As you may have noticed in this week’s Ambulance Chasers, the injuries have proliferated again, gashing large cracks in the hulls of our fantasy baseball ships (or punching holes in your emergency inflatable dingy). And this time, those injuries have come for the upper echelons of the player pool.
Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, Yordan Alvarez, Eloy Jimenez, Byron Buxton, Brandon Lowe, Jacob deGrom, and Chris Sale are all early round picks that have had their seasons significantly altered due to injuries this past week.
Unlike early in the season when I was suggesting picking up the likes of Francisco Alvarez, Josh Lowe, Spencer Steer, Justin Steele, and Taj Bradley to patch up rosters, things are, uh, are little thinner on waivers in mid-June. You aren’t likely to find any team captains in waiting.
If there is one thing to pursue on the wire this weekend to cover for injuries, it’s volume. There are still plenty of players getting full-time at-bats with solid skills that can fill in for an injured star in a pinch. Of course, you need that star back, but until then, keeping pace in counting categories and staying afloat in this vast fantasy baseball sea is your main objective.
The stats and ownership percentages below are updated as of noon central time on 6/9.
As always, if you want advice on specific roster decisions you might have, feel free to leave a comment. You can also find me on twitter (@mcouill7).
CATCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
Gary Sanchez (SDP, 21% CBS Ownership) – The Kraken has settled into his full-time role with the Padres, obliterating balls for a 168 wRC+ with four homers in his first 39 plate appearances. At this point, it’s difficult to see how much time Luis Campusano will be able to carve back from Sanchez upon return. Maybe the happy fun ball is aiding Gary so far, but I would be okay with that as he produced 34 homers with a .232 / .316 / .525 line in 2019, the year of the happiest, funniest ball. So far, Sanchez is showing he can pace for that again for the rest of 2023. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Travis d’Arnaud (ATL, 48% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Keibert Ruiz (WSN, 45% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 44% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Shea Langeliers (OAK, 34% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Danny Jansen (TOR, 29% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Christian Bethancourt (TBR, 23% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Yan Gomes (CHC, 22% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Connor Wong (BOS, 9% CBS Ownership) – As we investigated last week, Fenway has been playing extremely hitter-friendly as of late, and no one exemplifies that more so than Wong. He’s struggling with his own Coors effect seemingly as he has a 132 wRC+ at home versus 62 on the road. The Red Sox have six home games this upcoming week, including three against the subpar Rockies staff. Wong continues to hit the ball hard when making contact, so look out this week Green Monster dwellers. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Blake Sabol (C/OF, SFG, 15% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Jose Trevino (NYY, 14% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Patrick Bailey (SFG, 10% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Matt Thaiss (LAA, 7% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Miguel Amaya (CHC, 3% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB)
INFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Willi Castro (2B/3B/SS/OF, MIN, 35% CBS Ownership) – The obstacles to playing time in the crowded Twins lineup continue to clear in front of Castro like a nepo baby encountering any life difficulties. He’s creeping up in the lineup and even hit leadoff Thursday. With Joey Gallo and Byron Buxton hitting the IL and Jorge Polanco in limbo after leaving Thursday’s game, Castro looks like he’ll continue playing and providing sneaky stolen bases. He’s accrued 11 in 129 ABs so far, which would pace to 51 over 600 ABs. (5% FAAB)
Luke Raley (1B/OF, TBR, 34% CBS Ownership) – It’s been hard to fully buy into Raley as the 28-year-old entered this year with a career 63 wRC+ and looked bound for Quad-A stardom. After starting the season just bashing at the plate, he’s started adding additional value with steals and is now pacing for 27 homers and 17 steals with a batting average in the .250 range. And those are just his raw old school stats, his Savant page looks like a 1984 election map, supporting all of his good work so far. That is absolutely worth rostering in shallower leagues, plus the Rays get four games against the Athletics’ putrid pitching to start the week. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Owen Miller (1B/2B/3B, MIL, 50% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Orlando Arcia (2B/SS, ATL, 44% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Spencer Torkelson (1B, DET, 43% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jake Burger (3B, CHW, 42% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Luis Urias (2B/3B, MIL, 42% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Ezequiel Tovar (SS, COL, 42% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), CJ Abrams (SS, WSN, 40% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Zach McKinstry (2B/3B/OF, DET, 40% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Ji-Hwan Bae (2B/OF, PIT, 41% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Triston Casas (1B, BOS, 39% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Gio Urshela (1B/3B/SS, LAA, 29% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Nick Pratto (1B/OF, KCR, 28% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Luis Garcia (2B/SS, WSN, 27% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Zach Neto (SS, LAA, 24% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Paul DeJong (SS, STL, 20% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Ryan Noda (1B, OAK, 11% CBS Ownership) – Noda has fully entrenched himself in the Athletics 1B position as Jesus Aguilar has been released and Seth Brown has been playing corner outfield since his return. Noda hits second pretty much every day, which takes advantage of his best offensive skill, a gaudy 19.8% walk rate. When paired with a 14.6% barrel rate, Noda’s plate discipline makes him a very serviceable corner infield option in a deep league for rest of season as he’s not likely to be traded and should get plenty of run at the top of the Oakland lineup. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Enrique Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, BOS, 19% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Darick Hall (1B, PHI, 14% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Rodolfo Castro (2B/3B/SS, PIT, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Michael Massey (2B, KCR, 10% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Brandon Belt (TOR, 9% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Yuli Gurriel (1B, MIA, 7% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Maikel Garcia (3B/SS, KCR, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Ramon Urias (2B/3B, BAL, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Dominic Smith (1B, WSN, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Tucupita Marcano (2B/SS/OF, PIT, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jose Caballero (2B, SEA, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jace Peterson (2B/3B, OAK, 4% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Kody Clemens (1B/3B, PHI, 5% CBS Ownership) – After Alec Bohm’s recent shelving, Clemens has found himself full playing time at 1B until Darick Hall’s planned return this upcoming week. Although Clemens will likely see a slight dip in playing time, if he’s available in your NL-Only league, he’s still worth a look for next week as the Phillies have a full seven-game week that includes a weekend trip to Oaktown to crush some Athletics pitching. (3-5% FAAB)
Vidal Brujan (2B/OF, TBR, 3% CBS Ownership) – Brujan often comes up to sub on the Rays bench and looks like his bat can’t handle major league pitching, as evidenced by his 27 wRC+ over 217 plate appearances. Well, lucky for Vidal, he gets to face non-major league pitching for four games in Oakland early next week! (1-3% FAAB)
OUTFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Nolan Jones (1B/OF, COL, 29% CBS Ownership) – Since we last met, Jones spent the week hitting .435 / .458 / .652 in an all Coors Field week. Sure, the Rockies hit the road next week, but one of those stops is in the offensive paradise of Fenway. Jones has legit power and should be a universally owned player until C.J. Cron’s return inevitably pushes him back to AAA even if he still sports a 153 wRC+. (5% FAAB)
Jose Siri (TBR, 29% CBS Ownership Rate) – Siri is just pure swag and one of my favorite players to watch in the game right now. I’m a total sucker for bright colors, gaudy gold jewelry, diving catches on turf, and titanic homers. Siri checks all of those boxes and is currently pacing for 27 homers and 15 steals, making his batting average in the .230’s more palatable. His game reminds me a lot of Carlos Gomez. If Siri can keep healthy, the upside could be outlandish here as those paced-out numbers only reflect roughly 300 ABs of volume. If he could play a whole season, the pace would be more akin to 45 homers and 25 steals – would you be doubting whether to add a player like that? (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Alex Kirilloff (1B/OF, MIN, 45% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Brian Anderson (3B/OF, MIL, 45% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Brandon Marsh (PHI, 45% CBS Ownership Rate, 3% FAAB), Marcell Ozuna (ATL, 42% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Jack Suwinski (PIT, 42% CBS Ownership Rate, 1% FAAB), Eddie Rosario (ATL, 37% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Ramon Laureano (OAK, 31% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), TJ Friedl (CIN, 26% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Jurickson Profar (COL, 25% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Randal Grichuk (COL, 24% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Jesus Sanchez (MIA, 21% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Corey Julks (HOU, 9% CBS Ownership) – Julks should be the biggest beneficiary of Yordan’s tender oblique keeping him out of the lineup. Julks continues pacing for midteens homers with low 20’s steals and provides just the right amount of volume needed to bridge the gap in an injury-depleted deep league fantasy lineup. He also owns a perfect swing to take advantage of the Crawford boxes (as evidenced in this jack off Ohtani), which pairs well with the upcoming homestand of ten games against the shaky pitching staffs of the Nationals, Reds, and Mets. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Leody Taveras (TEX, 24% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Seth Brown (OAK, 20% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Brenton Doyle (COL, 19% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Chas McCormick (HOU, 14% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Robbie Grossman (TEX, 10% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Akil Baddoo (DET, 8% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Drew Waters (KCR, 8% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Will Brennan (CLE, 7% CBS Ownership, 1-3%) Gavin Sheets (1B/OF, CHW, 7% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jake Bauers (NYY, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Will Benson (CIN, 2% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Jonny DeLuca (LAD, 5% CBS Ownership) – James Outman’s brutal 55 wRC+ May with a 34.4% K% on the year has opened the door to new blood in the Dodgers outfield. DeLuca was called up this week to replace Trayce Thompson’s short-side platoon OF bat and could stick if he brings along the roughly 100 wRC+ the projections have him pegged for and flashes some of the power that has produced 14 homers between two stops in the minors so far. (3% FAAB)
Aaron Hicks (BAL, 2% CBS Ownership) – Zombie Aaron Hicks has arisen in Baltimore after his lifeless corpse floated down the Eastern Seaboard and washed ashore in the Inner Harbor. In 23 Orioles PAs so far, the newly unshaven Hicks has found new life to the tune of a .368 / .478 / .632 line. Hicks is a must-own in AL-Only leagues while subbing for the injured Cedric Mullins but should carve out enough bats even upon Mullins’ return with his switch-hitting flexibility. (5% FAAB)
STARTING PITCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
A.J. Smith-Shawver (ATL, 52% CBS Ownership) – Another week of writing a player up right before his starting pitching debut, following Reese Olson last week. Olson has worked out alright, but Smith-Shawver’s ceiling requires a special ladder to replace the chandelier lights. The similarity in the usage pattern to Spencer Strider is undeniable as the Braves raced AJSS through the minors, giving him one go from the bullpen before replacing Mike Soroka in the rotation. The 20-year-old is going to run into an innings cap eventually as he only pitched 77 minor league innings last year. The projections have no idea what to do with him because he flew through the minors so quickly, but based on his minor league stats, it’s possible AJSS could produce something like a high 3’s ERA and 11 K/9 with plenty of wins with the Braves. But even that seems conservative considering no one could touch him in the minors. (7-9% FAAB)
Bryan Woo (SEA, 12% CBS Ownership) – With a late call-up to debut last Friday, Woo fell between the gaps to be covered last week, and now is the time to strike on picking him as that debut didn’t go well with six earned runs in two innings. However, Woo flashed his big time stuff with a 4:1 K:BB that should portend the rest of season for him. After the overhaul of the Mariners’ bullpen and the front office’s correct choice to bring up Bryce Miller, I have a lot of faith in how the organization handles pitching prospects. Woo might have the gaudiest stuff of them all and has a chance to be a 12 K/9 pitcher until he hits his innings cap later in the summer. (5-7% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Michael Lorenzen (DET, 50% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), J.P. France (HOU, 46% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Johan Oviedo (PIT, 46% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Kyle Bradish (BAL, 37% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Ranger Suarez (PHI, 37% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Wade Miley (MIL, 33% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Clarke Schmidt (NYY, 33% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Griffin Canning (LAA, 30% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), JP Sears (OAK, 29% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Hayden Wesneski (CHC, 25% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Zack Greinke (KCR, 19% CBS Ownership) – Greinke is here purely to highlight that if you are in desperate need of a two-start pitcher for next week, he’s not a bad choice in a deep league. He has two home starts lined up against the Reds and Angels in Kansas City after throwing a 3.77 ERA with 14 Ks over 14.1 innings over his last three starts. Greinke has even been a WHIP asset with a 1.12 so far in his twentieth major league season. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Julio Teheran (MIL, 24% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Rich Hill (PIT, 22% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Adrian Houser (MIL, 20% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jaime Barria (LAA, 12% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Reese Olson (DET, 9% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Luis Ortiz (PIT, 9% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Yonny Chirinos (TBR, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Daniel Lynch (KCR, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Hogan Harris (OAK, 1% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Carson Whisenhunt (SFG, 3% CBS Ownership) – Drafted last year in the 2nd round, the left-handed Whisenhunt is exactly the kind of college arm that can be a fast riser. Fangraphs has good ratings on all of his pitch offerings, with them all grading to be at least 40’s, but his command eluded him upon evaluation. However, walks haven’t been much of an issue for him as his minor league BB/9 rates have been in the high 2’s while he has always kept a K-BB% above 27%. His AA debut this week looked spectacular with 7 Ks, 2 BBs, and no runs in 5 IP. There’s a really good chance that Whisenhunt makes quick work of the minors, and the Giants want to use his bullets in the majors. (3-5% FAAB)
Bowden Francis (TOR, 1% CBS Ownership) – After the Blue Jays finally ate the frog and demoted Alek Manoah to the Florida complex, Francis was the corresponding call-up from Buffalo. It looks like Francis is currently slated for the bullpen, but the Blue Jays only have four starting pitchers right now with Mitch White being the only other pitcher resembling a starter on the 40-man roster. Francis made four short starts in AAA with 15.2 IP, 13.2 K/9, 29.2% K-BB%, and a 3.45 ERA – all of that should translate to a league-average-ish starter in the majors. (3-5% FAAB)
RELIEVERS
10/12 Team Adds
Justin Lawrence (COL, 13% CBS Ownership) – After blowing yet another save on Thursday afternoon against the Giants, Pierce Johnson’s time as closer should be coming to an end. Enter Lawrence, who has increased his slider usage beyond 50% and emulates Sergio Romo on the mound. He looks built to be a closer between his stuff, funky delivery, and general long hair, beard-driven aura. The Rockies upcoming schedule is going to eat their pitchers alive because of the home games and opponents, but Lawrence should be seeing a majority of any arising saves. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Michael King (NYY, 43% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), Giovanny Gallegos (STL, 42% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), Miguel Castro (ARI, 38% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Bryan Abreu (HOU, 31% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Matt Strahm (PHI, 25% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Brusdar Graterol (LAD, 26% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Kendall Graveman (CHW, 23% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Wandy Peralta (NYY, 16% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Adbert Alzolay (CHC, 10% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Jason Foley (DET, 4% CBS Ownership) – Alex Lange has been crushed like a bug in his last two outings, yielding six earned runs over them. Behind Lange in the setup role, Foley has continued his excellent work with a 1.37 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 22 Ks in 26.1 IP. He should be the next man up behind Lange in case of further poor performance or a possible trade. (1-3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Erik Swanson (TOR, 16% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Hunter Harvey (WSN, 11% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Josh Winckowski (BOS, 10% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Nick Anderson (ATL, 10% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Nate Pearson (TOR, 9% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Trevor Stephan (CLE, 7% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Trevor May (OAK, 3% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Griffin Jax (MIN, 2% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Julian Merryweather (CHC, 0% CBS Ownership) – In the chaos of the Cubs bullpen to-date, Merryweather has been consistently rounding into the relief form that saw him rise to the top of the Blue Jays’ closer hierarchy for a brief shining moment in 2021. Merryweather has great stuff that’s hard to control, which is evident with his 12.3 K/9 but 4.1 BB/9 with 1.44 WHIP. Although Alzolay looks like the best long-term bet for saves in the Cubs’ pen now, it’s hard to count out Merryweather based on stuff alone. (1-3% FAAB)
Taylor Clarke (KCR, 1% CBS Ownership) – Last week, we covered Carlos Hernandez here as a possible heir to the Royals closer throne once Aroldis Chapman and Scott Barlow are inevitably traded; however, Clarke has also tossed his hat in the ring. The former Diamondback has found a niche in the KC bullpen with a new curve he’s throwing 23.1% of the time. The new yakker has helped him produce a 10.3 K/9 and 2.89 ERA in 2023 so far and makes him look like a more traditional relief arm if the Royals want to keep Hernandez semi-stretched out for multi-inning appearances. (1-3% FAAB)
