RP Jason Foley, Detroit Tigers (54%)
While the Tigers have been deploying a bit of a committee to close out games, Jason Foley has been the guy they’ve turned to most frequently. He has converted four straight over the past couple of weeks and now has 19 saves on the season.
While he’s not the best reliever, he’s got good velocity on his fastball and a killer slider that has helped him get the job done in all but three of the opportunities he’s had to slam the door shut on opponents. He is worth adding for owners in need of saves.
RP Aroldis Chapman, Pittsburgh Pirates (50%)
With David Bednar’s unending and substantial struggles this season, Chapman is now being turned to for closing out games. He is still pumping triple digits, and although Chapman walks a lot of guys, he strikes out enough to mostly make up for it.
He has certainly been better than Bednar this year, and this move could last through the end of the season. He just converted his first opportunity since the change was made and is now the reliever worth owning in Pittsburgh.
RP Porter Hodge, Chicago Cubs (40%)
Hodge has seemingly taken over the Cubs’ closer role after the release of Hector Neris a couple of weeks ago. He has fired off 10 straight scoreless outings, converting his last two save opportunities and securing three valuable wins during this time.
He is a good reliever with a lethal fastball/slider combo, and he has what it takes to keep the role through at least the end of the season. Scoop him up in deeper leagues if you need the saves.
3B, SS Jose Tena, Washington Nationals (17%)
After being acquired from Cleveland at the end of July, Tena was quickly called up by the Nationals and given a chance to become their starting third baseman.
He has done just that. After hitting .287/.344/.480 with 18 home runs and 15 stolen bases over 408 at bats in the minors, Tena is hitting .362/.393/.500 with 2 homers and a steal over 58 at bats since being called up by his new team.
He also impressively averages 92.6 mph on ball hits with a 16.7% barrel rate. Tena’s arrow is pointed straight up, and in addition to potentially helping redraft owners for the stretch, he also seems like he could be a great asset in dynasty leagues, as he is only 23 years old.
OF Griffin Conine, Miami Marlins (4%)
Conine has been stuck in the minors for quite some time now, but he is finally being given a shot at the major league level after 5 minor league seasons (not including this year). His fantasy upside is limited, as he doesn’t have any speed, but he has been hitting the ball fairly well this year at AAA and does have power.
It was originally stated that Conine would only be a part-time player, but he has played nearly every day since his debut, and it certainly looks like the Marlins are interested in seeing what he can do with regular playing time. Though it has been over a minuscule sample size, Conine is averaging a very encouraging 92 mph on balls hit, and he actually had over a 30% hard-hit rate in the minors per Rotowire.
This is enough to pique my interest. I think Conine could be worth a look in 20-team formats or deeper and is worth keeping an eye on in general.
Honorable Mentions
SP Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics (33%)
Has been pitching much better lately and isn’t walking as many hitters.
3B, SS, OF Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays (22%)
Hitting .304/.327/.587 with 3 homers over the past 14 days.
Yasmani Grandal, Pittsburgh Pirates (8%)
Quietly starting frequently and hitting well now. Could this be a bounceback?