tier 2
- Not much to discuss here either. I flipped José Ramírez and Gunnar Henderson again and I will probably do that several more times as the season wears on.
- Someone in the NFBC or some other format where steals are worth a premium is going to take Elly De La Cruz with the top pick, I can just feel it. I disagree with the approach, but I understand it. With 55 steals, Elly is dominating the stolen base leaderboard. It’s more than 1.5 times as many steals as the guy in second, and about two times as many as the guys in third. Oh, and is not a drag on any category, unlike most guys we roster for elite stolen base production.
Tier 3
- I was very worried about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. becoming a 25 home run guy and those concerns may have been premature as he now has eight home runs and six doubles in his last 13 games. The issue this season had been way too many grounders and not enough stuff in the air, but those numbers have basically converged of late. If Vladito can continue to balance the grounders and fly balls like this, we could see a return to the land of 30 home run seasons. That said, Vlad has done this previously only to revert back to a sub-30% fly ball rate, so time will tell whether this occassion is different.
Tier 4
- Speaking of eight home runs in their last 13 games, how about that Anthony Santander? Unlike Vlad, Santander has never really had an issue with grounders, but he’s taken his fly balls to a new level in 2024 as the lowest 25-game fly ball rate is a lofty 47.9%. We love it when a player sets new rolling floors.
- Jose Altuve’s power isn’t where we hoped at this point in the season, but it’s hard to complain too much about a guy who is averaging about two total bases per game over the last 28 games. Hopefully the counting stats pick up soon as it feels criminal that he’s hitting well over .300 of late with so little to show for it at the top of Houston’s lineup.
Tier 5
- Lane Thomas has moved to a better team and a better lineup, but I am slightly concerned about whether he will continue to steal bases anywhere near the rate he had been doing it in Washington. Cleveland is a top-10 team in terms of stolen bases with 89, but the Nationals are on a different level with 147 steals so far on the season. The counting stats should improve, but we will have to see how keen the Guardians are on giving Thomas the green light.
- Welcome back, Cody Bellinger! It’s been a bit of a down year for Belli so far, but seeing him hit his first home run since June 12 was a big relief. While I don’t believe in players necessarily being “second-half guys”, it is worth noting that Bellinger struggled with injuries in the first half of last year before exploding in July and beyond. Bellinger is much less likely to fly up the list than the next two guys, but he’s also got a safer floor than them as his health track record is much cleaner.
- Welcome back, Royce Lewis! Please stay with us this time. I wanted to rank Lewis much higher (like, twenty spots higher), but the injury risk is just too great. The upside is obvious, though, as Lewis is hitting .299/.359/.579 in 99 career games with 28 home runs and 137 combined runs and RBI.
- Welcome to the Bronx, Jazz Chisholm Jr.! Jazz has hit the ground running in his new pinstriped uniform, which is really just a continuation of what he was starting to do in Miami. He now has six home runs and five steals in his last 125 games with strong plate discipline, and while we can’t expect Jazz to get multiple RBI every game, it will be a lot easier to do that batting in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup than it was hitting anywhere in Miami. I could see Jazz hitting leadoff or around fifth for the rest of the season depending on how players like Torres, Verdugo, and Volpe are performing, and all of it is a boon for Jazz. I don’t think any already-rostered player’s fantasy value got as much lift as Jazz at the deadline, and I wish I had ranked him about 10 spots higher. There’s still significant health risk, though, and New York won’t make Jazz entirely slump-proof. Still, his (healthy) floor and ceiling are much higher than a week ago
Tier 6
- Alex Bregman has been mostly mediocre outside of two little home run outbursts, and the counting stats are trailing well behind his pace in previous seasons.
- With Lane Thomas gone, will the Nationals give CJ Abrams the green light more often? He’s picked up the base stealing over the last week, but it remains to be seen if he can continue to be successful while stealing.
- Ian Happ has just five hits since coming back from the All-Star Break, though it appears the Cubs are going to slide him into the leadoff spot anyway.
Tier 7
- Brent Rooker’s July of 2024 has more or less recreated his breakout April from 2023. On one hand, it’s great to see another extended stretch of high walks, low strikeouts, and tons of production. On the other, Rooker was only able to keep it up for about a month before falling off, and Rooker’s streakiness is still a huge part of his game. Prior to this current stretch, Rooker spent 35 games hitting .220/.288/.371 with just three home runs, 23 combined runs and RBI, and a 39.7% strikeout rate, which is not rosterable in 10- and 12-team leagues. I’m not really seeing anything different in this hot streak compared to the beginning of last season, but if his teammates continue to hit the ball well, he can keep producing even if he falls off a bit.
- Matt Olson has two home runs today to give him four in his last five games, but his high strikeout rate of late is worrisome. I’m not ready to call him “back” yet.
- Jackson Chourio’s climb up the ranks is a beautiful thing to behold. Over his last 25 games, Chourio is hitting .327/.373/.558 with an impressive 11.8% strikeout rate, five home runs, and four stolen bases. As he’s grown at the plate, his role in the offense has improved. We’ve seen Chourio hitting in the top five spots in the order for almost a full week instead of oscillating between the top and the bottom, and that means more consistent opportunities to score runs and drive in his teammates.
- My faith in Anthony Volpe is being at least temporarily rewarded as he continues to swing a hot bat since the Break, with a 167 wRC+, three home runs, and four stolen bases in 11 games prior to today’s action. He’s not walking much at the moment, but the strikeout rate remains very reasonable and I think he can hit his way out of the basement of this lineup sooner rather than later.
- The change in scenery shouldn’t really impact Isaac Paredes too much, though it’s hard to ignore the fact that Statcast suggests that he’d lose five home runs this season if he had played every game at Wrigley. Because it’s fun, this is every career home run from Isaac Paredes. He is a man with a VERY singular focus.
Tier 8
- Ezequiel Tovar remains one of the most aggressive hitters in baseball, but it keeps working for him. He’s on a 16-game hitting streak, and 11 of those games have been away from Coors. Will he always have a .522 BABIP? Of course not. He’s just a weekend away though from a 12-game stretch that will feature nine home games, so I expect this train to keep on rolling for a bit. His swing first, ask questions later approach will likely lead to a few more devastating slumps, but the net result will definitely be positive as he’s on track to hit about 25 home runs with a strong batting average and pretty good counting stats considering he plays for such a bad offense.
- It’s good to see the Rangers do the right thing and keep Josh Smith in the lineup as the DH and utility infielder. With any luck, he’ll continue to lead off as well in front of Seager and Semien.
- Welcome back, Josh Jung! Strikeouts are the enemy here, and as long as that strikeout rate can stay under 30% or so, Jung should be a solid power-hitting third baseman.
Tier 9
- The Tyler O’Neill roller coaster continues.
- Xander Bogaerts is back with a vengeance, hitting .469 and slugging .633 since coming off the IL right before the Break.Sure, it’s just one home run and one steal, but I’ll take that all day with those insane ratios.
- Brice Turang has hit a wall in July, posting a meager 19 wRC+. His four stolen bases are neat, I guess, but it’s hard to imagine the Brewers giving Turang much more time at the top of the order if the bat doesn’t turn around in very short order after the Cardinals and Pirates made some moves to try and bring pressure to their division rival.
Tier 10
- Ryan McMahon has pretty decent season-long numbers, but he’s hitting just .234 over his last 50 games with a 31.4% strikeout rate and just six home runs. That dog won’t hunt, Monsignor.
- Christopher Morel has moved to a worse park and is on a worse offense than he had in Chicago, though he now has home runs in two straight for the Marlins.
- Gleyber Torres has been hitting towards the middle of the lineup and leading off against lefties, which is a great place to be if you’re a somewhat-above-average hitter like Torres. The closer in proximity he can be to Soto, Judge, and Jazz in the lineup, the higher the floor will be.
- Lawrence Butler has been the leadoff hitter in Oakland for 13 games, and in that time he has 32 combined runs and RBI, 13 extra base hits (with six home runs), and two stolen bases while hitting .418 and slugging a ludicrous .909. The Oakland offense won’t be this good forever, and the one big question mark we have is what Butler looks like when the unbelievable heat cools off. As I’ve said before, I think he can be a legitimate power hitter (think 25-30 home runs), but I remain very skeptical that he can provide ratios that won’t hurt you a little bit, and the counting stats are highly dependent on this offense continuing to play out of their collective mind.
Tier 11
- Welcome back, TJ Friedl! Friedl has mostly returned to an everyday role hitting fourth, and that’s a pretty darn good spot. He hasn’t been all that good when healthy this season, but he was playing better during his last healthy stretch and hopefully he can pick up where he left off.
- Xavier Edwards is a slap-hitting, base-stealing machine right now and that matches what we expected from him, more or less. The ratios will come back to earth at some point, but even then he should continue to hit .280 or so while stealing a base every five games or so (which is about 30-35 steals in a full season). There is very little power here, but he can absolutely be enough of a contributor in ratios, runs, and steals to stay on your roster for the rest of the season.
- Juan Yepez keeps putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts, which is a huge leap that really didn’t begin until he came to Washington. It’s still a small sample, but another major difference is the reduction in fly balls in exchange for line drives and some grounders. It’s a bit too early to determine whether this is normal randomness or if it’s intentional, but it’s worth watching.
- Wyatt Langford has struggled to be more than “pretty good” for an extended period of time in 2024.
Tier 12
- Bryan De La Cruz moved to a slightly better offense and into a spacious new home park, but overall I expect very little to change regarding De La Cruz’s outlook.
- Just when you think Alex Verdugo is not going to be relevant, he forces himself back into the must-roster conversation. Leading off for the Yankees is an amazing place to be for fantasy, and they continue to look to Verdugo to fill that role.
- Welcome back, Giancarlo Stanton! Let’s see what version of him we get now that he’s off the IL. I expect him to be more of the high power, low contact guy we’ve come to expect in recent years, but he was certainly better than that to start the year.
- Colton Cowser has a hit in every game since coming out of the Break and is now leading off against right-handed pitching for Baltimore. Just as important is the fact he’s brought his strikeout rate down below 25% in this stretch, which is essential to long term consistency.
- Who had “Gavin Lux hitting third” on their unexpected baseball happenings bingo card? Slashing .409/.471/.773 over his last 15 games makes it somewhat understandable, I suppose, though I wouldn’t expect it to last terribly long as it took the loss of Muncy, Betts, and Freeman for it to even be feasible. Freeman is likely back next week, but until then, enjoy the unexpected opportunity to get production out of Lux.
- Jose Miranda will have to fight for playing time a bit with Lewis back, but Miranda was up to the challenge before and should be up to it again.
- I am very concerned about Jarred Kelenic’s role in Atlanta’s offense after the deadline. Atlanta seems to want to copy San Francisco and use Soler as a leadoff hitter, which led immediately to Kelenic moving down to eighth in the order. The fact that Kelenic was hitting .086 over his last 15 games (prior to today) likely made that decision fairly easy for Atlanta. Not only is Kelenic hitting at the bottom of the order, but also he was benched against the last lefty Atlanta faced. Out of sheer luck, they’ve only seen two lefty starters for the entire month of July and may not see another until mid-August, so that gives Kelenic a few weeks to figure things out before he has to worry too much about a platoon.
Tier 13
- Victor Robles is absolutely loving the change of scenery, apparently, as he has been a revelation for the Mariners. Assuming the hip injury that took him out of Tuesday’s game isn’t too serious, expect the contact and speed to keep coming, though the home runs will likely be a bit sporadic.
- Tyler Fitzgerald isn’t getting lucky as his quality of contact has been fantastic, though this explosion of power in triple-A and the majors this season is a pretty significant surprise from a guy who never hit more than 21 home runs in any season in the minors. He pulls the ball in the air a ton, which can lead to more power than expected (like we see from Paredes), but it’s not an easily-repeatable skill in the majors over an extended period of time, especially for players with below-average hit tools like Fitzgerald. You’re obviously starting him, but whether he stays on your roster through the end of the season is still up in the air.
- Eugenio Suárez is just insanely hot. I’m pretty sure that’s all this is. I think. Maybe.
- Jesse Winker takes a huge hit in value going to the Mets, as we’ve already seen him sit against two right-handed starts, plus the odds that he steals another base are slim to none (it was already low, but it was higher with the extremely aggressive Nationals).
- Matt Wallner is probably a non-factor against lefties but the power is hard to ignore.
- Cedric Mullins should get a mild boost in playing time with the exodus of Hays and the plethora of right-handed starters the O’s will continue to face for the next couple of series. There’s a chance to solidify himself as the regular center fielder for Baltimore and I’m hoping he’s able to seize that opportunity.
- Bryson Stott takes another big tumble as he finds himself in a platoon and hitting at the bottom of the order. Edmundo Sosa, Kody Clemens, and Rodolfo Castro aren’t threats to his job long term, but he could continue to give up playing time to whichever of these guys are active if he keeps swinging a lackluster bat.
- I’m not a big believer in Nolan Schanuel’s power yet, but the ratios should continue to be awesome and he’s very rosterable at first base, which has felt somewhat barren of late in terms of waiver wire options.
- Lars Nootbaar is a personal favorite, but Alec Burleson has filled the roles that I hoped Nootbaar would get a chance to take.
- Round two for Jackson Holliday begins with a grand salami! It is already better than his first round as he had zero home runs and just a single RBI over those 10 fateful games.
- Brendan Donovan is a slap-hitting ratios play when he’s leading off and playing regularly, but he hasn’t quite done those things of late. You should hold in points leagues, probably, but in category leagues you can go for a streamer instead.
Taxi Squad
This year, the Taxi Squad will be a handful of players at each position who either are on the cusp of the list or who have been hot topics of late.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Another update: Relevant hitters who hit the IL will end up in the IL Stashes section until they return to the active roster.
Catcher
- Elias Díaz (C, COL) — Plays a lot and has games in Coors.
- Connor Wong (C, BOS) — Ice cold for the last week but still hits in the heart of the order.
- Travis d’Arnaud (C, ATL) — Still some gas left in the tank if you need a second catcher.
- Jonah Heim (C, TEX) — His history of being mediocre is a lot longer than his history of being good.
- Keibert Ruiz (C, WAS) — Points league streamer.
- Bo Naylor (C, CLE) — Has plenty of pop and hitting a bit better of late.
- David Fry (C/1B, CLE) — Might be turning it around slightly?
- Danny Jansen (C, TOR) — Has upside, but I’d rather stream than wait out the slumps in a single-catcher format.
- Kyle Higashioka (C, SDP) — Decent streaming catcher.
- Mitch Garver (C, SEA) — Has power and is batting second, but the results aren’t there.
- Sean Murphy (C, ATL) — There’s a good player in there but you can’t keep waiting for it.
- Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) — Can’t find a groove.
First Base
- Rowdy Tellez (1B, PIT) — On a wicked hot streak and avoiding strikeouts but this just feels like a hot streak.
- Luke Raley (1B/OF, SEA) — Power and speed that comes with streakiness and contact issues.
- Carlos Santana (1B, MIN) — Streamable in spurts, especially in OBP.
- Spencer Torkelson (1B, DET) —I still believe long-term but he’s not rosterable unless you are in a deep keeper or have an NA slot.
- Dominic Smith (1B, BOS) — Platoon bat who can be serviceable in OBP for short stretches.
- Ty France (1B, CIN) — If he gets an everyday role, there’s potential as a fill-in for 12-teamers.
Second Base
- David Hamilton (2B/SS, BOS) — Pure speed streamer in standard leagues right now.
- Connor Norby (2B, MIA) — How quickly will they call him up?
- Abraham Toro (2B/3B) — Puts balls in play and this offense has been OK lately.
- Miguel Vargas (2B/OF, CWS) — Deep OBP league flyer.
- Brooks Lee (2B/3B/SS, MIN) — Just needs more time to figure out major league pitching.
- Jose Iglesias (2B/3B/SS, NYM) — Back to a platoon following the deadline deals.
- Zack Gelof (2B, OAK) — Hasn’t been able to recreate any of the 2023 magic.
- Nolan Gorman (2B, STL) — Super hot and cold, currently the latter and barely playing.
Third Base
- Noelvi Marte (3B, CIN) — McLain’s return by the end of the month could be bad news for Marte as EDLC will likely move to third.
- Matt Vierling (3B/OF, DET) — Hitting third, but this offense is not very good.
- Junior Caminero (3B, TBR) — Seems to be getting his groove back in triple-A but timing out his call-up remains tricky.
- Coby Mayo (3B, BAL) — There’s no room for him but the power and plate discipline (before 2024) is exciting.
- Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B, PIT) — Has speed and upside, but simply not getting it done.
- Nick Senzel (3B/OF, CHW) — He’s been handed a starting job and has some pop but it’s merely a deep league flyer.
- Gio Urshela (1B/3B, DET) — Decent streamer, especially against lefties.
- Ernie Clement (3B/SS, TOR) — Seems to be the guy who will get time with Bichette out.
Shortstop
- Willi Castro (2B/3B/SS/OF, MIN) — Versatile, speedy, and consistently inconsistent.
- Luis García Jr. (2B/SS, WAS) — He’s slumped his way into a platoon.
- Paul DeJong (SS, KCR) — Likely sitting against most righties.
- Max Schuemann (SS, OAK) — Cooled off considerably.
Outfield/DH
There are probably 5-10 more guys at any given time who you could argue belong on this part of the list.
- Kyle Stowers (OF, MIA) — If he plays against a few lefties, he could move up quickly.
- Joey Loperfido (OF, TOR) — Batting second in his first game with the Blue Jays but the strikeouts are the primary concern.
- Andy Pages (OF, LAD) — I expect him to sit more following the deadline moves.
- Wilyer Abreu (OF, BOS) — Hot, but in a platoon and prone to extended slumps.
- Heston Kjerstad (OF, BAL) — As buried now as he was before the deadline.
- Eddie Rosario (OF, ATL) — Don’t fall for it. He’s a hyper-aggressive hitter who gets hot and then VERY cold.
- Wenceel Pérez (OF, DET) — Making a little magic again, if you need a streamer.
- Eloy Jiménez (DH, BAL) — Weirdest move of the deadline. Hard to see him as a lineup regular.
- Max Kepler (OF, MIN) — A fine replacement-level guy when you need some pop.
- Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — If you want a silver lining, he rebounded nicely after his last trip to the minors.
- JJ Bleday (OF, OAK) — He’s more valuable in OBP because of the walks but the rest of the package isn’t that exciting.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF, CHC) — Stuck in a platoon, and there’s still some development to be done in the bigs.
- Jake McCarthy (OF, ARI) — Pure speed streamer.
- Jesus Sanchez (OF, MIA) — Hits the ball hard but doesn’t pull it much which kills his home run upside.
- Jo Adell (OF, LAA) — If you’re looking to chase upside, this is a good place to start.
- Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR) — There are too many outfield options to suffer these slumps in 12-team leagues.
- Tommy Pham (OF, STL) — He leads off and that’s about it.
- Angel Martínez (OF, CLE) — He’d be ranked if this was a points or OBP list.
- Mickey Moniak (OF, LAA) — He gets hot from time to time but the contact issues keep it from lasting very long.
- Joshua Palacios (OF, PIT) — Has a little bit of pop and speed, but he’s a deep league flyer at best.
IL Stashes
- Christian Walker (1B, ARI) — Core injuries are tough to gauge. Hoping he’s back for September.
- Triston Casas (1B, BOS) — Almost ready to swing a bat. Will likely be a top 50-75 player when he’s ready.
- Mookie Betts (2B/SS/OF, LAD) — He’ll be back in the top tier on return.
- Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL) — For fantasy purposes, Albies is out for the season. He’ll be a bounce-back/buy-low candidate for 2025.
- Jordan Westburg (2B/3B, BAL) — A broken hand likely keeps him out of your playoff push, though he may be back in late September.
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B/3B/OF, PIT) — He’ll play every day for Pittsburgh.
- Matt McLain (2B, CIN) — Could be back by late August, which might be bad news for Noelvi Marte.
- Tommy Edman (2B/SS/OF, LAD) — OK, now you have my attention. If he can be the mostly-regular utility guy, that matters.
- Nick Gonzales (2B, PIT) — Expected weeks-long absence means he’s droppable in 10- and 12-teamers.
- Max Muncy (3B, LAD) — Will likely be a top 75-100 player when he’s ready.
- Bo Bichette (SS, TOR) — He’ll be out multiple weeks and if I only had two IL spots in a 12-teamer that were already full, I’d probably cut him.
- Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) — Good signs so far. Could be back in mid-August.
- J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) — Droppable in all but the deepest of formats.
- Jordan Lawlar (SS, ARI) — Aggravating his injury means he’s likely out for most of the season.
- Kyle Tucker (OF, HOU) — This thing keeps dragging on. Top-five player on return.
- Julio Rodríguez (OF, SEA) — Should be a fairly short stay but the timing is a huge bummer as he was really righting the ship in July (220 wRC+)
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (OF, SDP) — Top-20 on his return, probably sometime in mid-July.
- Christian Yelich (OF, MIL) — Not sure why everyone thinks he’s out for the year. He’ll be back at some point, maybe even in August.
- Mike Trout (OF, LAA) — He should be back this season and should be stashed on ILs. Should be in the top 25-35 on his return.
- Riley Greene (OF, DET) — Shouldn’t be a terribly long stay. Top 30 on return.
- Jasson Domínguez (OF, NYY) — Dealing with an oblique issue, and the roster is currently fairly crowded.
- Michael Harris II (OF, ATL) — No timetable for a return. Top-75 hitter when he comes back, assuming he can reclaim a spot near the top of the lineup.
- Starling Marte (OF, NYM) — Starting a rehab soon. Top 120-140 on return as he may sit even more than before if Bader remains healthy.
- Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET) — Should see a few weeks of action in September but that’s it.
- Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Likely out for the season.
- Jordan Beck (OF, COL) — Droppable if your IL is full.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — Obviously, he’s a drop in redraft leagues. Still top-5 in dynasty.
Photos by Icon Sportswire | Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)
Hi Scott,
Great read. Want to suggest that you take a closer look a Zach Neto.
Remember, he had a cup of coffee in the minors and was injured much of last year. As of today: BA – 255; HR 13; SB 19. He’s within 20/30 year in what arguably is his first healthy year in MLB.
I like Neto’s talent and hate his situation (batting 9th for a bad offense). He could be due for a jump soon with how the Angels have been inching him closer to the middle of the order and having him steal eight bags in July (he had 11 through the first 3 months). I worry slightly about his issues with RHP as he’s hitting .222/.295/.382 against them over 590 PA (and really no improvement for him there), good for a paltry 88 wRC+. He’s been very reliant on success v LHP, and at some point he’s going to need to figure that out.
What do you see in Goldschmidt that keeps him ranked so high?
He’s ranked over his performance, true, though he was better in July (top 80 hitter over the last 30 days) and has a 121 wRC+ since the break (albeit with bad plate discipline). He’s also been pulling the ball more frequently since the start of June and that helps as well. Goldy was due to drop pretty far last week, actually, but his improved results since the ASB have me waiting just a little longer.
Vaughn 50 spots above Toglia is fantasy terrorism.
And continuing with my lil comment last week, I happily dropped Turang over Stott. Stott’s savant is in line with what he did last year and at least he’s much more proven than Turang. And Stott’s been pretty streaky in the past (just earlier this season he had the same thing of being moved from top of lineup to bottom, back to top). Great to see that Stott has had a strong week.
1) Long term success with very low contact rates, very high strikeout rates, little to no pedigree, and spotty success in the minors is VERY difficult to achieve, and that’s what we see with Toglia. I worry about that abysmal floor.
2) Stott has seen improved numbers in large part because he’s sat against all the lefties. (5 of the last 7). Hitting low in the order AND bring platooned is tough to roster. The margin for error is basically zero.