The Count of LaMonte Cristo
LaMonte Wade Jr. (HOU): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
It was not the best start to the season for LaMonte Wade Jr., who began the year with the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A organization of the Chicago White Sox.
The primary reason Wade began the year in Triple-A rather than with a big league club was his brutal campaign in 2025.
Wade played in 50 games with the San Francisco Giants and 30 games with the Los Angeles Angels, and accumulated 242 plate appearances between both teams combined. In that sample, he hit .167 with a .525 OPS. He also only had two home runs, 19 runs scored, 18 RBI, and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 0.47. The latter number is fine by itself. However, when combined with those other paltry numbers, it doesn’t look too great.
With the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, Wade showed off his patented plate discipline. In 201 plate appearances, he had more walks (45) than strikeouts (43), and posted a .420 OBP and .861 OPS with seven home runs and 26 RBI. While that wasn’t enough for a call-up from the White Sox, it was intriguing enough to the Houston Astros, who signed him a couple of days ago after Wade opted out of his minor league deal with Chicago.
Since joining the Astros, the 32-year-old first baseman/outfielder is hitting .333 with a 1.111 OPS in nine plate appearances. On Saturday, not only did he have three hits and three RBI, but he also hit his first home run as an Astro in Houston’s 13-2 win over the Athletics. It’s expected that Wade will play multiple positions with the Astros, as long as he is hitting, of course.
Wade has always been an intriguing player with a fascinating toolset. In 117 games and 401 plate appearances in 2024, he hit .260 with a .761 OPS and eight home runs. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was enough to get people thinking that he could be a valuable fantasy baseball asset who could give fantasy managers multi-position versatility on their roster. Unfortunately, since 2025, Wade hasn’t done much to deserve a spot on most fantasy rosters, especially traditional 5×5 formats.
It’s only nine plate appearances, but it seems like Houston suits Wade perfectly. Now, he just needs to keep it up, so he not only stays in the lineup but also improves the Astros’ chances to make the postseason.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Crow-Armstrong drove in two of the Cubs’ total three runs in their 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday. The 24-year-old outfielder not only had four hits against the Giants, but he also had two home runs, his 10th and 11th of the year. With 13 stolen bases and a .791 OPS, Crow-Armstrong is showing that the slump he was going through a month ago is no longer dragging down his performance and outlook for the remainder of the year.
Ernie Clement (TOR): 2-4, 3B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Clement doesn’t hit the ball hard. His barrel rate is in the ninth percentile, his hard-hit rate is in the fifth percentile, and his bat speed is in the third percentile. And yet, all Clement does is hit the ball and find gaps. The former Virginia product is hitting .306 with a .791 OPS, which also includes six home runs, his latest coming on Saturday against the rival Orioles.
Dominic Canzone (SEA): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Seattle blanked Detroit on Saturday, 4-0, and Canzone was a major force in the Mariners’ win. Not only did he have three hits, but he also launched his eighth home run of the year. That puts him three homers away from tying his home run total from a year ago (his 2025 had 114 more games). Can Canzone keep producing to keep the Mariners in the playoff hunt? His .275 average and .871 OPS certainly help that case.
José Ramírez (CLE): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB.
Ramírez looked a lot like “Classic Ramírez” on Saturday in the Guardians’ 6-0 win on the road in Arlington. Ramirez not only collected his 10th home run of the year and stole his 23rd base of the year, keeping him on track with Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., who is one of the leading base stealers this year. Additionally, Ramírez had two walks, showing the plate discipline on Saturday that has made him a multi-year All-Star.
Matt McLain (CIN): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
It’s been another tough year for McLain, as he has a .636 OPS, seven points lower than his OPS a season ago. However, he had a nice day on Saturday, launching his sixth home run of the year and collecting two RBI in the process. However, his .290 average and .864 OPS from 2024 seem like ages ago, and it may be unlikely that he matches those marks again in his career.
Dominic Smith (ATL): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
The Dom Smith Renaissance in Atlanta continued on Saturday in a 6-3 win over the Pirates. Smith launched his sixth home run of the year and had two hits and two RBI to boot. His six home runs are one more than a year ago, and he is hitting over .300 for the first time since 2020, when he was a member of the Mets. Not much was expected from Smith back in spring training, but he’s been a force in the Atlanta lineup this season.
Javier Sanoja (MIA): 3-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
The Marlins won the “Battle of Florida” against Tampa Bay 3-4 on Saturday, and Sanoja was one of the main standouts. The 23-year-old collected three hits, two RBI, and hit his second home run of the season. For the year, Sanoja is hitting .267 with a .702 OPS. The infielder doesn’t have much power (4th percentile barrel rate), but he makes a lot of contact and doesn’t strike out. Miami seems to have made the most of guys with that profile this year.
Jordan Walker (STL): 2-4, HR, R, RBI, SB.
The show continues for Walker and the Cardinals. In their 6-5 win over the Reds, Walker had two hits and launched his 16th home run of the year. For the season, he’s hitting .301 with a .921 OPS in 260 plate appearances. All the barrel (85th percentile), hard-hit (93rd percentile), and bat speed (100th percentile) marks from Walker are impressive. Furthermore, they show that he will continue to produce throughout the 2026 season.
Dylan Crews (WSN): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
The former phenom outfielder is hitting only .211 with a .595 OPS in 61 plate appearances with the Nationals this year. That said, he had a big day on Saturday against the Diamondbacks, collecting two hits and launching his second MLB home run. Hence, Crews is a bit of a dilemma for fantasy managers. The tools and potential are certainly tantalizing. Unfortunately, more often than not, he fails to come through on the fantasy end.
