Lotta movement to cover this week. The Royals lineup looks pretty different these days with Jac Caglianone beefing up the middle. Vinnie P is heating up with the weather, posting a 167 wRC+ over his last 16 games. Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. are both in rhythm right now, so this team could go on a nice summer run. They’re 32-and-29 despite scoring six fewer runs than the Chicago White Sox this season.
Mets 2B Ronny Mauricio was hitting like Thanos with the glove in Triple-A, and the Mets have a spot available for him with Mark Vientos hitting the injured list. The runway is wide open for him to take off a la Nathan Fielder flying a 737. Fate’s in his hands now, and since he’s in the majors, he must be ready.
The Rays threw a curveball at the fantasy community this week when they demoted Chandler Simpson and activated Jake Mangum from the injured list. The Law of Conservation of Chandlers suggests Bubba will be joining the Pirates soon, but back in Tampa, we’ll return to the slow trickle of stolen bases that comes from just about any human not named Chandler Simpson.
Get your lunch meat ready because Mayo is back on the menu in Baltimore. This might sound crazy, but I think Coby-Hits-Jacks is on the bun to stay this time. Yeah. That sounds crazy. But for the first time in a while, they’re not throwing bows in contention. This correction feels like it’s been cooking for a while, and the front office seems to know it. Word is they might trade Eflin and Sugano. Good time to find out where Mayo fits into an everyday menu.
The Phillies are sending RHP Mick Abel out for his second start on Thursday in Toronto. Development is not linear, and Abel has made a leap over the last few months. I’d throw out any memories of his struggles to throw strikes on the way up and approach him as the high-upside prototype he was when Philly picked him 15th overall in the 2020 draft.
Astros 3B Shay Whitcomb has hit his way up the chain and was particularly hot when the team called him up this week, slashing .307/.384/.716 with 12 home runs over his last 21 games. Unclear where he fits into the lineup. Probably a little bit of everywhere.
Of more importance to our game, OF Jacob Melton was also promoted this week. He posted a 132 wRC+ through 17 games in Triple-A and should get something like an everyday opportunity to flash his blend of power, speed and patience over the next month.
The Marlins continued their auditions of might-be major leaguers and landed on Heriberto Hernadez and Jack Winkler. Ronny Simon already found a new home with the Pirates. Matt Mervis might have to wait awhile.
The Giants promoted 1B Bryce Eldridge to Triple-A. The big league team is 3-and-7 over its last ten games. LaMonte Wade Jr. is slashing .167/.275/.271 with one home run through 169 plate appearances. Eldridge is still just 20 years old and might not click right away if the team calls him up, but they don’t have much to lose by giving it a try..
As the national media zeroed in on the Rockies this week, I wondered if they might have the worst competitive spot of any MLB team in the quarter century or so. I’m open to comparative suggestions, but Colorado faces the climate itself first and foremost in ways that are tough to compare to other sports. We’ve learned that the thin air there is uniquely unfit for baseball. The fairly obvious option is to build a stadium with a retractable roof, but that totally defeats the purpose of having a team smack dab in the middle of a mountain vista.
On the bright side, first-round pick Charlie Condon is back on the field, slashing a promising .308/.471/.436 with one home run through 11 games with High-A Spokane.
The Nationals tried and failed to flip closer Kyle Finnegan at the deadline last season, but past isn’t always prologue, and RHP Cole Henry looks like a more obvious endgame-in-waiting than you typically find at the trade deadline. Not much risk in adding Henry now to see how the next few months unfold.
Thanks for reading!
