Yandy just… yeeted it out
Yandy Díaz (TBR): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Yandy Díaz has been excellent this year, hitting for a robust .306/.375/.474 line that is a carbon copy of his 2025 season. Last night, he got the Rays off to a hot start against Max Scherzer and the Blue Jays by crushing a mammoth two-run shot in the first inning. Diaz’s homer was his 19th of the season and tied him with BJ Upton for fifth on the Rays’ all-time homer list. Diaz added a walk and a run scored in the fourth inning, finishing the night with a 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB line.
Diaz has an unusual combination of skills for a first baseman that leaves him underappreciated in fantasy leagues. In NFBC Main Event drafts this season, Diaz was the 14th first baseman off the boards, or 12th if you exclude catcher-eligible Ben Rice and Salvador Perez, who were surely not in lineups at first. He’s been the 5th-best first baseman by performance this year, again excluding Rice and Liam Hicks, both of whom should be in your lineups at catcher. In recent seasons, Diaz and Freddie Freeman are basically the same player, with Freeman’s superior lineup generating more run production for him in past seasons, but Diaz having the advantage in those categories this year. Freeman was picked 70 picks earlier than Diaz, though, as was Rafael Devers. In Devers’ case, his power is better than Diaz’s, but he gives up a massive amount of value by losing 60 points of batting average.
Unfortunately, Diaz’s value is poised to decline again next year, as he’s yet to play a game at a position other than DH this year. There’s no sign of slowing down anywhere offensively—his line this year is identical to the .303/.372/.472 he averaged from 2023-25 – but there’s a penalty to losing position eligibility. Still, with how consistent Diaz is, he’s one of the safest picks to be a positive contributor in four categories and a star in one of them.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday…
Charles McAdoo (TOR): 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SB.
McAdoo put up a valiant effort on the losing side of the Rays-Jays tilt last night. Since returning to the majors on August 10th, McAdoo has played four games at third, three at first, and one in left field. Despite those defensive responsibilities, speed has been McAdoo’s greatest asset in the majors, with him posting an 88th percentile sprint speed in his limited time. It was on display last night, with McAdoo reaching on an infield single in his first at-bat and forcing an error on a bunt attempt leading off the 9th inning in his last at-bat.
Andrés Chaparro (WSN): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Chaparro is getting more opportunities following the trade of Luis García Jr. to the Yankees, and the Nationals’ offense hasn’t missed a beat. Chaparro’s big game yesterday elevated his season line to .250/.360/.543, with 8 homers in 136 plate appearances. Chaparro has improved his bat speed by about 1 mph for each of the past two seasons to a well-above-average 74.5 mph in 2026. The newfound bat speed is showing up in his batted-ball data, too, with Chaparro hitting three balls over 104 mph last night.
Vinnie Pasquantino (KCR): 3-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.
The biggest news in this one was the incandescent Jac Caglianone leaving the game with foot soreness after taking a pitch to the ribs in his second plate appearance, but Pasquantino’s scorching return to the lineup is a close second. Pasquantino walked in his first plate appearance, then absolutely crushed everything he saw for the remainder of the game. He had a solo homer in the 6th to bring the Royals within 3 runs of the A’s, then nearly did it again in the 7th. While his homer left the bat at 106 mph, his 7th-inning shot was 109 mph off the very top of the wall for a single. He added another 105 mph single earlier in the game, and ended his night with a 103 mph lineout. Pasquantino is 6-13 with 3 extra-base hits after returning from the IL on the 17th.
Rafael Flores Jr. (PIT): 2-2, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
If you’re only going to get two opportunities at the plate, you can’t do any better than Flores did last night. Pinch-hitting for Henry Davis in the 7th inning, Flores yanked a cutter 422 feet out to left field to bring the Pirates within 1 run of the Tigers. Coming up with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, Flores did it again, adding 46.7% to the Pirates’ win probability by tying the game with one swing. Flores hit 20+ homers in each of his last two full minor league seasons, although the power had been missing a bit in the minors this year. He swings the bat 74 mph, though, and has averaged a 91.8 mph exit velocity on his 41 major league batted balls.
Joey Ortiz (MIL): 2-3, HR, R, 4 RBI.
After the Brewers demolished the Mariners 22-0 two nights ago, this one started out looking like the Mariners would get their revenge. The Mariners were ahead 7-0 entering the bottom of the second inning when Ortiz and the Brewers started playing. Ortiz turned on a Logan Gilbert four-seamer for a two-run homer, and eventually added another two RBIs on a bases-loaded single in the 8th inning. Ortiz has been on fire in the second half, with a .344/.408/.656 line lifting his season averages to .252/.318/.383. That’s nearly league average with the stick; with his excellent glove, we could be seeing a return to the 3-win Ortiz of 2024.
Dominic Canzone (SEA): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Canzone and the Mariners did all of their damage in the first two innings last night. Canzone’s first at-bat was a two-run double to left-center to start the scoring. Coming back to the plate in the second inning, Canzone blooped a short fly to left for a single to load the bases. He’d come around to score the final Mariners’ run of the game on a Josh Naylor single later that inning. Seven runs were enough for the Mariners, though, as Canzone now has a 140 wRC+ over his past 649 plate appearances.
Ryan Waldschmidt (ARI): 2-3, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB.
Waldschmidt and the Diamondbacks beat the Red Sox in 10 innings last night despite Mickey Gasper homering for the third straight game (to give him three on the season). Waldschmidt didn’t get all of his batted balls last night, with his double coming on a ball a diving Jarren Duran had knocked out of his glove by the ground. Waldschmidt added two walks to help turn over the lineup. The steal was arguably bad baseball – he took third with two outs in the top of the 9th in a tie game. They all count, though, and Waldschmidt now has 7 steals in 61 games while swinging a league-average bat.
Matt McLain (CIN): 3-3, 2B, 2 R, SB.
McLain is showing some signs of salvaging the end of his very disappointing 2026 season. Since returning from the IL at the end of July, he’s hitting .238/.310/.444, a league-average line that is substantially better than his seasonal line of .199/.296/.350. McLain’s first two hits were rockets, line drives leaving the bat at 105.4 and 107.4 mph. In the 8th inning, he made his speed work for him instead. With the Reds leading the Cardinals 3-2 and a runner on second, McLain laid down a bunt to third. He beat the throw, which sailed into right field anyway, then stole second and scored on a Dane Myers bunt single when no one covered first.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Bluesky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)
