1B Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians (71%)
Manzardo had a blistering .303/.375/.642 slash and nine home runs at AAA before his callup earlier this week. He’ll need to start hitting to stick around in the majors, but he’s shown some signs of life with a double in his most recent game. If he’s available in your league and you’re looking for a first baseman with some upside, Manzardo could be your guy.
SP Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers (52%)
Gasser was just called up for his major league debut and pitched six stellar innings of no-run ball with four strikeouts and only two hits allowed. He was a reasonably popular prospect last year after having a good season at AAA and has a chance to stick in Milwaukee’s starting rotation now if he can continue to pitch well. He’s a name to know and potentially pick up, but many are treating him as a must-add, which I do not think he is.
2B/OF Davis Schneider, Toronto Blue Jays (48%)
Schneider has been much better than Cavan Biggio this year, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious. The only thing preventing Schneider from becoming a complete fantasy asset has been his inconsistent playing time, so if he becomes the starting second baseman for the Jays, then Schneider’s value will increase substantially. He has an excellent batted ball profile with an elite 19.3% barrel rate, and all his peripheral stats back him up, dating back to last year. It’s better to add him now if he continues to see an increase in at-bats than wait too long.
2B/3B Abraham Toro, Oakland Athletics (45%)
Toro has continued to hit and is now rocking a nice .293/347/.436 line with three homers and a steal. The Athletics have been surprisingly explosive this season, so his counting stats are also pretty good, and hopefully, they will continue to be so. The fact that he has dual eligibility now just makes him an even better potential add for fantasy teams.
SP Cooper Criswell, Boston Red Sox (29%)
Criswell’s conversion to a starter is almost complete. Though he still has yet to pitch more than five innings in one of his starts, he has pitched very well so far and now has a 2.10 ERA and 1.013 WHIP this year with a strikeout per inning. He also has done well with limiting walks and limited Washington to 2 runs on just three hits and one walk allowed over five innings with nine strikeouts. He’s an arm worth adding, as he’s shown some potential so far.
1B Jonathan Singleton, Houston Astros (21%)
It has been a long road for Jonathan Singleton, who had been stuck in the minors for seven straight years before last year. He was terrible last year, too, so the fact that he now might be worth picking up in some leagues is pretty incredible. Since Jose Abreu was sent to the minors indefinitely, Singleton has had a chance for more playing time and has made the most of it so far. While his stat line on the season is still uninspiring, and his batting average will likely always be terrible, Singleton has launched all 4 of his homers in the past 14 days and has been displaying decent plate discipline. It’s possible and perhaps even likely that he slips quickly back into fantasy irrelevance. Still, if he manages to hit bombs like he has recently, he is legitimately worthy of consideration in deeper mixed OBP leagues.
Honorable Mentions
OF James Wood, Washington Nationals (66%)
It’s one of the game’s best prospects and must tempt the Nationals to get called up.
3B Coby Mayo, Baltimore Orioles (58%)
Tearing it up in the minors and could be called up soon.
OF Jonny Deluca, Tampa Bay Rays (45%)
Playing well and showing good plate discipline but might eventually be platooned.
