Major League Baseball

Covered by Will Thompson

‼️Carlos Rodon, LHP NYY (MLB)

6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Rodon is on a terrific run right now and that continued with a dominant effort against the Rangers yesterday. He doesn’t throw as hard as he used to, but his slider and changeup are still excellent and that allows him to get the same amount of whiffs still. The lefty also brought a sinker back into his arsenal and while he doesn’t use it a ton, his GB rate is at its highest point since 2019. I don’t think Rodon’s season numbers really do him justice because of his rough first four outings, but over his last seven starts he has a 1.48 ERA and 2.54 FIP. That’s an ace and oh yeah the Yankees have Max Fried too. Pretty incredible start to the season for the Bombers when expectations were low after Gerrit Cole’s injury.  

Devin Williams, RHP NYY (MLB)

1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Okay can everyone chill out about Devin Williams now? The righty has established himself as New York’s setup man for Luke Weaver and this marks seven consecutive scoreless outings. In that span, he’s allowed just two hits and walked one in 6.1 IP while striking out 10. Williams is good enough to be the closer again but Weaver has been so good that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  

‼️Nathan Eovaldi, RHP TEX (MLB)

6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HR allowed

At age 35, Nathan Eovaldi is on the verge of his best season as a big leaguer and finds himself right in the thick of the AL Cy Young race. Similar to Rodon, he doesn’t throw as hard anymore but this year has thrown significantly less fastballs, more cutters, and more curveballs. Eovaldi has 80 grade command and just doesn’t miss spots. Yes, he might give up a solo homer here and there, but his hard-hit rate overall is at its lowest point in four years. This 1-0 loss to the Yankees yesterday perfectly summed up the Rangers season so far. 

💣💣Gavin Sheets, 1B SD (MLB)

3-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI

Sheets is well on his way to smashing his career-high homer mark (15) and is now up to eight already in 42 games. There’s a lot of swing and miss in his profile and he chases too much so I’m not fully sold yet, but he’s destroying the ball when he makes contact (93rd percentile in hard-hit rate). I don’t think Sheets sustains a 133 wRC+ for the full season, but even if he’s a .250/.310/.470 power bat with 25 homers, that’s still a valuable piece to have in a lineup with plenty of talent around him. 

Addison Barger, 3B TOR (MLB)

3-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K

Our own Taylor Corso was all over this a couple weeks ago, but now is the time to go get Addison Barger. He’s only rostered in 1.8% of ESPN leagues and has 3B and outfield eligibility. Over his last 14 games, Barger is hitting .360/.418/.600 with six doubles and two home runs and all of the metrics point to this being legit. He has cut down on his strikeouts significantly and his 58.2% hard-hit rate would be seventh in all of baseball if he qualified, just ahead of James Wood. Barger’s breakout is here, go pick him up now. 

Taylor Ward, LF LAA (MLB)

3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB

The Angels are red-hot and just swept the A’s in Sacramento for their seventh straight win. Ward’s hot streak is a big reason why and he had a monster game yesterday, hitting a go-ahead grand slam with the Halos down 5-2. Ward has had a rough season to this point, but a lot can be attributed to some poor batted ball luck (.232 BABIP, 16.5% barrel rate) that’s started to turn around. 

Zach Neto, SS LAA (MLB)

3-for-5, 2 R, RBI 

Not enough people aren’t talking about the player that Zach Neto is turning into, he is on the cusp of becoming a star. He’s now hitting .296/.341/.560 with a 151 wRC+ and a .410 xwOBA. Neto added a lot more loft to his swing this season and while it’s come with more whiffs, he’s pulling and lifting with the best of them and consistently hitting the ball hard in the air. Combine that with his excellent shortstop defense and you have a guy who might be a top five shortstop in the game once this season is done and is still only 24 years old. 

Brent Rooker, LF SAC (MLB)

3-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K

Rooker has had a down year so far in 2025, but maybe a performance like this will start to get him going. His hard-hit and barrel rates are down although his xwOBA is the exact same as it was last season (.380) when he hit 39 homers and posted a 164 wRC+. He’s probably not going to replicate his 2024 campaign again, but I do think he’s better than what he’s shown so far this season. 

‼️Tanner Bibee, RHP CLE (MLB)

7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

This outing was by far Bibee’s best of the season and he went back to more of his 2024 pitch usage in this start. The righty generated 14 whiffs on the night, including five on the changeup which is a good sign because that has been the pitch that has gotten hammered so far. Bibee has really struggled to get swings and misses this season so we’ll have to see if he can stack some starts like this one together to try and get back to 2024 form. 

💣💣Christian Yelich, DH MIL (MLB)

2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB

It’s been a nightmare start to the season for Christian Yelich, but he still has been able to hit for decent power. A double dong day for the 33-year-old, but the drastic decrease in his in-zone contact rate and overall contact rate is still raising a ton of red flags. Great game for Yelich, but I’m still nowhere close to buying back in on him. 

Spencer Horwitz, 1B PIT (MLB)

2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, K

Horwitz being healthy again has provided an immediate boost to the Pirates lineup and last night he launched his first home run of the season. I’m a huge Horwitz believer and he’s one of the very few building blocks Pittsburgh currently has in their lineup. 

Mike Burrows, RHP PIT (MLB)

5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR allowed

Bubba Chandler steals all the headlines in Indianapolis’ starting rotation, but the Pirates elected to give Mike Burrows a shot to start in the big leagues after an excellent run in Triple-A. His season debut didn’t go very well though, allowing four runs over the first two innings before settling down to get through five. Burrows is only 25, but I wouldn’t add him in fantasy yet. The changeup is a legit plus pitch, but I’m not sure his slider or curveball is good enough to play consistently in the big leagues. 

Matt Olson, 1B ATL (MLB)

3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, K

Olson has been unconscious at the plate this week, going 11-for-21 with three doubles and four home runs. He also might hit 300 career homers at some point this season and is only 31 years old. Maybe a sneaky guy that could threaten the 500 home run club by the end of his career? 

James Wood, LF WAS (MLB)

2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB

Another day, another game James Wood dominates and reaches base four times. He’s only 22 years old and is going to be a superstar for a long time to come. His strikeout and walk rates are continuing to move in the right direction and his hard contact rates are flat-out absurd (57.9% hard-hit, 17.3% barrel). Imagine how many home runs he would hit if he upped his launch angle a bit and added more loft to his swing? But if it’s working so well there’s no reason to mess with it. 

💣💣Jose Altuve, LF HOU (MLB)

2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI

Man did Jose Altuve need a game like this or what? A double dong day in a game where the Astros pounced on George Kirby early and often to get a series-opening win. Altuve has had a brutal start to the season and there’s red flags all over the place. He’s had an amazing career, but it doesn’t look like there’s a whole lot left in the tank if the offense isn’t there, especially given how poorly the left field experiment has gone. 

Lance McCullers, RHP HOU (MLB)

4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, HR allowed

Yes he had the one horrible start against the Reds, but McCullers is showing some signs of improvement. Did people really expect him to just turn into 2020-22 McCullers right away after two and a half years away? The righty rarely threw his fastball or sinker at all in this outing and had a ton of success with his slider and curveball. The command will improve as he gets his feet wet and by the end of the season I bet McCullers will settle in as a reliable back of the rotation arm. 

George Kirby, RHP SEA (MLB)

3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Kirby really struggled in his three Triple-A rehab starts and those issues continued in his season debut against the Astros. I wouldn’t read much into it yet, but getting hit around by a below-average Astros lineup certainly isn’t ideal. He’s been remarkably consistent his entire big league career so I bet he’ll get back to that level sooner rather than later. 

Triple-A

Covered by Rhys White

Christian Franklin, CF CHC (Triple-A)

4-for-6, R, 5 RBI

Jonathan Long, DH CHC (Triple-A)

3-for-5, HR, R, RBI

The lower-tiered Cubs prospects came out swinging in this one. Christian Franklin is an absolute toolshed, but the issue is that I am still worried about whether he will ever hit enough. However, that is fine because, unlike Kevin Alcántara, we aren’t trying to trick ourselves into thinking he is anything more than a fourth outfielder. He can be a worthwhile contributor for the Cubs as a bench piece who plays all three outfield spots. Then there is Jonathan Long, who has a long shot to be part of the Cubs roster, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a major league future. It will probably come in a different organization, but he can be a solid league-average-ish bat with decent contact rates and power.

Rhett Lowder, RHP CIN (Triple-A)

IP, BB

Rhett Lowder will be back and be a steadying force for a sneaky, not-awful Reds roster. I don't think they are a postseason team, but maybe they can get Lowder healthy and Chase Burns up, and then we could be in store for something sweet in 2026.

Nolan McLean, RHP NYM (Triple-A)

6 IP, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 6 K 

Hey, the command was in a good spot, so that is nice. I still have serious questions about his ability to not only throw strikes but command his offerings. However, the fastball and sweeper are so good, along with a strong cutter, that he might be able to be a five-and-dive type of starter, whose command would lead to a few blow-up outings. Nolan McLean could get swings and misses from any of his offerings, but it will just depend on how close he can be to the strike zone. But keep in mind he was a two-way player up until last year, so maybe his command can take an unexpected jump; maybe we are in the middle of that jump? Who knows.

Troy Johnston, 1B MIA (Triple-A)

2-for-4

It is time to start a campaign to free Troy Johnston. It is organizational malpractice that Matt Mervis is in the major leagues over him. Troy at least deserves a shot; Matt Mervis is on his second organization and, frankly, has never done anything to prove he should keep getting these shots, but alas, here we are.

Justin Wrobleski, LHP LAD (Triple-A)

5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 6 K 

Sometimes the kitchen sink approach gives and sometimes it takes, and well, depending on how you interpret this stat line is how you are going to interpret that approach. Wrobleski looks solid enough, and given just how many injuries are starting to stack up for the Dodgers, don’t be surprised if we see him up sooner rather than later where he can be a five-inning guy and just not be awful and keep the machine humming along.

Christian Moore, 2B LAA (Triple-A)

4-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI

A triple away from the cycle for Christian Moore, who could be called up to Anaheim any day now. Honestly, given his current hitting performance, he would likely be one of their better options. His upside projects to 20-25 home runs with maybe 12-15 steals during his best seasons. It is refreshing to see the Angels resist their urges and promote him through the minors in a more conventional manner.

Jac Caglianone, RF KC (Triple-A)

1-for-4, HR, R, RBI

The battle of former SEC stars was worth the watch, as they both hit their first home run in Triple-A. I am excited to see Cags get called up; my prediction is that it will be before June 20th. He has great power, as well as a lot of swings and misses. I can’t wait for him to graduate.