Hello everybody!

This is a bit of a chance as the legendary Scott Chu was not able to complete this week’s list. However, he will be back to carry us through to the end of the season! Scott rarely ever misses these, so please don’t be worried, as we will be hearing from him very soon!

I’m going to keep in Scott’s reminders/philosophies below, as I’m trying to do this as similarly to how he would as I can. So without further ado, let’s get started with this week’s top 150 hitters!

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 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 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 Scott on the website formerly known as Twitter (@ifthechufits) or in the comments below!

 

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)!

Scott also hosts 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

 

Aaron Judge dipped below a .400 batting average earlier this past week. The horror! And then he had a four-hit game against the Athletics, and everything was right in the world again.

 

Tier 2

 

Corbin Carroll may be making worse decisions than in years past, but it doesn’t matter, as he has torn the cover off the ball early in the year. His hard-hit rate is still over 50%, and he’s one of the best baserunners in the game. There’s a reason he’s continued to move up this list.

 

Tier 3

 

Francisco Lindor challenged his teammate, Pete Alonso, for the top spot in the tier, though it’s hard to deny how incredible the polar bear has been.
For all the drama that has followed Rafael Devers with position changes, he certainly hasn’t forgotten how to hit. He’s coming off a week now where he appeared to find that magic at the plate that made him such a valuable asset. Let’s see how he does this week.
While it’s from a smaller sample size that you can’t take too much from, Jackson Merrill has quietly put up the best Process+ mark of any hitter this year. Yes, this is with fewer plate appearances than his contemporaries, but he’s looked incredible.
Oneil Cruz has been dealing with some back issues but will potentially be back for the Phillies series. It’s been awesome to see him hitting as well as he has, especially as he leads the NL in stolen bases.

 

Tier 4

 

James Wood didn’t look amazing this week, but he still gave you a home run and a few hits and runs along the way. His sheer power, cutdown in strikeout rate, and newfound ability to hit the ball all over the field make him a must-roster player.
I moved Ketel Marte up despite the somewhat mediocre return week. He’s a talented player in a great situation who plays a position that it’s tough to find production out of. The multiple two-homer games showcase how valuable he can be.
William Contreras or Cal Raleigh was the question that many had going into the season, and it certainly appears that the Raleigh camp is much happier. It’s still a tough question moving forward, though, as Contreras’s fewer strikeouts make him a safer option while Raleigh’s incredible power gives him that super-high ceiling. You have to wonder if what we’ve seen so far is that ceiling for Raleigh, though.

 

Tier 5

 

Seiya Suzuki is on a nasty stretch right now, which has been anchored by his questionable decision-making. He’s gone from being one of the best decision makers to one of the worst in this recent stretch, and we hope he can get it together, as it has affected his ratios quite a bit.
Josh Naylor and Matt Olson really are on opposite ends of the spectrum right now. Olson is a power-first guy with good decision-making but struggles with contact. Naylor is showing great contact ability and power to supplement it, but his discipline is questionable. This results in a consensus buy-low guy in Olson and a sell-high guy in Naylor.
Very little has gone right for Christian Yelich lately, but with the skillset he has shown, we have to trust that he will turn it around, even if the underlying numbers are concerning.

Tier 6

 

There’s so much to like about Shea Langeliers, as he has one of the better offensive skill sets among catchers. He hits well and even has sneaky good sprint speed, though he barely uses it. It also helps that he hits cleanup often in a ballpark, which has really boosted its hitters.
Let’s all admire Junior Caminero’s grand slam that won the Rays their matchup against the Jays at the Rogers Centre. As Scott implied last week, if he lifts the ball a bit more, he’ll be lifted up the rankings.

 

Tier 7

 

Jung Hoo Lee has come down to earth after an excellent start to the year, however, you shouldn’t be too upset about this if you drafted him. His ADP was way lower than this, and the five homers he’s put up are more than what many expected. I know, it’s still not a lot, but it’s more than you’d expect from a guy who was advertised as being contact-only.
Scott moved Ozzie Albies down significantly last week, and he has still looked lost. The lack of power and plate discipline has caught up to him, though he still deserves some benefit of the doubt for what he’s shown us in the past. The Process+ rolling chart paints a bleak picture.
The Yankees’ first baseman duo of Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt should morph into one player. I kid, as we love both of these guys and wouldn’t want to see this actually happen. But, they both have gotten in the way a bit of each other getting playing time. The Yankees have their tactical reasons for this, but it leads to plenty of managers seeing their ratios and spending too much to get them.

 

Tier 8

 

Take a bow, Heliot Ramos! He’s been known to be streaky in the past, and this hot streak he’s on is no exception. Still, he’s moved up the lineup and is hitting the ball hard.
Isaac Paredes is walking a lot but still hasn’t found his power stroke. As Scott mentioned last week, it’s almost certain to come in a ballpark that has rewarded plenty of hitters like Paredes in the past.
Gleyber Torres has been awesome lately, showing a lot of discipline hitting near the top of a really solid Tigers lineup.
Kristian Campbell has been striking out a lot lately, as his contact and discipline have been a bit spotty. It certainly could be worse, though, as young players, even ones who have shown promise at the level of Campbell, can have brutal cold spells due to their low floors.
Willy Adames had a similar strikeout-filled week to Campbell, though it also came with a demotion down the lineup, which saw him drop a tier. He loses so much value when he goes from second down to the 5/6 range.
Brenton Doyle has looked far from great lately, though his ability to barrel up the ball, combined with the Coors effect, will always make him an intriguing option.

 

Tier 9

 

It’s the same old Byron Buxton, but that’s a great thing! He hits the ball hard and runs really well. There’s always that fear of injury, which holds him back, but still, he’s looking great like now, and we’re seeing his power improve over the season.
We all held our breath when we saw that Yandy Díaz was placed on the restricted list, only for it to be due to his passport needing to be renewed. This season already kind of looks like last year’s for him. A slow start with steady improvement up to the point where his batting average is nearing that elite territory, despite it seeming like an off-year. The walk rate is notably not great this year, though he’s striking out at a really low clip.
Diaz’s teammate, Jonathan Aranda, continues to rake. The Rays’ roster is a bit of a mess, which leads to plenty of platooning. Aranda is one of many victims of this, though he has been given some chances against lefties. He looked good against Jesús Luzardo, but didn’t get a chance against the next lefty on the schedule, Jose Quintana. Aranda’s numbers are really good, and the underlying metrics support this; it’s just a question of consistent playing time.
Bo Bichette is quietly in a decent place right now, as he walked a fair bit this past week (!!!) and tallied a couple of home runs. He’s still not the player he once was, but he deserves to be above the replacement level in your fantasy leagues.

 

Tier 10

For those of you in standard 10- and 12-team leagues, this is where you’ll start finding your replacement level at certain positions, particularly outfield and the middle infield.

Josh Jung has seen his numbers drastically improve over the past week, as he has been one of the most frequently added players in recent days. While yes, this appears to be a hot streak, the underlying numbers show that the process is there.
Known power hitter Jacob Wilson gave us a pretty unexpected two-homer game against the Dodgers. This was a fun night at Dodger Stadium and not a whole lot more.
Iván Herrera has returned to the Cardinals’ lineup with plenty of pressure to put up the ridiculous numbers he opened the season with. He probably won’t, but the underlying metrics are pretty bonkers.
Rhys Hoskins has utilized his raw power and decision-making to become a really productive bat this year. He’s hot right now, as his batting average took a huge leap this past week.

 

Tier 11

 

Agustín Ramírez hasn’t been electric, but he’s been a solid catcher who has put up pretty consistent production for a Marlins team, occupying the DH spot when not behind the dish.
We all know who Eugenio Suárez is by now. Lots of strikeouts but lots of home runs. He walks at about an average rate, so I can’t crown him the three true outcomes master.
Kyle Stowers has climbed up a tier, as he has continued to produce for the Marlins. The contact skills will ultimately keep his floor too low for him to be a viable long-term option.

 

Tier 12

 

Josh Lowe returns in Miami after a nasty oblique injury sustained on opening day. He’s a platoon guy who can be inconsistent, especially with the approach, however, he did put up a 20-30 year with a .292 batting average in 2023.
Trevor Larnach has been hot and has gotten consistent playing time all year. If you temper your expectations, he’s not a bad pickup.
Jake Burger is back up after a bizarre stint in AAA. He’s an inconsistent player who will give you headaches throughout the season, but he can be a great pickup if you need to gamble on getting a home run.
Speaking of Jakes… Jake Cronenworth returns to the Padres this weekend. I think we kind of know what to expect here.
Brandon Lowe is striking out like crazy and can be a Rays platoon casualty. He’s also shown incredible power and discipline in the recent past.
There’s way too much risk with Javier Báez, but with how he’s been playing, he’s not the worst option for a stream.
TJ Friedl might be on the injured list after a hit-by-pitch, placing him at the bottom of the tier. He wouldn’t be too much higher if health was guaranteed.

 




Rank
Hitter
Position
Change



1Aaron JudgeT1OF-2Shohei OhtaniDH-3Bobby Witt Jr.SS-4Kyle TuckerT2OF-5Corbin CarrollOF+26José Ramírez3B-17Fernando Tatis Jr.OF+18Juan SotoOF-29Elly De La Cruz3B, SS-10Vladimir Guerrero Jr.1B, 3B-11Pete AlonsoT31B-12Francisco LindorSS+113Jackson ChourioOF-114Kyle SchwarberOF, DH+215Rafael Devers3B+416Mookie Betts2B, SS, OF-117Freddie Freeman1B+318Austin Riley3B-419Jackson MerrillOF+1120Oneil CruzSS, OF-221Gunnar HendersonSS-422James WoodT4OF-23Bryce Harper1B-224Brent RookerOF, DH-125Ketel Marte2B+826Julio RodríguezOF-127Cal RaleighC-28William ContrerasC-229Jarren DuranOF-530Wyatt LangfordOF-231Manny Machado3B-232Riley GreeneOF-33Pete Crow-ArmstrongT5OF+334Seiya SuzukiOF-335Trea TurnerSS+336Zach NetoSS+337Alex Bregman3B+338Luis Robert Jr.OF-139Matt Olson1B+240Josh Naylor1B+241Willson ContrerasC+442Marcell OzunaDH+243Will SmithC+344Salvador PerezC, 1B+345Christian YelichOF-246Steven KwanT6OF+247Shea LangeliersC+848Matt Chapman3B+149Randy ArozarenaOF+350Junior Caminero3B+351CJ AbramsSS+652Cedric MullinsOF+653Anthony SantanderOF+154Bryan ReynoldsOF+255Jung Hoo LeeT7OF+1256Anthony VolpeSS+457Nick CastellanosOF+458Adley RutschmanC+459Lawrence ButlerOF-60Jose Altuve2B-961Ozzie Albies2B-1162Yainer DiazC+163Cody Bellinger1B, OF+264Dylan CrewsOF-65Tyler Soderstrom1B+666Spencer Torkelson1B+367Ben Rice1B+368Paul Goldschmidt1B+469Kerry CarpenterOF+470Jeremy PeñaT8SS+971Heliot RamosOF+1072Brice Turang2B-673Isaac Paredes1B, 3B+574Gleyber Torres2B+1375Kristian Campbell2B+576Willy AdamesSS-877Michael Harris IIOF-278Mark Vientos3B-179Bryson Stott2B+380Dansby SwansonSS+381George SpringerOF+382Brenton DoyleOF-683Byron BuxtonT9OF+784Luis Arraez1B, 2B+185Matt McLain2B-1186Brendan Donovan2B, 3B, OF+387Victor Scott IIOF+488Yandy Díaz1B+589Kyle Manzardo1B+590Jorge Polanco2B, 3B+591Jonathan Aranda1B+2092Maikel Garcia2B, 3B+493Bo BichetteSS+994Logan O’HoppeC-695Luis García Jr.2B-396Lars NootbaarT10OF+597Austin WellsC-98Chandler SimpsonOF+299Nico Hoerner2B, SS+4100Christian Walker1B-14101Masyn WinnSS+3102Brandon NimmoOF+3103Josh Jung3B+27104Jacob WilsonSS+3105Iván HerreraC+UR106Andy PagesOF+3107J.T. RealmutoC+3108Wilyer AbreuOF+4109Rhys Hoskins1B+20110Royce Lewis3B-11111Nathaniel Lowe1B-13112Vinnie Pasquantino1B-6113Xavier EdwardsSS+2114Adolis GarcíaOF-115Geraldo PerdomoSS-2116Carlos CorreaSS-8117Spencer Steer1B, OF-1118Agustín RamírezT11C-1119Hunter GoodmanC, OF+1120Francisco AlvarezC-2121Nick Kurtz1B+6122Eugenio Suárez3B-1123Taylor WardOF-1124Nolan Arenado3B-125JJ BledayOF-126Jordan BeckOF-127Ryan O’Hearn1B, OF-4128Kyle StowersOF+15129Lourdes Gurriel Jr.OF-1130Jasson DomínguezT12OF+1131Alec Bohm1B, 3B+1132Dylan Moore1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF+3133Trent GrishamOF+3134Josh LoweOF+UR135Michael Busch1B+2136Michael Toglia1B, OF+3137Xander Bogaerts2B, SS+3138Trevor LarnachOF+UR139Jackson Holliday2B-1140Max KeplerOF+5141Colt Keith1B, 2B+6142Jake Cronenworth1B, 2B+UR143Eli WhiteOF-2144Marcus Semien2B+4145Tyler StephensonC-26146Jake Burger1B, 3B+UR147Hyeseong Kim2B+2148Brandon Lowe1B, 2B+UR149Javier Báez3B, SS, OF+UR150TJ FriedlOF-17

 

Taxi Squad

Players are listed in no particular order. This list is not every single interesting guy out there, but a running list of players who either almost made the list or who have been topics of interesting conversation.

 

Catcher

Carson Kelly (C, CHC) — He’s unlikely to get the necessary playing time to be relevant, but when he does play, he’s been fantastic.
Miguel Amaya (C, CHC) — See above.
Joey Bart (C, PIT) — Has some nice stretches for the Bucs after leaving the Giants and is a solid streamer when the matchups work out.
Alejandro Kirk (C, TOR) — Points league catcher.
Dillon Dingler (C, DET) — The injury to Jake Rogers makes Dingler the everyday catcher for at least a little while.
Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) — We will probably see stretches where he reminds everyone he can hit the ball hard, but he’s replacement level.
Austin Wynns (C, CIN) — The ratios are cool, but the fact he plays twice a week is not.
Drake Baldwin (C, ATL) — Plenty of promise here long term, but the playing time isn’t enough for single-catcher leagues.
Gabriel Moreno (C, ARI) — Points league catcher.
Keibert Ruiz (C, WSN) — Points league catcher.
Sean Murphy (C, ATL) — That power outburst was fun, but he sits every third day, and catcher is deep enough that I no longer think he’s above replacement level in 12-teamers.
Dalton Rushing (C, LAD) — He’s looked great in AAA, but playing time will be a question with Will Smith employed by the team.

First Base

Andrew Vaughn (1B, CWS) — The replacement level at first base has changed dramatically since draft day, and Vaughn is firmly below it in too many leagues.
Nolan Schanuel (1B, LAA) — Points league contributor who would need to reinvent himself to hit more home runs.
Matt Mervis (1B, MIA) — As with many other guys in this part of the article, he’s a free-swinging masher with severe contact issues. The home runs will come and go, and when they go, it will be very ugly.
Eric Wagaman (1B/3B/OF, MIA) — This contact ability is cool, but this still just feels like a hot streak.
Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) — The explosion of first base talent makes Mountcastle expendable in 12-teamers.
Pavin Smith (1B/OF, ARI) — Walking a whole bunch but also striking out a whole bunch while in a platoon.

Second Base

Luis Rengifo (2B/3B, LAA) — I’ve waited long enough to see if the steals are coming back. They aren’t, apparently.
Edouard Julien (2B, MIN) — Back in the minors.
Travis Bazzana (2B, CLE) — How long will the Guardians stick with Arias and Schneemann at second if the division is as competitive as it was last season?
Brooks Lee (2B/3B, MIN) — The upside is fairly limited unless he moves up to the top of the order, which I don’t really expect in the near future.
Christopher Morel (2B/3B/OF, TBR) — The production is here, but the strikeout rate is out of control. I don’t trust this.
Jonathan India (2B/3B/OF, KCR) — Leading off for the Royals sounded like a great gig in March, but the team currently has an 82 wRC+ and India himself has an OPS well below .700.
Luisangel Acuña (2B, NYM) — He’s sitting more than I’d like to see, but if that gets fixed, he can make it back to the list.
Trevor Story (2B, BOS) — Still healthy, but looks very rough.
Gavin Lux (2B/OF, CIN) — The hot streak was cool but also fairly short in the grand scheme of things.

Third Base

Joey Ortiz (3B/SS, MIL) — Does just enough in four of the five hitting categories to be relevant. If this list were for OBP, he might crack the end of it.
Matt Shaw (3B, CHC) — No need to hold in 12-team redraft leagues. Shaw could be successful, but quality of contact is a tricky demon to slay.
Connor Norby (3B, MIA) — Swings hard and misses often.
Gabriel Arias (3B, CLE) — He’s an aggressive hitter with extreme contact issues in the zone. It’s a tale as old as time and almost always turns out the same way (a streamer when hot and a drop when not).
Jace Jung (3B, DET) — He’s playing daily and walking a ton, but he’ll need to actually hit before I care.
Caleb Durbin (3B, MIL) — Solid points league play (if you lose points for strikeouts) as he’ll put a ton of balls in play and he has the upside to steal 15-20 bases, but the power is very limited and it may take some time before Durbin shows decent ratios.
Max Muncy (3B, LAD) — You can keep holding in deeper OBP leagues if you’d like.
Cam Smith (3B/OF, HOU) — Back to a part-time role.

Shortstop

Jordan Lawlar (SS, ARI) — Absolutely raking in the minors but doesn’t have a clear everyday role in the majors yet. Worth stashing.
Trey Sweeney (SS, DET) — Swinging a hot bat with modest pop and speed with much improved plate discipline.
Zach McKinstry (2B/3B/SS/OF, DET) — Striking out a lot of late and not walking, which is not great for a player who has a very low ceiling.

Outfield/DH

Roman Anthony (OF, BOS) — He’s the top prospect in a top-heavy Boston system and should get a chance to play at some point this summer.
Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, MIN) — He’s possibly the most passive hitter I’ve ever seen, and it’s tough to make that work in the majors (especially if you have contact issues), but he hits the ball hard and has a lot of buzz right now.
Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — If he ever hits the ball in the air, I’ll be interested. That is not what is happening as of right now.
Mike Yastrzemski (OF, SFG) — The definition of a replacement-level fantasy outfielder in 12-teamers.
Gavin Sheets (DH, SDP) — He’s a platoon bat who has power and contact issues. There are a lot of these guys in the league and he is certainly one of them. All of his stats are essentially from a single night.
Zac Veen (OF, COL) — The Rockies gave him regular time, but Veen isn’t ready to hit major league stuff yet.
Michael Conforto (OF, LAD) — Droppable in mixed leagues.
Jake McCarthy (OF, ARI) — Every time we think we understand his trajectory, it changes dramatically.
Jorge Soler (OF, LAA) — Batting third is cool but the lack of walks and increased strikeouts are brutal.
Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Wasn’t hitting all that well in the minors so not ready to buy in quite yet.
Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR) — Love the flair and flash, but not the strikeouts or injury issues.

 

IL Stashes

Players are listed by position and not by projected value.

Triston Casas (1B, BOS) — Huge bummer. Injuries and slumps have plagued these early seasons.
Spencer Horwitz (1B/2B, PIT) — He’ll be in the everyday lineup almost immediately on his return. Has enough plate discipline and contact to be roster-worthy.
Thairo Estrada (2B, COL) — Should be the everyday guy again when healthy, and while it ain’t exciting, it’s honest work.
Andrés Giménez (2B, TOR) — He’s shown flashes of being a productive player, but he’s definitely droppable.
Ha-Seong Kim (2B/SS, TBR) — Should be back by June and ready to swipe bags.
Nick Gonzales (2B, PIT) — I’m intrigued by the huge step forward he made with his strikeout rates last season.
Tommy Edman (2B/OF, LAD) — Hopefully won’t be out long and should be held.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3B/OF, NYY) — It’s gonna be two months or so, but with third base being such a tough spot to fill, I’d hold.
Ezequiel Tovar (SS, COL) — No longer a hold.
Corey Seager (SS, TEX) — Must hold.
Tyler Fitzgerald (SS/OF, SFG) — Droppable.
Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — I think he can quickly make people forget that lackluster 2024. Let’s also not forget that he’s barely 27 and in the prime of his career.
Teoscar Hernández (OF, LAD) — Must hold.
Mike Trout (OF, LAA) — Must hold.
Parker Meadows (OF, DET) — Hitting the 60-day IL is rough, but he’ll play when he’s back this summer.
Giancarlo Stanton (DH, NYY) — We have no idea when he’s even going to begin baseball activities, so he’s only relevant if you have unlimited IL spots.
Colton Cowser (OF, BAL) — No longer a must-hold in 12-teamers.
Victor Robles (OF, SEA) — Oof, he’s likely out until July. In leagues with a tight IL, he’s possibly a drop.
Jonny DeLuca (OF, TBR) — Likely to miss two to four weeks, just enough time to make the Tampa Bay roster an even bigger mess than it is already.
Matt Wallner (OF, MIN) — Hammys are always a little tricky. You don’t NEED to stash him if your IL is full, especially if it’s a format that only requires three outfielders (or four if it’s a 10-teamer).
Lane Thomas (OF, CLE) — Not a must-hold at this time.
Austin Hays (OF, CIN) — He’s had an amazing start but also Hays is notoriously streaky with backbreaking slumps so don’t assume he’ll pick up where he left off.
Yordan Alvarez (OF, HOU) — Alvarez is one of the league’s best hitters and will be worth waiting for.

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