With the playoffs approaching for many and everyone now in crunch time, this article will now have a new format to help guide you through the short-term decision-making that comes into play at this point in the season.
I will group players into tiers and go over each team’s lineup and outlook for the next three series. Players will be classified as Auto-Start, Solid Start, Streamer, and Desperate. If I don’t list a guy, it’s because you don’t need him.
Auto-Start – Just leave them in all season. Don’t get cute.
Solid Start – A safe start at the moment, but if they’re struck by a slump, they could get moved down to Streamer by the next update.
Streamer – Worth considering in a 12-teamer due to a hot streak, a specific matchup (such as heading to Coors), or a specific tool (such as speed). It may also include players who I would usually consider a Solid Start, but are dealing with playing time issues due to either injury or platoons that might cause them to play in fewer than four or five games that week.
Desperate – For players in deep leagues or in very dire straits. Prospects waiting to be called up will usually be in this category.
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).
IL – This will be limited to hitters who would actually make one of the tiers above immediately upon activation.
As a reminder, this article is 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 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 a 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.
vs. BOS, @ SFG, @ MIN
Geraldo Perdomo is ice cold over his last seven games, but don’t you dare bench him.
Blaze Alexander has performed well and gained some eligibility at second in some formats. The strikeout rate is scary right now, and that makes him less viable in many points leagues, but Lawlar isn’t a threat to his playing time due to Gurriel’s injury so you can keep firing Blaze up for now.
Jake McCarthy gets some extra time due to Gurriel’s injury and is a desperation play for steals in deep leagues.
Adrian Del Castillo isn’t playing against lefties (which the D-Backs have seen a LOT of lately), but in two-catcher league,s he can be streamed for power.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tore his ACL.
Athletics
@ LAA, vs. BOS, vs. CIN
Nick Kurtz is back and looks fine.
Shea Langeliers‘ much improved plate discipline on the season has failed him of late, with just two walks to 13 strikeouts in his last 10 games, but he’s been too good for the last month to give up yet, and faces a soft Angels’ rotation followed by two series at home (though strangely he doesn’t have better numbers in his small home park, though I think that’s a fluke).
Tyler Soderstrom has slowed down again, but not enough for me to consider benching him outside of shallow formats.
Lawrence Butler ditched the platoon but is not a trustworthy bat. Still, he has a bit of power and speed, so he’s at least stream-worthy in leagues with more than three outfielders.
Zack Gelof has more than enough speed and pop to be interesting, but the hit tool has not been good enough to find any consistent success since the start of last year.
Atlanta
vs. SEA, vs. CHC, vs. HOU
Jurickson Profar should come back from the Paternity List for the weekend.
Ozzie Albies keeps getting hotter, with multi-hit performances in eight of his last ten games with five home runs and three doubles. It’s looking like he’ll reach 20 home runs, and maybe we can look at him more like we did back in his initial breakout (2018-19) heading into 2026.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has had an ugly second half, slashing .202/.346/.346 with just three home runs and two steals. In shallower formats, like 10-teamers with three outfielders, you probably don’t have a better option, but I did want to call out that the confidence in Acuna Jr. as a first-rounder or an early second-rounder in 2026 is fading.
If Drake Baldwin played more, he’d be a solid start.
Michael Harris II has fallen off hard, and I’m nervous about it. In three-outfield formats, you can likely find someone who is hitting right now without losing much upside.
Ha-Seong Kim has started twice since joining the team and even hit a home run, but I’m not really interested in Kim as anything but a desperation speed play in very deep leagues.
vs. LAD, vs. PIT, @ TOR
The Orioles have one of the tougher upcoming schedules for hitters, and that’s why
Gunnar Henderson is still waiting for power.
Colton Cowser continues to strike out nearly 40% of the time, and I just can’t trust him in 12-teamers, especially with several tough matchups coming, such as Glasnow, Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Skenes.
Jackson Holliday’s plate discipline remains stella,r and now we are seeing the extra-base hits fall in with five extra-base hits in his last seven games. The batting average is a bit fraudulent as he’s made some weak contact that has turned into good-luck singles, but the extra-base hits are pretty legit, and he can stay plugged into your second base slot.
Jeremiah Jackson should stay in lineups, and I think we will learn quite a bit about what to expect from him in 2025 by how he handles this tough schedule coming up.
Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, and Tyler O’Neill will all likely be back by the end of the season, but between their poor/erratic performance on the season and the multiple IL stints for the latter two, none of them demand and IL spot on your team. When activated, all three would be in the Streamer tier.
@ ARI, @ ATH, vs. NYY
Jarren Duran sat against two lefties recently, but with Roman Anthony on the IL, I suspect that won’t be happening anymore,
Alex Bregman isn’t striking out, but is rolling over too many grounders to the pull side. The upcoming schedule is not intimidating, so hopefully, this is when he rediscovers his usual self.
Kristian Campbell remains buried in triple-A as the team wants him to keep working on decision-making, especially with
Wilyer Abreu might be back in mid-September, but shouldn’t be considered more than a streamer for those last two weeks.
Roman Anthony is out for the rest of the regular season.
Jhostynxon Garcia got a very brief cup of coffee, but based on the fact that he only played against lefties, we can’t really be interested even if he does come back.
vs. WSN, @ ATL, vs. TBR
Notably, the Cubs have one of the easiest slates of opposing starters for the next three series, making them appealing options in the short term.
It took nearly two months, but we are finally seeing Kyle Tucker look like Kyle Tucker again, albeit for just five games. The exit velocity remains down since the start of July, but I still see a path for Tucker to be a top-10 outfielder for the rest of the season and several paths to being a top-20 outfielder.
Seiya Suzuki still hits third, so keep rolling with him as this offense is cruising.
Matt Shaw’s performance has tapered off and because he bats ninth while occasionally sitting it’s tough to justify holding while he’s cold.
@ DET, vs. TBR, @ CLE
Lenyn Sosa isn’t producing enough to justify a solid start designation and should only be considered a back-end middle infield option for now.
Kyle Teel had a quiet week, but did lead off on Wednesday, and I am curious where that goes.
Colson Montgomery could go and hit a home run in back-to-back games at any time, but when he’s not doing that, he’s striking out a lot, not walking, and otherwise sandbagging your categories.
Chase Meidroth is a back-end, low-ceiling play in points leagues due to how often he puts the ball in play and how rarely he strikes out.
Andrew Benintendi had a huge game against the Twins and will pop up on your wire as a top performer over the last seven or 14 days, but all he really does is hit singles. His one big game in September nearly matches his stat production from all of August.
Miguel Vargas isn’t valuable enough to use an IL spot on unless it’s already empty, but he should return relatively soon if he keeps getting good news.
Luis Robert Jr. could be back this season, but not for more than a week or so.
vs. NYM, @ SDP, @ ATH
Elly De La Cruz has scored some runs during the first two series of the homestand and did hit two doubles and two triples, so perhaps things are looking up.
Injuries have held Austin Hays back in 2025, but he’s certainly exceeded my expectations when healthy, and three straight series at home (even though he’s been less productive there, somehow) should give him an even better chance to keep it rolling a little longer.
Noelvi Marte keeps hitting second, and that’s good.
TJ Friedl has been awful in August, but perhaps three series in his home ballpark will turn it around. He’s right on the border between Streamer and Desperate.
Spencer Steer is a much better hitter at home, and despite a lackluster season overall, you could do worse than play him if you need a guy to cover some positions.
Ke’Bryan Hayes is hot but not so hot that I’d be looking at him much in standard leagues. The glove keeps him in the lineup everyday, which does make him a dart throw for deep leagues.
If you want to see if Matt McLain can turn this hot streak into a hot month, go for it. I am not counting on it.
@ TBR, vs. KCR, vs. CHW
Steven Kwan remains a useful bat for average, runs, and points, but not too useful for anything else
Kyle Manzardo struck out a bunch and hit some home runs. He’s absolutely crushing the ball when he hits it, though, so you could do worse for a streamer, especially since he’s out of the platoon.
Brayan Rocchio will play every day and sometimes strings hits together without striking out too much, but there’s incredibly little upside here.
Travis Bazzana is the most interesting hitting prospect in this organization, though he hasn’t spent much time in Triple-A yet. Still, if the team gets tired of Gabriel Arias, they could look to Bazzana to help make a last-ditch playoff push (though their odds are already below 5%).
vs. SDP, @ LAD, @ SDP
One more home series, and then you’ll be likely dropping your Rockies in a playoff scenario.
Amazingly, Hunter Goodman has a better slugging percentage (.548) on the road than at home (.506).
I don’t trust any other hitter in this lineup to want to start them in standard leagues on the road, even if they get a full set of seven games. In super deep leagues, you might be stuck holding them.
vs. CHW, @ NYY, @ MIA
Riley Greene is the only part of this offense I feel confident in.
The Tigers as a whole have a nice set of matchups against the White Sox, and if they can’t take advantage there, then even more of these streamers turn to desperation plays.
@ TEX, @ TOR, @ ATL
Yordan Alvarez looks great, keep him locked in.
The Astros will catch the best pitchers from their opponents in each of the next tree series, which makes Yainer Diaz and Carlos Correa a bit more borderline than usual depending on what is available in your wire.
Jesus Sanchez has upside but the number of lefties and aces in the schedule are a big turn off.
There have been rumors that Isaac Paredes is returning for the regular season but even if he does I would not be starting him unless I was very desperate.
vs. DET, vs. LAA, vs. MIN
This offense looks out of whack right now and has a fully loaded schedule for the next week with no off days coming until the 15th. It’s great for volume, but you worry that these guys will get a bit worn out.
Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez are the coldest parts of this cold offense, and while I’m not benching either quite yet in standard leagues, a week from now might create some thought experiments on the matter.
Jac Caglianone will be a prospect to watch in 2026, but he’s a deep league dart throw at best for the rest of the year. Don’t be shocked if he has a double-dinger day at some point, but it’ll likely be too few and far between for now.
Jonathan India will likely be back by the end of the year for those AL-only managers who need volume. He’s replaced by the even-less-interesting Adam Frazier (from a fantasy perspective, that is, as I’m sure Mr. Frazier is a fascinating man).
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
vs. ATH, vs. MIN, @ SEA
Jo Adell can’t be benched right now. He’s too hot.
Mike Trout’s home run drought is almost a month long now. It’s OK to move on in 12-teamers, but if you can’t because his name is Mike Trout, that also can be justified (assuming you’re desperate for power and think he can go on a run).
Yoán Moncada is hitting second for some reason, and I’m still not adding him in mixed leagues.
Nolan Schanuel is a decent streamer in OBP and points leagues when healthy.
@ BAL, vs. COL, @ SFG
Will Smith has a bruise on his hand, but as of now, it looks like he’ll avoid the IL.
Teoscar Hernández got a “two-day reset,” and I guess it helped a little as he only struck out once in his last eight plate appearances? The next three series have a lot of exploitable pitching hitting the mound, so it’s one last chance for him to be the RBI machine we are hoping for.
Mookie Betts is fine for points leagues, but I just don’t see how he can be a plus contributor unless he becomes a very different hitter in September than he has been for the majority of the season. Still, you may not have better options at second base.
Hyeseong Kim won’t play much but might steal when he does.
Miguel Rojas plays a lot and puts the ball in play. That’s it.
Assuming Max Muncy is back in time for your season, he’s a power streamer with obviously high injury risk. Tommy Edman, when active, might steal a base or two if there’s any playing time for him.
vs. PHI, vs. WAS, vs. DET
Jakob Marsee is still hitting for average, taking walks, and has swiped a pair of bags in his last ten games, but he has just one extra-base hit in that stretch, along with two RBI. I’m not saying to sit him, but this version of Marsee is closer to the scouting reports than the initial version.
Otto Lopez has a nice line in his last nine games, but almost all of his production came from one game when he tallied four hits, including a double and a home run. There’s some value due to the fact he can play both middle infield positions and plays every day, but he’s not a “must grab” player.
Once again, Xavier Edwards has abruptly stopped producing in any way. If he doesn’t turn it around by the time I write this again, he drops another tier.
Agustín Ramírez looked a little better last week an can be used as a back-end catcher in most leagues.
Connor Norby is a desperation power streamer.
Kyle Stowers was slumping when he hit the IL and is unlikely to be back for more than two weeks or so.
@ PIT, @ TEX, vs. STL
Jackson Chourio is back and quickly hit a home run and two doubles across his first two games and has at least one run scored in each of his four starts.
Brice Turang appears to still be leading off with Chourio’s return and why shouldn’t he? The steals haven’t been nearly as prevalent as they were last year, but some of that is because this offense doesn’t need it. I’d say 30 steals is a more reasonable go-forward projection, as opposed to the 50 he stole last season.
Andrew Vaughn is slumping badly at a horrible time, as Hoskins should return fairly soon.
Sal Frelick has moved down in the order a bit, but with the easy pitching on the horizon and this offense firing on all cylinders, he’s easy to plug into your lineup.
Isaac Collins has 11 RBI on seven hits in his last eight games. Even with this offense humming, there is no way that kind of production continues. Still, they’ve moved him to fifth in the order so he’s stream-worthy for now.
Joey Ortiz is just a desperation fill-in for your middle infield.
Rhys Hoskins will return soon, and his playing time will determine whether he’s in the Streaming tier or the Desperate tier.
@ KCR, @ LAA, vs. ARI
Luke Keaschall has slowed down just enough not to be in the same tier as Byron Buxton. Keep starting him, though.
Remember when I said Matt Wallner was volatile? This is what that looks like.
Royce Lewis can be streamed in your infield if needed, but I’ve been burned too many times to be confident in him contributing for multiple weeks at a time.
Brooks Lee slumped and was quickly demoted to the bottom of the order. He should be able to get back to the top of the lineup if he starts hitting again, though.
Trevor Larnach is hitting second if you’re in dire need of plate appearances and mild-to-moderate pop in an outfielder.
@ CIN, @ PHI, vs. TEX
You don’t need much on the three core pieces of this lineup. Or really anyone, as this offense has been a run-scoring factory for the last week.
Mark Vientos is so hot right now that you just lock him in and let it ride. Once he starts cooling off, we can have a more serious discussion.
Jeff McNeil has been useful in stretches, and August has mostly been one of them. He’s at his best in points leagues, especially points leagues that only give one point for runs and RBI since he rarely gets many of either. The more counting stats matter, the less helpful McNeil becomes.
Brett Baty is stuck at the bottom of the order but I’d at least let it ride through that series in Cincinnati.
Cedric Mullins can still steal some bags and hit a little bit, but roster expansion is a threat to his playing time.
Francisco Alvarez looked great right before hitting the IL, and to make matters worse he was recently hit on the hand in a rehab game. If he gets activated with enough time left, he’s a power streamer at catcher.
vs. TOR, vs. DET, @ BOS
The heart of this lineup should be in your lineup every day.
Trent Grisham is a man possessed and cannot be benched right now. Grisham is making hard contact and operates as the everyday center fielder with little true competition for the role at the moment, especially considering how Stanton reacted to multiple days in the outfield.
If Ben Rice is your catcher, he’s more like an auto-start despite the slow week. As a first baseman, he’s bordering on streamer territory.
Giancarlo Stanton is playing a lot more regularly, but his streaky nature has caught up to him. He’s still a great option for home runs and RBI, but he could hurt you in ratios badly.
Paul Goldschmidt only plays against lefties.
Anthony Volpe is hitting a little better and plays every day, but he’s a volume play only for very deep formats.
@ MIA, vs. NYM, vs. KCR
The Phillies have struggled mightily on offense, but you’re not benching the top three bats in this offense yet.
Alec Bohm slumped for four games and got demoted to near the bottom of the order.
J.T. Realmuto gets a lot of volume at catcher and hits fourth behind three of baseball’s finest hitters. That’s it.
If Nick Castellanos starts heating up, he’s a solid play in standard leagues, and if Bryson Stott heats up get can get you some steals.
Harrison Bader plays quite a bit because of his defense and has been known to hit some home runs and steal bases. He’s far below replacement in 12-teamers, but in NL-only or 16+ team leagues he fills a gap in your roster.
Brandon Marsh is extremely streaky due to the swing and miss in his game, but he’s hitting well for the moment if you need a fifth outfielder.
vs. MIL, @ BAL, @ WSN
Y’all this offense is really bad.
Oneil Cruz, by talent, is a Solid Start or better; however, concussions are tricky and the strikeouts are brutal. Still, if he shows a bit of life in the next week or so, there’s a path to becoming a Solid Start.
Bryan Reynolds and Spencer Horwitz have slowed down and are more volume plays than anything else.
Tommy Pham is hot again and who am I to argue? Anyone can be good for a few weeks and Pham has done is many times.
Nick Gonzales plays almost every day and has some pop, but the bad has outweighed the good far too often.
@ COL, v CIN, v COL
This is one of the best hitting situations over the next three series and you should try to take advantage as much as you can.
Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Ramón Laureano should be glued into your lineup for the foreseeable future.
Luis Arraez has hit better over the last week and heads into Coors. You know what to do.
Jackson Merrill is back and has one more chance to recapture the magic of his rookie season with just the right schedule to kick it off.
Gavin Sheets and Ryan O’Hearn are both platoon bats who mash righties and are ideally benched against lefties. Sheets has more raw power and his hot streaks are explosive, but he also has extreme extended slumps. O’Hearn has a better hit tool with less extreme peaks and valleys. I’d start either of them against the righties Cincinnati and Colorado have to offer, though.
Jake Cronenworth gets this sweet schedule.
Jose Iglesias will play most days and can provide a little contact and speed, especially in Coors.
@ STL, vs. ARI, vs. LAD
Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman had a great time in Coors and will hopefully bring some of that swagger into the next three series. Don’t be shocked if there’s a tiny hangover, though, as that’s part of the Coors effect.
Heliot Ramos didn’t go off in Coors like we hoped, but remains a streamer with some pop if he gets hot.
Luis Matos disappointed in Colorado and is now just a deeper points league streamer.
Domonic Smith had a hot week but these streaks rarely last long for him.
@ ATL, vs. STL, vs. LAA
Julio Rodríguez remains white hot and Cal Raleigh is still Cal Raleigh.
Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco have a bit more up and down in their nature and don’t have the extreme hot streaks of Eugenio to balance it out at times, so they have just a little less trust. If either slumped hard for a week or two, we’d be asking the tough questions. Right now, though, keep them in.
Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor went cold for the last week but should turn it around soon. Worst-case scenario, it’ll get better against the Angels and their vulnerable pitching staff.
J.P. Crawford doesn’t get the volume he used to as a leadoff hitter, but he does play every day.
Victor Robles should be out of the suspension soon but I’m not interested unless he’s close to the top of the order.
vs. SFG, @ SEA, @ MIL
Still no word I’ve seen on what to expect for Willson Contreras and his suspension. We remain in a bit of limbo.
Iván Herrera looks like that exciting player we saw earlier in the season, so lock him in.
Lars Nootbaar is a streamer because he walks and leads off. If he loses that role, he drops a tier.
Masyn Winn is going to fall short of 15 home runs or 15 steals and he’s not a lock for 60 RBI, either. There’s volume, but not much else.
Nolan Gorman is eligible at second and third and hits the ball hard. He’s showing slightly better zone contact this season than in years past, but the production still comes in bunches with long quiet periods in between.
Victor Scott II is on a rehab assignment and likely falls into the Desperate tier, possibly leaning Streamer if you need steals and they’re letting him run. Brendan Donovan should be back for two or three weeks to end the season, but he’s just a streamer.
Alec Burleson is worth stashing if you have the open IL spot as he should return fairly soon.
vs. CLE, @ CHW, @ CHC
Junior Caminero definitely hits better at home than on the road by a wide margin (168 wRC+ vs. 84 wRC+), but what’s strange is that the home run totals are nearly equal, with 21 in 68 home games and 19 in 65 road games. The major difference is the many more singles and doubles at home, the latter of which are suppressed a great deal by George M. Steinbrenner Park. This conversation requires more nuance than “he’s not good outside of that small park” because the thing it boosts the most (home runs) are not really different there than anywhere else.
Yandy Díaz would be an auto-start in points leagues.
If Brandon Lowe wasn’t a second baseman, he’d likely just be in the Streamer tier, but even with the missed time, it looks like he’ll knock on the door to 30 home runs and could end the season leading all second basemen in homers (though Jazz and Ketel still have something to say about that).
Josh Lowe is hitting a stride and the upcoming matchups are exploitable.
Chandler Simpson is a solid start if you desperately need steals and just a ratios guy if you don’t.
Carson Williams may need some time to adjust.
If Jonathan Aranda returns, he’ll be a streamer. It’s a big if.
vs. HOU, vs. MIL, @ NYM
Wyatt Langford continues to take walks and keep the strikeouts down, sporting a 16.9% walk rate over his last 20 games with a very reasonable 23.6% strikeout rate to go along with a .300/.427/.586 line, five home runs, and three steals. That said, the issue with Langford was never ceiling, it was the floor, as his slumps tend to drag on over multiple weeks and it has made rostering him feel like such a slog despite being a top-75 hitter. Sure, he was drafted to be much more than that, but that stopped mattering the moment the draft ended. The 2026 projections will be more conservative with Langford for next season, but what is likely to be a 25-home run, 20 stolen base season feels like the lower end of what we will see from him over the next five years, not the average.
Josh Jung is still hitting, though the walks have dropped a ton and the strikeouts are climbing so it might soon be time to get off this ride. Not today, of course, but soon.
Josh Smith and Joc Pederson are somewhat viable in deep leagues, but they’d be someone I was always looking to upgrade from.
@ NYY, vs. HOU, vs. BAL
I did not expect George Springer and Bo Bichette to be such fantastic contributors this season, but here we are.
Like I said, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was fine.
Alejandro Kirk doesn’t have a ton of power but he puts the ball in play and hits in a sweet part of the lineup.
Daulton Varsho has moved to fifth in the lineup and while he’s always been streaky and prone to injuries, hitting behind the best hitters in this lineup and in front of a guy who puts the ball in play a ton is a good guy to throw into your outfield.
Addison Barger won’t play against most lefties, but he hits second against righties and that’s very stream-worthy with how this offense is going right now.
@ CHC, @ MIA, vs. PIT
James Wood had managed the strikeouts so well, and then July hit and something opened up a hole in his swing. As I’ve said all season, I do think he will work through this and be a threat to stay a top-10 hitter, but this major test will tell us how quickly that can happen. One good sign is that the walks have come way up in the last two weeks or so. Hopefully, that’s the harbinger of a hot streak. Still, in leagues with a strikeout penalty, I can see situations you might bench him.
CJ Abrams swiped two bags in a game against Tampa and hopefully that’s a sign they’ll let him run in September, because those two steals on the 30th were the only steals Abrams had all August.
Luis García Jr., Josh Bell, and Dylan Crews all got moved down to Desperate because this offense looks bad and there’s not much to get excited about here. Plus all three of these guys, at least in this stage of their careers, require support around them to be fantasy-relevant in standard leagues.
Keibert Ruiz will be a volume-based desperation catcher in points leagues if activated.
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