Ronald Acuña Jr.’s recent injury has been a significant disappointment for fantasy owners, raising concerns about his long-term placement as one of the top hitters in the game. As one of the most dynamic players in baseball, Acuña’s potential to contribute across all five major fantasy categories makes his health paramount, but those knees are necessary and he is playing with fire going towards a Bryce Harper type career. This season, managing injuries and player performance has seemed more crucial than ever. This week, we explore a few hitters shifting in our rankings due to lingering injuries as we explore the top 100 hitters who can make or break your fantasy team’s success for the rest of 2024.
| Rank | Player | Movement |
| 1 | Mookie Betts | |
| 2 | Shohei Ohtani | |
| 3 | Juan Soto | 1 |
| 4 | Bobby Witt Jr. | 1 |
| 5 | José Ramírez | 2 |
| 6 | Kyle Tucker | |
| 7 | Freddie Freeman | 1 |
| 8 | Aaron Judge | 3 |
| 9 | Gunnar Henderson | 4 |
| 10 | Elly De La Cruz | |
| 11 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | -2 |
| 12 | Yordan Alvarez | |
| 13 | Bryce Harper | 2 |
| 14 | Julio Rodríguez | 2 |
| 15 | Marcus Semien | -1 |
| 16 | Adley Rutschman | 2 |
| 17 | Matt Olson | 3 |
| 18 | Jose Altuve | 1 |
| 19 | Corey Seager | 6 |
| 20 | Adolis García | -3 |
| 21 | Ozzie Albies | 3 |
| 22 | Rafael Devers | 6 |
| 23 | Francisco Lindor | -1 |
| 24 | Pete Alonso | -1 |
| 25 | Christian Yelich | 4 |
| 26 | Austin Riley | -5 |
| 27 | William Contreras | |
| 28 | Ha-Seong Kim | 5 |
| 29 | CJ Abrams | 1 |
| 30 | Ketel Marte | 2 |
| 31 | Anthony Volpe | 4 |
| 32 | Christian Walker | 4 |
| 33 | Michael Harris II | 5 |
| 34 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 3 |
| 35 | Josh Naylor | 5 |
| 36 | Marcell Ozuna | 23 |
| 37 | Manny Machado | -3 |
| 38 | Will Smith | 3 |
| 39 | J.T. Realmuto | 3 |
| 40 | Teoscar Hernández | 4 |
| 41 | Kyle Schwarber | 6 |
| 42 | Spencer Steer | -3 |
| 43 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 12 |
| 44 | Bryan Reynolds | 1 |
| 45 | Bo Bichette | 1 |
| 46 | Paul Goldschmidt | 2 |
| 47 | Corbin Carroll | -21 |
| 48 | Randy Arozarena | -17 |
| 49 | Oneil Cruz | |
| 50 | Alex Bregman | |
| 51 | Trea Turner | -8 |
| 52 | Andrés Giménez | -1 |
| 53 | Mike Trout | 7 |
| 54 | Alec Bohm | 3 |
| 55 | Vinnie Pasquantino | -2 |
| 56 | Luis Robert Jr. | -2 |
| 57 | Riley Greene | -1 |
| 58 | Tyler O’Neill | -6 |
| 59 | Nolan Arenado | -1 |
| 60 | Brent Rooker | 1 |
| 61 | George Springer | 6 |
| 62 | Anthony Santander | |
| 63 | Daulton Varsho | |
| 64 | Willy Adames | 6 |
| 65 | Ezequiel Tovar | 8 |
| 66 | Salvador Perez | 13 |
| 67 | Jordan Westburg | 4 |
| 68 | Royce Lewis | 4 |
| 69 | Lane Thomas | -4 |
| 70 | Cody Bellinger | 12 |
| 71 | Nico Hoerner | 6 |
| 72 | Jarren Duran | 23 |
| 73 | Cedric Mullins | -9 |
| 74 | Ryan Jeffers | |
| 75 | Tommy Pham | 11 |
| 76 | Gleyber Torres | 4 |
| 77 | David Fry | NR |
| 78 | Maikel Garcia | 10 |
| 79 | Jurickson Profar | 2 |
| 80 | Evan Carter | -14 |
| 81 | Jo Adell | NR |
| 82 | Matt Vierling | NR |
| 83 | Isaac Paredes | 9 |
| 84 | Jake Cronenworth | 7 |
| 85 | Luis Arraez | NR |
| 86 | Christopher Morel | NR |
| 87 | Wyatt Langford | 2 |
| 88 | Dansby Swanson | -20 |
| 89 | Cal Raleigh | 1 |
| 90 | Brice Turang | NR |
| 91 | Ke’Bryan Hayes | -13 |
| 92 | Jeremy Peña | 7 |
| 93 | Ryan McMahon | NR |
| 94 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | -1 |
| 95 | Starling Marte | NR |
| 96 | Yandy Díaz | -13 |
| 97 | Carlos Correa | -3 |
| 98 | Davis Schneider | NR |
| 99 | Taylor Ward | NR |
| 100 | Zack Gelof | -24 |
Rising
- David Fry – Much has been written about the versatile player for the Cleveland Guardians. He has shown impressive skill this season teasing of potential that could make him an intriguing fantasy asset. Generally bought this season for his ability to play multiple positions, including catcher, first base, third base and the outfield, Fry’s flexibility added early value in deeper leagues. His minor league track record showed solid power and a respectable average. Those results have carried over into 2024 providing contributions in several categories. It is hard to know if he will keep producing, but the alarm bells only suggest minor regression at this point in time.
- Matt Vierling – Vierling has solidified his playing time with the Detroit Tigers, especially following Kerry Carpenter’s injury. The 27-year-old has earned his spot through a strong performance, hitting .368 with four homers and a combined 21 runs and RBIs over the last two weeks. His consistency has kept him in the top third of the Detroit lineup. Notably, Vierling ranks as the 23rd hitter on the Player Rater over the past 30 days, underscoring his potential value. There is little in his profile to suggest he will regress in value the rest of the season as long as the playing time remains.
Falling
- Randy Arozarena – Randy Arozarena has been struggling this season, trading line drives for pop-ups, resulting in an abysmal .158 batting average. While his counting stats and power have been middling, his general performance at the plate has been disappointing. However, I do see Arozarena as a player that has the potential to turn things around in the latter half of the season, presenting a buying opportunity for managers. Given his current struggles, any buyer should aim to pay about 70 cents on the dollar for his potential rebound. He is dropping this week, but there is still hope.
- Evan Carter – Evan Carter has been sidelined on and off over the past month with a back injury, which eventually landed him on the injured list. If last season’s success was fueled by hard-hitting and a bit of luck, this season has been the opposite. Both his quality of contact and BABIP have declined. While the back injury likely contributes to his performance drop, it also raises concerns for his redraft value. Despite this, Carter remains a valuable long-term asset with potential as a five-category contributor. However, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect an immediate return to form when he comes back.
Watching
- Mark Vientos – With the Mets optioning Brett Beatty to the minors, Mark Vientos looks to have the upper hand on the third base position. A powerful bat in the minors, Vientos has struggled with the strikeouts and has limited speed. However, with third base being a bit thin this season this is the kind of profile you just have to watch as he gets playing time. Vientos may bring himself into the corner infield conversation with hot start, especially if the batting average is able to stay in the surprising .280-.290 range. After all, his major league stint last season paced for mid-20s homer power.
- TJ Friedl – Coming into the season, the question with Frieda was if he could secure a consistent role in the Reds’ lineup. Friedl has the potential to deliver above average returns, particularly in deeper leagues and formats that reward speed and on-base skills. Unfortunately, while due to a number of injuries and even suspensions there have been lineup openings, Friedl has also been hurt. Between a wrist injury and thumb injury, he has only managed eight games this season. While those results have been nothing to write home about, 2023 was not too long ago wtih a 18-steal and 27-homer season.
- Colt Keith – With a .238 average, two homers and three steals, Colt is not exactly off to a blazing start. He now has 50 big league games under his belt. The majority of his production has come in the last two weeks with a .357 average and two of those homers. Keith has a strong minor league track record and may be adjusting to major league pitching. Per the Tiger’s beat writers, a subtle change to reduce movement pre-swing has propelled the improvement. If true and the results remain, he is certainly top 100 hitter material.
