As you may have noticed, we no longer allow comments on the site. I’m grateful to have been able to engage with you all here, and if you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter (@ifthechufits), BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).
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 No. 55 and Player Y is ranked at No. 65, but they’re in the same tier, it means that I personally prefer Player X, 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 hit me up on Twitter (@ifthechufits), BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).
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 over 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 can 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 BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).
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 Brett Ford, 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 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
Welcome back, Aaron Judge! Not much to say besides there should be no concerns about him whenever he’s active. Regarding the strikeouts, they’ve been up and down throughout his career and it’s nothing to be concerned about.
Tier 2
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has tapped into his power stroke and is elevating the ball excellently in the second half, swatting six home runs and seven doubles in his last 20 games while slashing .378/.457/.683 and walking more than he strikes out. Grounders will likely become an issue again at some point, but as you can see by the chart below, these times with a low grounder rate are the times he truly shines (for those unfamiliar with how to read these charts, look at how the red and blue lines correspond – whenever one is high, the other tends to be low, which is the correlation we’ve seen over his entire career, more or less.
Tier 3
James Wood’s slump continues, but I remain hopefully he will snap out of it with plenty of time to spare. I’m not ready to knock him out of the top-15 just yet
Kyle Tucker finally drops out of the second tier after a home run drought that has persisted since June 28 and a significant slowdown in stolen bases. He’s still an elite player, obviously, but it’s hard to keep comping him to other guys in the second tier at this point (ditto Wood at the moment).
Julio Rodriguez apparently just needs three months or so to warm up? He has 10 home runs and six steals in his last 22 games (starting with the series right before the Break), an average exit velocity of 93.7 mph in that stretch, and is showing no real signs of stopping. Sure, the plate discipline is nothing to write home about, but when you’re this hot we prefer it when he swings away. I know that slump was long, but there were reasons guys like me kept saying you can’t give him away for nothing, because few players in the league have shown this kind of production for sustained periods like J-Rod has.
Fernando Tatis Jr. continues to produce (or not produce) in waves and it is quite frustrating, though the overall talent is too much to think about benching him unless you have an extremely deep outfield.
Tier 4
Nick Kurtz hasn’t hit a dinger since that legendary four home run game, but he’s kept the strikeouts at bay and is taking more walks, which is a proper adjustment as pitchers become much more familiar with his game.
Be patient with Eugenio Suárez and don’t let noise about his new home park make you think it’s the reason for some sort of regression. If there’s regression, it’s likely for much more complex or random reasons, as Eugenio doesn’t hit wall-scrapers and his power plays in every park easily.
Tier 5
Riley Greene is the biggest faller in the top 40 as he continues to struggle with finding an adjustment to bring the strikeouts down. As I’ve said many times, I am confident the adjustment is coming, and I know it’s painful while you wait. No one is as bad as they look at their worst, and I see too many doomsayers (especially in the Tiger echo chambers) saying he’s “cooked”. He ain’t. We saw very similar spikes in September of 2024 and also back in April and June. If there’s any concern, it’s that he isn’t quite resetting his strikeout rate as low as he did in earlier spikes, but I wouldn’t overreact to one cycle, as one cycle does not a trend make.
Josh Naylor is smoking hot right now, hitting his third home run with his new team including two in his new ballpark. I am not really concerned with Naylor’s home run numbers any more than I was in Arizona, as he’s a fairly streaky home run hitter due to the lower launch angles.
Matt Olson, and to an extent, almost all of the Atlanta offense, is in a dark place right now. Olson’s floor remains quite high, as despite the poor recent performance he remains a top-75 hitter in most formats on the season, but the lack of power he’s shown since the start of June has me questioning what the real season is. Granted, we’ve seen Olson go on a tear, including in late May when he hit six home runs in eight games, but asking for that kind of outburst goes above the level of mere wishful thinking.
Tier 6
Welcome back, Jeremy Peña! He’s been inserted right back into the top of the order, and while this offense still lacks elite pop while Yordan is out, adding players like Jesus Sanchez and Carlos Correa combined with the resurgence of Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz makes his leadoff spot even more tantalizing than it was when he went down. All that being said, it’s important to understand Peña’s profile. He’s a highly aggressive swinger with very limited pop, but thanks to his elite contact ability and plus speed, he can put a lot of balls in play and get around the bases.
This type of player can be very valuable in fantasy; however, this archetype is highly dependent on team context and lineup position. Peña will rarely put himself around the bases, so you really need him to be in front of good hitters to maximize as value and prevent him from being a source of empty average. I don’t think there’s any real threat to Peña’s spot atop the lineup, but I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about why I can be so mercurial on him. In a weird way, Peña is one of the deadlines winners as his team has found better offensive footing since earlier in the year, and no one stands to benefit (from a statistical perspective) than him.
Hey, you know all that stuff I said about Peña? It’s all true of Bo Bichette, though he has a bit more power and a lot less speed than Peña. You can put Bichette ahead of him if you’d like, depending on your needs.
Hey, you know all that stuff I said about Peña? It’s all true of Geraldo Perdomo except his supporting cast has gotten worse instead of better.
Hey, you know all that stuff I said about Peña? Well it’s not exactly true of Yandy Díaz, who has less contact ability and speed but makes up for it with considerably better decision-making. Just wanted to break the chain.
Tier 7
I keep waiting for Kyle Stowers to slow down and he hasn’t yet, so up a tier he goes.
Brice Turang is a good example of a guy benefiting from a scorching hot team. At some point, not every single and walk is going to turn into an RBI or run scored, but if you need speed and counting stats, he’s back to providing.
Tier 8
Welcome back, Max Muncy! He’s streaky as heck and the average is consistently bad, but he’s a third baseman and he can be a plus contributor to home runs and RBI. What more could you want? Well, more assurances he’ll stay healthy, I suppose.
It’s good to see Jackson Merrill displaying some power of late. If that tool comes back, he will soar up this list. He doesn’t even need THAT much of it, just evidence he can be a 20-23 home run type of guy.
Tier 9
Alright, Jo Adell. One more week to get that strikeout rate under control before taking a plunge.
Plate discipline and caution be darned, Trevor Story keeps mashing. There are hiccups here and there and the stats suggest they SHOULD be uglier than they have been, but for now you can’t do much but ride the train until it falls apart.
Here’s the tough question about Mookie Betts: if he was on your waiver right now, who would you feel comfortable dropping to acquire him? I haven’t honestly determined that yet, and I’m starting to fear the answer might be quite a bit lower than this, especially if the Dodgers push him down in the order. When that shoe drops, so will this rank.
If I felt more certain about Iván Herrera’s health, he’d be one or two tiers higher.
Tier 10
Holy huge tier! This is by design, as by this point in the ranks it’s hard to really talk about all the different needs and scenarios you’re facing, and in standard 12-teamers you’re likely VERY close to the replacement level in many scenarios.
I am hesitant to push Maikel Garcia much further yet in case this power surge is a fluke (like many have been before), but don’t be surprised if next week he’s in the 70s.
Kerry Carpenter looks like the guy we hoped he’d be again, and it’s just in time for the Tigers who have struggled offensively. He will likely keep sitting against lefties, but when in the lineup he4’s as sure a bet for pop as anyone.
Luis Robert Jr. didn’t get dealt, which stinks, and I bet he would have been if he had this surge a few weeks earlier. He’s pushed the strikeout rate way down of late and can’t stop hitting home runs and stealing bases, which a whopping eight steals in his last 14 games plus three home runs and an eye-popping 28 combined runs and RBI for being on such a bad team. I’m sure we’ll be talking about whether you can drop him in a few weeks because he’s just incredibly streaky by nature, but this talent is why we hesitant to tell you to drop him.
Christian Walker has quietly shaped back into his old form, slashing .303/.383/.514 since the start of July, and he’s really turned it on in August by smacking three home runs already. I didn’t really understand why he was so bad, so it’s not hard for me to buy into everything being right as rain from now to the end of the season.
Chandler Simpsons sits every third game for some reason, regardless of opposing starting pitcher, and his stolen base pace has slowed slightly. Still, he’s the premier rabbit in the game and can provide a plus batting average as well.
Welcome back, Luke Keaschall! It’s been an incredibly small sample with just 35 plate appearances now spanned out over many months due to injury, but second base is a desperate position and he has a spot in the heart of the Minnesota lineup locked up likely as long as he has anything resembling a pulse. If he were an outfielder, Keaschall would be a tier or two lower as they are a dime a dozen, but the possibility of an impact second baseman at this stage is just too tough for me to pass up.
Tier 11
Ramón Laureano keeps hitting, and while health has been an issue for his entire career, he’s healthy at the moment and the Padres just let him hit second in the order so I guess we might as well buy in a little harder. This feels like a “2025-only” sort of thing, or whatever the hitter equivalent of the Vargas Rule is, but oh well.
Hey, remember all that stuff I said about Jeremy Peña? Well, Brendan Donovan is similarly reliant on his team to help his production (though he’s a better decision-maker and much less aggressive). The problem is that this Cardinals offense looks anemic outside of Iván Herrera and Willson Contreras, and Donovan doesn’t steal bases. He’s fine in points and OBP, I gues, but the empty ratios can be tough to stomach. Still, he’s a second baseman, so he’s tough to cut entirely.
Lawrence Butler has shown flashes, but the bad continues to outweigh the good and it’s harder and harder to find things to hang out hat on when trying to put him in the top-100.
Jordan Beck looked good in that home series but let’s see how he fares on the road.
I am hesitant to buy in on Jorge Polanco based on how brief the flashes have been in recent years, but with the way this offense is clicking it’s possible he sustains production a bit longer.
Alec Burleson is playing every day and hitting third, which is cool, but he feels like a replacement-level contributor more than a difference-maker.
Tier 12
Well, Michael Harris II is still hitting and also is getting to play against lefties. We’ve been burned many times by Harris over the last two seasons, so pardon my skepticism that this is more than a hot streak.
Otto Lopez’s hot streak was fun, but it’s starting to stick out like a sore thumb compared to the many replacement-level weeks we’ve seen from Lopez both before and after that heater.
Yes, I am very concerned about Marcus Semien. I said from the start that I was worried the next slump would last as long as the previous one (which was several months). Obviously he can still prove me wrong, but I’d be actively looking to either trade or upgrade off the wire.
Spencer Hortwiz raked in Colorado, as we hoped he would, but he does still remain a platoon bat with limited overall upside. Still, he’s second-base eligible and if my waiver wire scrambles are anything like what you all deal with, second base is gold.
Daulton Varsho came out swinging, but we’ve seen this before. He runs very hot and cold while also carrying a high injury risk. He’s a streamer, much like Tyler O’Neill ranked above him, though less extreme on both ends.
Lenyn Sosa is very aggressive and makes poor decisions at the dish but he’s good at making contact with a pop and will go streaking now and again.
Jung Hoo Lee is worth a scoop back in points leagues and even standard leagues as he appears to be regaining form. He has as high a ceiling as anyone in this tier when he’s on.
Rank
Hitter
Position
Change
1Shohei OhtaniT1DH-2Aaron JudgeOF+UR3José RamírezT23B-14Elly De La CruzSS-15Juan SotoOF-16Kyle SchwarberOF, DH-17Bobby Witt Jr.SS-18Corbin CarrollOF-19Cal RaleighC-110Vladimir Guerrero Jr.1B, 3B+311Pete Crow-ArmstrongOF-112James WoodT3OF-313Kyle TuckerOF-214Bryce Harper1B-15Manny Machado3B+116Julio RodríguezOF+217Pete Alonso1B+218Trea TurnerSS-119Junior Caminero3B+120Fernando Tatis Jr.OF-521Cody Bellinger1B, OF-22Ketel Marte2B+123Corey SeagerSS-124Gunnar HendersonT4SS-25Rafael Devers3B-26Nick Kurtz1B+327Francisco LindorSS+428CJ AbramsSS-29Will SmithC-330Brent RookerOF, DH+231Christian YelichOF+232Eugenio Suárez3B+233Alex Bregman3B+234Jazz Chisholm Jr.T52B, 3B, OF+235Jarren DuranOF+436Riley GreeneOF-937Seiya SuzukiOF+338Randy ArozarenaOF+339Freddie Freeman1B+540Josh Naylor1B+341Salvador PerezC, 1B+542Willson ContrerasC-43Matt Olson1B-1344Zach NetoSS-745Hunter GoodmanC, OF+546Oneil CruzSS, OF-847Taylor WardT6OF-48Jose Altuve2B+149Teoscar HernándezOF-150Jeremy PeñaSS+UR51Geraldo PerdomoSS+252Bo BichetteSS+1553Yandy Díaz1B+254Brandon NimmoOF+255Ceddanne RafaelaSS, OF+356Willy AdamesSS+357Vinnie Pasquantino1B-358Matt Chapman3B-659Gleyber TorresT72B+160Mike TroutOF+561Kyle StowersOF+2162Brice Turang2B+1063William ContrerasC+364Brandon Lowe2B-65Agustín RamírezC+566Spencer Torkelson1B+267Michael Busch1B-668Wyatt LangfordOF-569Andy PagesOF-770Nico Hoerner2B, SS+171Yainer DiazT8C+572Shea LangeliersC+1573Max Muncy3B+UR74Addison Barger3B, OF+375Steven KwanOF+376Jordan Westburg2B, 3B+777Nick CastellanosOF+278Ian HappOF+279Jackson MerrillOF+780Jo AdellT9OF-781Heliot RamosOF-82Trevor Story2B+1383Mookie Betts2B, SS, OF-1484Jasson DomínguezOF+185Iván HerreraC+1286Dansby SwansonSS-1287Luis Arraez1B, 2B-388Ezequiel TovarSS+389Xavier Edwards2B, SS+390Roman AnthonyOF+491TJ FriedlT10OF+792Maikel Garcia2B, 3B+793Giancarlo StantonDH+794Kerry CarpenterOF+2395Luis Robert Jr.OF+2596Christian Walker1B+2297Chandler SimpsonOF-798Adley RutschmanC+499Luke Keaschall2B+UR100Wilyer AbreuOF+3101Jackson HollidayT112B-13102Ramón LaureanoOF+28103Adolis GarcíaOF-7104Xander Bogaerts2B, SS+1105Nolan Schanuel1B+1106Brendan Donovan2B, 3B, OF-13107Tyler Soderstrom1B+2108Lourdes Gurriel Jr.OF+2109Masyn WinnSS+2110Lawrence ButlerOF-35111Nathaniel Lowe1B-7112J.T. RealmutoC+1113Sal FrelickOF+6114Jordan BeckOF+13115Jorge Polanco2B, 3B+13116Anthony VolpeSS+6117Luis García Jr.2B-10118Alejandro KirkC+5119Alec Burleson1B, OF-18120Andrew Vaughn1B, OF+14121Logan O’HoppeC-9122Michael Harris IIT122B, OF+26123Victor Scott IIOF-8124Zach McKinstry2B, 3B, SS, OF+8125Otto Lopez2B-17126Marcus Semien2B-37127Spencer Horwitz1B, 2B+16128Josh LoweOF-12129Jesús SánchezOF+2130Jurickson ProfarOF+7131Mickey MoniakOF+8132Tyler O’NeillOF+8133Daulton VarshoOF+UR134Bryson Stott2B+1135Bryan ReynoldsOF-6136Matt McLain2B, SS-22137Austin WellsC-11138Lenyn Sosa2B, 3B+UR139Josh Jung3B+7140Cam Smith3B, OF+2141Cedric MullinsOF-20142Ernie Clement2B, 3B, SS+UR143Colton CowserOF-7144Austin HaysOF-19145Drake BaldwinC+2146Isaac CollinsOF+UR147Royce Lewis3B-14148Jung Hoo LeeOF+UR149Josh SmithOF-25150Matt Shaw3B-12
Taxi Squad
Players are listed in no particular order. This list is not every interesting guy out there, but a running list of players who either almost made the list or have been topics of interesting conversation.
NEW FEATURE: I will put blurbs in bold if they are new to the Taxi Squad or if there’s a significant update to their note.
Catcher
Carlos Narváez (C, BOS) — Streaming catcher with a little bit of upside.
Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) — Cleaning up in a lineup that may struggle mightily at times.
Dalton Rushing (C, LAD) — Dynasty only.
Carson Kelly (C, CHC) — Heating up a little, but just a streamer.
Tyler Stephenson (C, CIN) — The strikeouts make him feel more like a streamer than a fantasy lineup regular in single-catcher leagues.
Ben Rice (C/1B, NYY) — The batted ball quality and decision-making remain top-notch, but the results are simply not there. Oddly, this phenomenon also happened to Rice last season. I have no idea how to explain it. If he gets back to playing four or more times a week, he’d be an enticing pick-up.
Kyle Teel (C, CWS) — There’s just enough power and plate discipline to stream him in deeper formats, but not enough upside to get excited in 12-teamers.
Adrian Del Castillo (C, ARI) — Lots of pop for a backstop, though it seems he won’t play against lefties at all.
Edgar Quero (C, CWS) — He’s been strong against lefties, but playing time is spotty against righties.
Dillon Dingler (C, DET) — High-end second catcher.
First Base
Carlos Santana (1B, CLE) — OBP streamer who somehow still has something in the tank. What a career.
Kyle Manzardo (1B, CLE) — Hitting better but still in a platoon.
Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, BAL) — I’m sure he’ll heat up again at some point, but until then, he’s just a speculative stream against bad right-handed pitching.
Romy González (1B/2B, BOS) — Sat several times against righties, and playing time will only get tighter with Bregman’s return.
Jake Cronenworth (1B/2B, SDP) — Replacement-level fill-in.
Colt Keith (1B/2B, DET) — We’ve seen some intriguing flashes of power, but the consistency isn’t there at all.
Paul Goldschmidt (1B, NYY) — As of now, I can’t rank either Yankee first baseman.
Spencer Steer (1B/OF, CIN) — Should be a lot better with the opportunity he’s been given.
Josh Bell (1B, WSN) — Replacement-level first baseman, slightly better in points and OBP.
Warming Bernabel (1B, COL) — Wasn’t doing anything all that interesting in the minors, but seems to have a hot bat and is rolling into a homestand in Coors, so deep leaguers might get something out of this.
Tyler Locklear (1B, ARI) — Should get some looks at first base for the D-Backs and was strong in the minors (though his small sample of MLB results was not good). Has some pop and speed and will take walks, but the hit tool is suspect.
Curtis Mead (1B/2B/3B, CWS) — Unlikely to be a difference maker, but he should get more consistent playing time in Chicago than he did in Tampa.
Gavin Sheets (1B/OF, SDP) — The arrival of O’Hearn makes Sheets extremely redundant, as reflected by the gutting of his playing time.
Coby Mayo (1B/3B, BAL) — O’Hearn’s departure opens up room for Mayo even when Mountcastle returns. Mayo has done well to lower his strikeout rate so he may be close to a bit of a breakthrough in results.
Domonic Smith (1B, SFG) — OBP streamer.
Second Base
Hyeseong Kim (2B, LAD) — It will be very exciting when he has anything close to a regular role.
Jonathan India (2B/3B/OF, KCR) — Deep points league only.
Gavin Lux (2B/OF, CIN) — Points league streamer.
José Caballero (2B/3B/SS/OF, TBR) —May sit a lot more with Kim’s return.
Ronny Mauricio (2B/3B, NYM) — Likely loses some time with Vientos’s return.
Brett Baty (2B/3B, NYM) — This hot streak is fun but it’s not being driven by an uptick in balls in the air so it’s likely just a streak.
Kristian Campbell (2B, BOS) — Still a promising player in dynasty, but no need to torture yourself in redraft.
Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL) — You can scoop him as a streamer but I’m not really buying this mini-outburst coming out of the Break.
Davis Schneider (2B/OF, TOR) — Only playing against lefties.
Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM) — Just a reminder that if he smacks a few home runs out of nowhere, it’s just a flash in the pan.
Chase Meidroth (2B/SS, CWS) — Points league streamer.
Angel Martínez (2B/OF, CLE) — The line drives slowed down and the production abruptly halted.
Jordan Lawlar (2B/SS, ARI) — He’s been out for about a month with a hamstring issue but should get another shot at the majors once healthy.
Willi Castro (2B/3B/SS/OF, CHC) — Replacement-level contributor at many positions.
Third Base
Joey Ortiz (3B/SS, MIL) — That little power outburst was fun but he can go back to the wire now.
Mark Vientos (3B, NYM) — Playing most days now, but not very well.
Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B, CIN) — Going to Great American Ball Park does help his HR totals but not enough for them to be meaningful. Remains a deep-league streamer. Perhaps steals a few more bases, but again, only enough for deep leagues to even consider watching.
Yoán Moncada (3B, LAA) — Looked fine before the injury, but no thanks.
Josh Jung (3B, TEX) — Jung has been recalled, but it’s not because he was tearing it up in the minors.
Brady House (3B, WAS) — An aggressive power hitter who is keeping the strikeout rate down more than I expected. Still, he’s rarely barreling the ball and struggles to get it in the air so he’s just a desperate replacement streamer in 12-teamers right now.
Ryan McMahon (3B, NYY) — Should keep playing every day as a Yankee, but doesn’t improve his overall outlook much.
Noelvi Marte (3B, CIN) — He’s a start away from outfield eligibility in Yahoo leagues, though he’d be a platoon bat out there while Jake Fraley is healthy and Hayes looks to be the new everyday man at the hot corner due to his excellent glove.
Miguel Andujar (3B/OF, ATH) — Injuries and spotty playing time aside, he’s swinging a smokin’ hot bat right now.
Caleb Durbin (3B, MIL) — His glove will keep him in the lineup most days, but there’s not enough offensive juice to keep rostering him in fantasy.
Nolan Gorman (3B, STL) — Power streamer for the desperate.
Shortstop
Brooks Lee (2B/3B/SS, MIN) — Might lose even more time with Keaschall returning.
Javier Báez (2B/3B/SS/OF, DET) — He’s as streaky as ever.
Casey Schmitt (1B/2B/3B/SS, SFG) — He was hot before the injury, though it appears mostly driven by a fortuitous number of line drives. The power is legit, but the ratios will likely take a deep dive.
Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) — Walking more and striking out less but the power is still too limited.
Colson Montgomery (3B/SS, CWS) — Takes walks but could be a bumpy ride due to limited contact ability.
J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) — Might still be ranked in points, but not enough upside to hold through prolonged slumps.
Outfield/DH
Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, MIN) — Strikes out way too much because he’s far too passive, but if he cleans that up, watch out.
Mike Yastrzemski (OF, SFG) — Platooned.
Denzel Clarke (OF, ATH) — Speed streamer.
Brenton Doyle (OF, COL) — Streamer at home.
Parker Meadows (OF, DET) — Lost playing time and hits at the bottom of the order. Droppable.
Jesse Winker (OF, NYM) — He’ll likely sit against lefties but is capable of getting hot and hitting for some average with a bit of pop and plenty of walks.
Wenceel Pérez (OF, DET) — I was worried it was merely a hot streak, and that may just be the case.
Jake Mangum (OF, TBR) — Points league extraordinaire.
Mike Tauchman (OF, CWS) — Leads off and slaps the ball around from time to time, but won’t play against most lefties.
Trevor Larnach (OF, MIN) — Strikeout rate is climbing, walk rate is falling, and outside of Buxton, no one in this offense has shown any consistency.
Trent Grisham (OF, NYY) — If he played more, I’d be interested.
Chase DeLauter (OF, CLE) — Injuries keep popping up that have delayed his promotion, but he’ll get a look sometime this summer.
Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — If he drops the strikeouts and grounders, I might get excited, but probably not.
Tyler Freeman (OF, COL) — Leading off at home is cool, but on the road, the ceiling is too low as the offense around him can’t support him.
Marcell Ozuna (DH, ATL) — Playing more and hitting some home runs, but nothing tells me anything has truly changed here.
Jung Hoo Lee (OF, SFG) — Got some looks at leadoff again, but isn’t doing anything.
Nathan Lukes (OF, TOR) — Lukes is in a full platoon, and the impending return of Varsho means it’s time to look for a replacement.
Jacob Young (OF, WAS) — Speed streamer with some extra viability in points leagues if he keeps the strikeout rate under 15% as he has so far. His strong defense will keep him in the lineup most days, even when he’s not hitting.
John Rave (OF, KCR) — This power is something we didn’t see much of until he hit triple-A at age 26 last season. Might be a late bloomer, but for now, I’m looking at him as a deep league streamer if I need speed.
Joey Loperfido (OF, TOR) — Swinging a hot bat and has legitimate home run pop, but won’t play against lefties and might lose time when Varsho returns.
Jerar Encarnación (OF, SFG) — Deep leaguers might care about the power upside, but the playing time is uncertain, and he’s prone to streakiness.
Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL) — Played in most games since being activated and hitting near the middle of the order, but this offense is not good, and I’d like to see him show something more before advocating for him in 12-teamers.
Jakob Marsee (OF, MIA) — I believe in the speed if that’s what you’re after, though getting anything beyond that category is a roll of the dice.
Austin Martin (OF, MIN) — If you’re in a deep OBP or points league, then the fact that Martin is leading off is possibly somewhat interesting, but only as a replacement-level move.
Tommy Pham (OF, PIT) — This streak will eventually fade.
Blake Perkins (OF, MIL) — Never hurts in a deep league to just scoop a hot part of a hot offense, even if long-term there isn’t much to get excited about.
On the IL
Players are listed by position and not by projected value.
Keibert Ruiz (C, WSN) — Not a hold unless your IL is wide open.
Gabriel Moreno (C, ARZ) — Borderline hold in 12-teamers if your IL is full. Catcher is deep enough that you can probably stream.
Miguel Amaya (C, CHC) — Cubs say he’s still a long way off.
Gary Sánchez (C, BAL) — Not a guy I’m holding if my IL is already full. He was just a streamer.
Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) — No clear return date and it’s unclear how playing time will be hashed out.
Rhys Hoskins (1B, MIL) — He should be back by September, but one month of unsteady production isn’t worth holding in mixed leagues.
Jonathan Aranda (1B/2B, TBR) — He’s a tough guy to hold as we may only see him for two weeks or so. If you have the open IL spot that’s fine, but if you don’t, he can be let go.
Pavin Smith (1B/OF, ARI) — Not a player I’m holding.
Jake Burger (1B/3B, TEX) — Between the unsteady performance, the missed time, and being buried in the order when healthy, I’m out in 12-teamers.
Isaac Paredes (1B/3B, HOU) — Out for the year.
Miguel Vargas (1B/3B, CWS) — No need to hold.
Jac Caglianone (1B, KCR) — Not a player I’m holding in redraft, but still think there’s a good long-term outlook if he gets the decision-making in check.
Andrés Giménez (2B, TOR) — Not a player I’m holding.
Max Muncy (2B/3B, ATH) — Not a player I’m holding.
Ha-Seong Kim (2B/SS, TBR) — Not a player I’m holding.
Tommy Edman (2B/OF, LAD) — Hasn’t looked good since before his first trip to the IL and is a drop for me in 12-teamers if you were still holding.
Marcelo Mayer (3B/SS, BOS) — No need to hold in redraft, still has plenty of dynasty upside.
Alec Bohm (3B, PHI) — Expect him to miss three or four weeks.
Austin Riley (3B, ATL) — He’s been better for fantasy than you may expect when healthy (because many likely feel he’s been awful), but he may not be back until September.
Connor Norby (2B/3B, MIA) — Not a guy I’m holding if my IL is already full.
Nolan Arenado (3B, STL) — I didn’t have him ranked, so no, you don’t need to hold him.
Jacob Wilson (SS, ATH) — He should be back for most of September, but if your IL is tight, he might not make the cut.
Victor Robles (OF, SEA) — Out until September, but keep an eye out just in case, as Robles is capable of dizzying highs when he’s grooving.
Yordan Alvarez (OF, HOU) — They’re saying mid-August, which would be awesome.
Dylan Crews (OF, WAS) — Should be back within a few days now that he’s on rehab.
Anthony Santander (OF, TOR) — He’ll be back sometime in August.
Lane Thomas (OF, CLE) — Not a guy I’m holding.
Jorge Soler (OF, LAA) — No need to hold.
Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — Bummer. Must hold. Trading him away would not be advisable.
Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) — Should come back in mid-August, might be just a minimum stay.
Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — No need to hold.
George Springer (OF, TOR) — Hard to predict concussions but he’s obviously a must hold.
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