Points Leagues: June Vibes Check

Nothing ruins fantasy baseball vibes like injuries to key players. I don’t know how this year’s crop compares to other years, but it sure feels terrible, doesn’t it? It’s not just the pitchers going down this year, either. Big names across the diamond have been dropping with injuries, big and small. It stinks. But we press on. And in the midst of the injuries, there have also been plenty of pleasant surprises and guys stepping up to not only fill empty roster spots, but also the stat sheets. Let’s recognize some of them!

(All monthly stats are through Saturday’s games.)

Catcher

Vibe Bringer: Dillon Dingler, DET

Dingler had been a solid producer the first couple months of the season, but over the month he has led the position. Over the last 30 days, he’s launched 9 HR and had 26 RBI. Everything under the hood looks says it’s been legit, too. I’m not sure I’ll rank him among the top 5 catchers the rest of the way, but he’s been one so far.

Vibe Killer: Salvador Perez, KC

He wasn’t drafted as the top-3 option he was for so many years, but he was still solidly among the top-10. But at age 36, it sure looks like he’s done. He does have 10 HR, but only 2 of those have come over the last month. Is it possible that he finds something and has a mini-resurgence  in the second half of the season? Sure. However, nothing in what he’s done so far suggests such a thing is coming. Time is, after all, undefeated. (With the exception of David Ortiz.)

First Base

Vibe Bringer: Spencer Horwitz, PIT

Do you know who the top scoring 1B has been over the last month? No, it’s not Spencer Horwitz. That would have been pretty crazy, though, right? The Pirate corner man has been solidly in the top-10, though. Considering the names and performances of his compatriots at that position, that’s not too shabby! What’s kind of wild is that while he’s hit 6 HR over that time, it’s only come with 11 RBI. That’s tough to pull off. The question is, can he maintain it?

In a word…no. His plate discipline has been excellent this season, and that matters in points leagues. But when it comes to extra base hits, things look less promising going forward. So while it’s possible he remains a serviceable option, he’s unlikely to keep the party going in the majority of leagues.

Vibe Killer: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR

Four homers on the season. One in the last month. That is not what you had in mind when you clicked the “Draft” button in the second round. He certainly has it in him to go on a binge and pop 10 in a month, but it’s impossible to deny he’s been a huge downer to this point.

Second Base

Vibe Bringer: Kody Clemens, MIN

At CBS over the last month, Roger’s kid has been the number two 2B, while over at ESPN, he comes in sixth. Where has this come from at age 30? He did manage to hit 19 HR last season, but it came with a .213 AVG and .281 OBP. So far this season, he’s at 11, .243, and .305, respectively. Seven of those HR have come over the last month. Regression is undoubtedly coming, but his having triple eligibility (1B, 2B, OF) could help him maintain some value as a utility knife in daily leagues.

Vibe Killer: Jose Altuve, HOU

Last month, Altuve was spared from taking this spot because he was on the IL. No such luck this time. He has hit 4 HR over the last month, but it comes with a shockingly low .217 AVG. He also doesn’t have a steal since returning to the active roster. At 36 years old, it’s entirely possible his running days are behind him. An abundance of hits used to be his calling card, but those are lacking, too. Like with Salvy, it’s looking like his time as a set-and-forget, must-start player may be over.

Third Base

Vibe Bringer: Matt Chapman, SF

What a difference a month makes. He was among a group of disappointments in the Vibe Killer section in May. Since then, he’s been the top scoring 3B in the league. The Savant page still looks really ugly, but his first couple months were really bad. He’ll cool back down, but his recent run does serve as a reminder that sometimes guys just slump, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re cooked forever.

Vibe Killer: Maikel Garcia, KC

Garcia has actually hit .288 over the last month, but it has been both entirely empty and affected by injury. Last season, he hit 16 HR with 23 SB and 39 2B. So far this season, he’s sitting at 3, 15, and 16. He’s also on pace to strike out more and walk less than he did a year ago. It’s been a problem. Basically, he’s looked a lot more like the hitter he was in 2024 than the one he was in 2025, and that’s a bummer.

Shortstop

Vibe Bringer: Brooks Lee, MIN

Over the last month, Lee has been a top-3 SS. This is what his Savant page looks like.

Does that look like the profile of someone with 7 HR and 20 RBI over the last month? It sure doesn’t to me! And yet, that’s exactly what he’s done. Use him while he’s doing well, but be ready to abandon ship, because I can’t imagine the good times continuing to roll on.

Vibe Killer: Trea Turner, PHI

Outfield

Vibe Bringer: Tyler Soderstrom, ATH; Bryan Reynolds, PIT; Jackson Chourio, MIL

Chourio was drafted way higher than the types I typically include in this space, but the vibes have been so good, I just couldn’t help myself. (This is also true for Soderstrom, but to a lesser level.) It certainly appears as though the breakout is happening, and he’s still only 22 years old. He’s just so fun.

Vibe Killer: Kyle Tucker, LAD; Riley Greene, DET; Chandler Simpson, TB

These guys, on the other hand, have not been fun. I don’t know if Tucker is struggling under the pressure to live up to the amount of money the Dodgers are paying him this year, or if he just doesn’t care now that he’s getting $60m regardless. I’d like to assume it’s the former, but it’s not like it makes it any less annoying for those who drafted him. Nothing under the hood looks good, but it also doesn’t look terrible. So hopefully he’ll figure it out soon and return to being the player he’s been for years.

Greene’s problem this year is that he’s just not hitting homers at the rate you were hoping he would. And over the last month specifically, he just hasn’t been getting many hits at all. He does that, though, as he’s tended to be fairly streaky during his career. His metrics all look pretty good, or at least about what you’re used to when it comes to his K%, so I’d expect him to be better going forward than he has recently.

Simpson is still owned in 70% of CBS leagues and 36% of ESPN leagues. I think both those numbers are too high. Over the last month, he’s hit .189. Not surprisingly, that comes with 0 HR and 3 RBI. The bigger issue is that he has as many SB as he does CS, which is 1. For the season, he has 15 SB, but he’s been caught 8 times. Add it up, and he’s not worth using in leagues that count SB for 2 points, and utterly useless in ones that count them for 1.