Major League Baseball

Covered by Greg Hoogkamp                                                                                                                                     🍔🍟Will Benson, CF CIN (MLB)

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

We all know that Benson’s power is off the charts; he can crush baseballs. He also runs extremely well for a man his size (6’4, 230 lbs). So, for fantasy, his potential is immense. In 2023, Benson had 11 HR and 19 SB in just 329 plate appearances and many thought this was the beginning of a special run. However, since then, it’s been a struggle for the Reds outfielder. The tools are still there, but the consistency just hasn’t materialized. Benson surprisingly excels hitting breaking balls (.449 wOBA), but struggles against fastballs (.264 wOBA). This would point to an approach philosophy change, since in his successful 2023 season, he fared very well against heaters (.394 wOBA). All this said, Benson remains a fun (but sometimes frustrating) player to roster, and is best deployed as a platoon (possibly home-matchup only) option for your roster. 

William Contreras, DH MIL (MLB)

5-for-7, HR, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI

Contreras struggled in the first half and has not returned the investment fantasy managers put into the Brewers backstop. Friday night showed the ceiling Contreras still has with his 5-hit performance. Contreras’ barrel rate is half of what it was last season (4.8% compared to 10.0% in 2024); he isn’t hitting the ball as hard as he did one year ago (45.8% hard hit rate compared to 49.5% this season). It’s possible nagging catcher-type injuries are to blame, or just a slow start because since the All-Star break he’s hitting .357/.383/.589 with 3 HR in 60 PA. There’s nothing to worry about here; expect a strong finish for Contreras. 

‼️Brady Singer, RHP CIN (MLB)         

6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K

It has to feel great when your front office makes some moves to push chips in at the trade deadline. While they don’t seem like huge needle-movers (Hayes, Andujar and Littell), the Reds find themselves just 3.5 games out of the wild card race. Singer hasn’t been quite as good as he was last season, but he’s been serviceable as a back-end rotation option. Friday night was his best game as a Red, holding the Braves scoreless over six innings while striking out 10 batters. The Reds will need him to provide more starts like this if they want to get back into the playoffs. Subtract a blowup start against the Nats on July 21st and he’s been solid over the last two months and beyond. He should be a decent option moving forward. 

‼️Trevor Rogers, LHP BAL (MLB)

8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

Rogers’ trade to Baltimore has been described as a heist by the Marlins. Kyle Stowers was selected to play in the All Star game this summer and Connor Norby has shown glimpses of being a solid regular. Rogers posted a 7.11 ERA in four starts after the trade in 2024 making this trade look like a big mistake by the O’s. Rogers was hurt leading into 2025 and didn’t debut until May 24th. In nine starts, Rogers has been nothing short of brilliant posting a 1.44 ERA over 56.1 innings with a 16.7% K-BB. He probably won’t ever match the expectations he set for himself in his first two seasons (30.0 K% in 2020, 28.5 K% in 2021), but the level he is performing at now has been very nice. He’s upped his fastball usage nearly 10% while dropping the usage of his sinker and slider to compensate and it’s worked to great effect. Adding a tick and a half of velocity (finally feeling healthy?) certainly helps. 

🍔🍟Bobby Witt Jr., SS KCR (MLB)

1-for-3, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, SB

This is my first time writing about Witt Jr. this season and since I don’t roster him anywhere, I really didn’t have a good grasp of how he was doing. While he hasn’t provided quite the same elite production as his 2024 MVP-finalist season, he’s been very good. His .288/.342/.498 line with 16 HR and 29 steals will play. Knowing there is another level or two above what he is doing now is nice; can he get there this season? Witt owners contending for a league championship sure hope so. 

‼️Hunter Brown, RHP HOU (MLB)

7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Hunter Brown has really solidified himself as the 1A to Framber’s 1 in the Houston rotation. And you could easily make the argument Brown has supplanted Valdez as the ace for the Astros. Brown has been very consistent since the beginning of the season posting sub-3.00 monthly ERA’s in April, May, June and July. His first August start was what we’ve come to expect from him. He’s raised his strikeout rate over 30.0% (30.4%) for the first time in his young career while dropping his walk rate to a career-low 7.6%. Brown’s 4-Seamer is an elite pitch (17 run value, .209 wOBA, 31.1% whiff rate) and sets up his sinker and curveball very well. Lean on Brown down the stretch as he should continue his dominance. 

‼️Robbie Ray, LHP SFG (MLB)

7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HR

Ray is finally healthy and providing the value the Giants had expected when they traded for him in January of 2024. Ray uses his 4-Seam (.282 wOBA) and slider (.249 wOBA) combination over 72% of the time to great effect and compliments them with an improved changeup (35.8% whiff rate). When healthy, Ray is a solid two or three for your fantasy rotation and will always be a great option pitching his home games in San Francisco. 

‼️Gavin Williams, RHP CLE (MLB)

6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

I’ve always loved Williams, so the inconsistent start to his major league career was tough to watch. Some things have clicked for Williams as he’s posted a 2.84 ERA over the last two months. The surface stats have been kind to him this season as his underlying metrics point to a higher ERA, but Williams is learning on the job and someone with his level of talent and track record should continue to adjust. Williams needs to continue to drop his walk rate (12.6%) if he wants to achieve his SP2 ceiling. He’s a pitcher to invest in moving forward. 

💣💣👟Anthony Volpe, SS NYY (MLB)

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

Volpe has been a punching bag for Yankees fans; why do they always need someone to beat up? While it’s been somewhat (probably more than somewhat) warranted, Volpe silenced the haters (for at least one night) on Friday. Volpe has the ability to put up games like this, but consistency has been a huge struggle in his Sophomore season. The only shades of red on his Savant page are his Chase rate and sprint speed which is exactly how he needs to play. Provide a competitive at bat and use his speed to impact the game. Worrying about anything else (especially in New York) will get you nowhere (well, it actually might get you shipped out of town). Hopefully for Volpe owners, this is the start of a nice run in the second half. I’d expect more growing pains, but Friday was a nice game to dream about. 

👟Jasson Dominguez, LF NYY (MLB)

3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, BB, 2 SB

Punching bag number 2 in New York also had a great game for the Yankees to try and bridge the gap while Judge heals. Dominguez has been better than Volpe this year, but still hasn’t met the lofty expectations of Bomber-nation. A .750 OPS with poor defense isn’t good enough for this World Series-or-bust squad. With a strong finish, Dominguez could still challenge for a 20/20 season (he’s at 9/18 currently); he just needs to barrel a few more fly balls to combine with his 50.0% hard hit rate. I think he’s a tweak away from really starting to break out. 

‼️Michael Wacha, RHP KCR (MLB)

8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR

The Royals continue to get great mileage out of their veteran starters; Wacha did it again on Friday. He’s been incredibly dependable in a supporting role for Kansas City (3.35 ERA in 2024, 3.38 ERA in 2025). It’s too bad Ragans and Lugo have been hurt this year, because this Royals team is fun to watch. It was somewhat surprising that they kept all of their veteran arms at the deadline, but a boost of confidence like this can really help a team, and don’t look now, but they are just 3.5 games out of the Wild Card race. Expect more of the same from Mr. Wacha. 

🍔🍟👟Agustin Ramirez, C MIA (MLB)

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

Ramirez has really cooled off since I last wrote about him in early-June. He’s hit just .236 over the last two months and was even worse in July with a .198 mark. His overall season production of 15 home runs and 5 stolen bases has been excellent at the catching position, especially for a rookie. Ramirez is approaching his career high in games for a season, so he might be starting to wear down a little bit; the major league season is a grind. Expect a few more days off for him, but maybe this will help him get his rhythm back and start producing again.  

💣💣Javier Sanoja, 3B-LF MIA (MLB)

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

Sanoja is a deep deep-league play (probably only 30-teamers), but he provides value because of his versatility. He’s already 2B/OF eligible for 2026 and should gain 3B and possibly SS before the season is out. Sanoja is a contact oriented profile with chip-in power and speed. In deep daily leagues, he’s a good option for your bench and good for you if you had him in your lineup Friday!

Ezequiel Tovar, SS COL (MLB)

4-for-6, 4 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, K

As aggressive as they come, Tovar is gonna let it eat whenever he gets a chance. His four doubles vs the Pirates show his capability as a backend starting SS. Tovar is a profile I don’t generally gravitate towards because of his chase. While providing games like this, the other side of the equation (swinging at pitches early in the count and getting himself out) will frustrate the daylights out of managers. He’s been making it work and could possibly sustain it for several seasons, but these profiles tend to age poorly without improved strike zone management. There have been some improvements made here (+1.6% BB rate, +5.9% hard hit rate), so I would hold and not think about sell-high just yet.

Warming Bernabel, 1B COL (MLB)

4-for-6, HR, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, K

What a start for Bernabel; 11 hits in his first 6 games! Bernabel is no longer a middle infielder and might now be just a first baseman, but he’s seemed to figure out some things since he fell off the prospect map in 2023. Bernabel hit .301 in 85 games at Albuquerque this season with an 89.1 zone contact rate (reminder that everyone and their grandma hits there) and has hit the ground running for the Rockies. He’s probably 15-20 homer-bat at peak, but he’s at the very least a streamer for the time being. 

Brenton Doyle, CF COL (MLB)

4-for-6, HR, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB

Ugly, ugly, ugly is probably an apt description for Doyle’s season. It could always have tipped this way with his history and profile limitations, but betting on the athlete is never a bad thing. Doyle showed great growth in 2024, but hasn’t put it together this season. Doyle has struggled against fastballs (specifically sinkers, which is something he had success with last season) which has really held him back. We know the defense can be elite (not quite as much this season), so he should be out there every day and July was a much better month for him (.327/.351/.400) so we could be seeing the tide turn and a strong finish on the horizon. The high strikeouts and low walks will always be a thing, but the power and speed is what you want from Doyle. 

‼️Nick Pivetta, RHP SDP (MLB)

7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR

It’s finally all coming together for Pivetta; who else rostered him hoping for the next big thing during those early years in Philly? Yeah, me too. The Padres have been able to unlock it all and Pivetta (with some fortunate bounces here and there) has posted a 2.73 ERA through 22 starts in 2025. Friday night vs the Cardinals was more of the same. Pivetta’s fastball remains the bread and butter of his arsenal, but his curve and sweeper have taken major steps forward this year. He’s a fly ball pitcher which does make you feel a bit uneasy at times, but his high strikeout rate and low walk rate will limit the damage for any homers he gives up. Trust in the Canadian!

Triple-A

Covered by Will Thompson

🔜Aaron Nola, RHP PHI (Triple-A)

3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Nola kicked off his rehab yesterday working back from a rib injury and looked really sharp. The righty got stretched out to 47 pitches so he’ll likely have to make a couple more starts before being slotted back into the Phillies rotation. Nola’s return will solidify the Phillies five-man rotation and likely replace Taijuan Walker. 

Jhostynxon Garcia, CF BOS (Triple-A)

Game One: 2-for-3, 2 2B, R, RBI

Game Two: 1-for-3, HR, R, 4 RBI, K

The Password’s name was floated around in trade rumors but ultimately stayed put. He had a monster doubleheader against Lehigh Valley yesterday, including a grand slam in game two that went 441 feet. The power that was absent in Portland early in the year has shown up in full force with Worcester, but it’s hard to see where he fits into a crowded outfield picture in Boston. I’m also not the biggest fan because there’s a ton of swing and miss. 

🆕‼️David Sandlin, RHP BOS (Triple-A)

5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

The hard-throwing Sandlin shined in his Triple-A debut for Worcester yesterday and touched 98. The fastball shape isn’t great and he still needs a more reliable third pitch to stick as a starter. Even if Sandlin’s long-term home is in the bullpen, there’s definitely some upside here.  

Forrest Whitley, RHP TB (Triple-A)

5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

The Rays are stretching out Forrest Whitley into being a starter and he’s quietly been awesome in that role. I just can’t quit Whitley yet, the stuff was still there when I saw him in Sugar Land earlier in the season, up to 97 with a plus cutter/slider that generates whiffs. He’s not on the 40-man anymore so the Rays can take their time here, but Whitley has 4 walks to 30 strikeouts in 18.2 IP since joining Durham. 

‼️Erick Leal, RHP NYY (Triple-A)

7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

Leal isn’t a prospect, but a complete game (even if it’s seven innings) will always get a shoutout on the Daily Sheet. The 30-year-old pitched in Mexico for the last four seasons before returning to the US this season to pitch with Scranton.