Major League Baseball

Covered by Smada

Ronny Maurico, 3B NYM (MLB)

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

Mauricio has never been my particular cup of tea, but I understand the appeal of the physical tools. There’s a good amount of swing and miss with a below average walk rate. However, across his two MLB stints he’s hit 6 HR and stolen 9 bases over 198 PA, which points to a potential 20/20 player if everything comes together. The playing time has been sporadic since being recalled in early June, with days off against LHP. He’s a tough player to roster in dynasty, but not a bad bench piece for a rebuilding squad.

Jackson Holliday, 2B BAL (MLB)

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

Speaking of 20/20 potential with low walk and some whiff… we give Holliday a lot more rope than Mauricio because a) he’s 21 and b) he’s leading off every day. He got really aggressive with the Swing% over the last couple months but it’s starting to come back down. 

Giancarlo Stanton, DH NYY (MLB)

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

Since returning from the IL Stanton has started about 70% of the time and has been more-or-less the player he’s been the past couple of seasons. Ben Rice is a better hitter at this point, but you’ve got to give the vet his PA.

‼️Brayan Bello, RHP BOS (MLB)

9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 10 K

This has got to be a great sight for the Bello believers! The complete game is the first of his career and the shutout was ruined with 2 outs to go as Hunter Goodman tagged him. Over his last 7 games Bello has been pretty solid with a 2.78 ERA over 45.1 IP and 5 QS. The season ERA sits at 3.27 but the FIP and xFIP tell a different story of 4.37 and 4.25 respectively. Seems like a great selling opportunity after facing the lacking COL lineup.

Eury Perez, RHP MIA (MLB)

5 IP, 2 H, ER, 8 K

After having some trouble with free passes in his first 4 starts back, Eury has turned things on in his last two, allowing a combined 4 baserunners over 11 IP with 15 K. He’s showing everything you’d like to see in his return and the command & HR will guide the line.

Matt McLain, 2B-SS CIN (MLB)

1-for-4, HR, R, RBI

After a month of June in which it seemed like he was beginning to figure it out again with a 124 wRC+, McLain has gone cold again over his 7 games in July. The barrel rate just isn’t the same and too many balls have been in the air which has just left the whole profile lacking. All that to say he’s still got a shot at a 20/20 season so long as the Reds keep throwing him out there in the top half of the order. 

Jac Caglianone, RF KC (MLB)

1-for-4, HR, R, RBI

We know Cags can hit the long ball but he hasn’t done much else over his first 31 big league games. Really just comes down to the chase and learning the zone. Minimum 100 PA, he’s 5th lowest out of 371 in seeing balls in the strikezone. Good news is he makes a ton of in-zone contact and we know that contact will end up being loud. Patience is needed here.

🍔🍟 Harrison Bader, LF MIN (MLB)

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

Bader has been a sneaky good backup fantasy option this season with 11 HR and 8 SB over 257 PA with a .254 BA and .331 OBP. Unfortunately he’s been pretty lucky with the bat with near career low in-zone contact and LD%. While the barrels are up, xStats still have him massively overachieving.  

‼️ Jacob Misiorowski, RHP MIL (MLB)

6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 12 K

Just when you thought he couldn’t get any better he turns in an elite QS. As long as he doesn’t regress back to the 14% BB he had prior to this season he’s going to be a very very good SP.

Wyatt Langford, LF TEX (MLB)

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

This was Langford’s 14th HR of the season and the first in 4 games since returning from the IL. We need this kid to stay healthy and get his rhythm back at the plate.

💣💣 Lawrence Butler, LF SAC (MLB)

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

Brent Rooker, DH SAC (MLB)

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

Nick Kurtz, 1B SAC (MLB)

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

Max Muncy, 3B SAC (MLB)

2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, 

The Sacramento bats came alive at home. Butler might be the streakiest player alive so hopefully the Double Dong gets him moving back into an elite couple week stretch. Rooker continued his march towards a third straight 30 HR season with #19 on the year. Nick Kurtz has a 128 wRC+ thanks to 14 tanks over just 53 games, erasing that slow start. Lastly, Muncy hit his 3rd HR over the last 6 games. Sacramento is a fun team with a wild home park. I’m excited to see what the summer months bring for this offense.

Triple-A

Covered by Nate Rasmussen

‼️Kai-Wei Teng, RHP SF (Triple-A)

5.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 9 K

Kai-Wei Teng should join a loaded Giants bullpen this year. He has the stuff, taking a huge step up with his strikeout rate in 2025. Teng’s K’s jumped from 17% to 37% between this year and last in Triple-A, which is absolutely insane. If his stuff can remain where it is, there is a valuable player in Teng.

‼️Matt Waldron, RHP SD (Triple-A)

7 IP, 4 H, BB, 8 K

MLB The Show legend Matt Waldron diced in Triple-A yesterday. Waldron is not a sustainable pitcher; however, he is fun! The walk rate being so low despite throwing all knuckleballs is an interesting wrinkle for Waldron. Maybe his knuckleball just isn’t that good compared to others this century? It’s hard to tell, knuckleballs don’t mesh with stuff metrics. I think I’ll watch Waldron’s next start to see what the eye test tells me.

Josh Jung, 3B TEX (Triple-A)

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

This one just doesn’t feel right, but Jung and a lot of other Rangers have simply been non-factors this season. I had high hopes for the Rangers' offense, but they’ve disappointed at every step of the way, led by Josh Jung, who had an 82 wRC+ in 75 games this year. The hard thing for Jung is that there hasn’t been a clear drop-off in his under-the-hood numbers; most of his problems are mechanical and mental, which means Triple-A might need to be his home for a bit longer than expected.

💣💣Owen Caissie, RF CHC (Triple-A)

2-for-5, 2 HR, K

Owen Caissie is swinging a really really hot bat, and might be hitting so well that he becomes one of the prizes of the trade deadline later this month. Caissie has been in Triple-A for a long time now, and if the Cubs can’t find a regular role for him, it makes sense to sell high on Caissie before exposing his high K rates to MLB pitching. Caissie can be the main piece in a deal for a good pitcher this offseason, maybe Mitch Keller?

Samuel Basallo, C BAL (Triple-A)

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

Ross Jensen’s #1 prospect hit his 17th home run of the year yesterday while continuing to show his polish at the plate. It’s really hard for me to rank a 1B/DH/C at #1 overall, but if he can catch half of Baltimore’s games, maybe he could be in consideration. I have Basallo comfortably at #3 on my personal top prospect list, which is about as high as I can go for a non-factor at a non-premium position. Let’s hope this extra time in Triple-A helps Basallo’s catching development.

💣💣Yohandy Morales, 1B WAS (Triple-A)

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

Yohandy Morales has gone under the radar as one of the few developmental wins for the Nationals in recent memory. Morales was a second-round pick in 2023 out of Miami, and he’s hit at every stop in the minors up until Triple-A recently. Morales has a good chance to get a lot of run in Washington next year without many MLB level players with potential around him in their system.

Andrew Painter, RHP PHI (Triple-A)

5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, BB, 3 K, 3 HR Allowed

Let’s check in on Andrew Painter for a second. His 2025 return after two years off has been underwhelming, but we should have expected this. Players recovering from Tommy John should have next to no expectations in their first year back, but people like me chose to ignore that fact and assume Painter would be his old self instantly. The command has taken a step back, which makes a lot of sense in this case, but the stuff is nearly as good as it was before surgery, which is a great sign for the young pitcher. I’m not sure if Painter will get much run with the big league squad this year, but I would expect him to be a hot name in the streets again next spring. I don’t normally make dynasty recommendations, but this is a guy I would buy on as quickly as possible if you have the space. There is still SP1 upside in Painter.

💣💣Jared Oliva, RF MIL (Triple-A)

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

A double dong will always get you on my daily sheet, even if you are Jared Oliva. 

💣💣MJ Melendez, LF KC (Triple-A)

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

Another MLB The Show legend, MJ Melendez. The pop has never been a question for Melendez, as seen in yesterday's double dong; however, there are a lot of other holes in the slugger's game. After starting this year in the big leagues, Melendez was demoted due to his ISO being half of his typical MLB rate. Melendez has been a net negative at his best through 3 MLB seasons despite good power. When the power ticks down, there isn’t much to like in the profile. I’d love to see Melendez get traded at the deadline for next to nothing to a team like the White Sox or Rockies.

Carter Jensen, C KC (Triple-A)

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

Yeah, close enough, welcome back, Salvy. Carter Jensen has been on an absolute heater recently and might be putting himself in a position to share some catching reps in Kansas City as soon as this year, depending on how the Royals' depth looks in a few months. Jensen has only been in Triple-A for a short time, but is hitting for more power than ever while also striking out a bunch. I’ll be interested to see if the power can stay high when the K rate eventually stabilizes around 25%.

Rich Hill, LHP KC (Triple-A)

4 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 HR Allowed

I hate to even put this here, but I haven’t heard from Rich Hill in a while, and I suppose this is why. Hill has struggled in his attempt to return to the MLB through Kansas City, with a 5 ERA in about 30 Triple-A innings. The biggest problem for Hill is that he’s 45 years old, but the second biggest problem is the walks. It’s pretty hard for a guy who throws 85 mph to succeed while also walking batters.

Double-A

Covered by Matt Thompson

‼️ Sean Sullivan, LHP COL (Double-A)

7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K