C Ben Rice, New York Yankees (68%)
Rice already has 5 home runs and 16 RBI through 74 at bats, including a legendary 3 HR and 7 RBI game on July 6th against the Red Sox. He’s rocking an awesome 18% barrel rate, and all his underlying stats support what he has done and suggest that he still has room to improve his stats. He should be owned in all leagues, but he is still available in over 30% of FanTrax leagues. If he is available, grab him.
RP James McArthur, Kansas City Royals (60%)
That’s three saves in a row for McArthur, who now has seventeen on the season. He had a rough month in May but has bounced back nicely since, and his peripherals paint a favorable picture of what to expect moving forward. Although Hunter Harvey was just traded to Kansas City from Washington, McArthur must keep up what he has been doing to hold the job. See if an impatient owner dropped him, as he seems to be floating out there in 40% of Fantrax leagues.
3B Rece Hinds, Cincinnati Reds (55%)
Hinds’ ownership has shot up 40 percentage points since last week after his historic start to his major league career. In six games since his call-up, Rece Hinds has had a hit in half of his at bats, with five home runs and two steals already. He also smokes the ball with an average exit velocity of almost 97 mph. To say he is playing over his head right now would be an understatement (he had a .216 batting average this year over a much larger sample), and his extremely high strikeout rate is well documented, but Hinds’ power and speed have never been questioned. Feel free to spend up to try to get him, but before you blow out your whole budget, consider that his current 30% strikeout rate will likely get even worse, and he won’t be facing the worst two teams in ERA every week.
SS/OF Angel Martinez, Cleveland Guardians (32%)
Martinez has an impressive 8 walks to 5 strikeouts so far, giving him a nice .373 OBP on the season. He is playing every day right now while getting a decent amount of walks and hits, which has led to a 12.6 percentage point increase in his ownership. Unfortunately, he only has a .256 batting average and offers little power and speed. As such, he is a guy who is worth grabbing more, so in deep OBP leagues, you might need someone to fill a hole left behind by an injured shortstop or outfielder.
OF Juan Yepez, Washington Nationals (13%)
Since his call-up, Yepez has had a hit in each of his 9 games played. He has found a home at first base for the Nats until Gallo returns, so he should also gain that eligibility in short order. If Yepez continues to hit (.353/.436/.529), it will be hard for Washington to justify prioritizing Gallo (.164/.285/.321) over him, so he has a pretty good opportunity right now to win the job outright. Although he hasn’t hit any home runs yet, he’s shown some decent pop in the minors in addition to the great plate discipline that has already been on display. He makes for a great add right now in deeper leagues and is worth considering in all leagues if you need an outfielder.
Honorable Mentions
OF Harrison Bader, New York Mets (44%)
Starting most days with a little power and good speed. Better in batting average leagues.
OF Matt Wallner, Minnesota Twins (38%)
Has all three of his homers in his past 10 games. Power is legit but only an option in OBP leagues.
SP Ryne Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks (33%)
Made improvements in June and has had a great start to July.
OF Joshua Palacios, Pittsburgh Pirates (9%)
Has shown great plate discipline with a little pop. Better in OBP leagues.
SS Ryan Vilade, Detroit Tigers (2%)
Since his call-up, he has hit .294/.368/.471. He is still just 25 years old.
