The monthly rankings are probably coming Monday, or Tuesday at the latest. Before that, let’s look at a few guys who will be moving up on those lists.
Wilyer Abreu - OF Red Sox - Rostered in 30 percent of Yahoo leagues
When Abreu went on a tear in late April -- he was 18-for 42 with nine extra-base hits in the final 10 games of the month -- his exit velocity data didn’t really match up to his overall numbers. A mediocre May followed and then he missed nearly three weeks this month after tripping down the dugout steps. In four games since returning, he’s just 1-for-12. The batted ball data, on the other hand, is probably more impressive now than it was in April. Since he returned, four of his seven balls in play have been hit hard. In the game in which he got hurt on June 2, he hit balls 112, 108, 104 and 98 mph. For the season, he has barrel and hard-hit rates in the top 20 percent of players.
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Of course, Abreu does strike out a fair amount, but 26% isn’t awful for someone with his power. His contract numbers have also improved some from last year. I was skeptical about Abreu turning into a long-term regular for Boston, but he looks the part now; the power and on-base ability are both there, and he’s a fine defender in right field. The Red Sox are pretty committed to him and are even hitting him in the top third of the order most of the time, so he ought to be taken seriously as a top-50 fantasy outfielder at this point.
Spencer Horwitz - 2B Blue Jays - Rostered in 27 percent of Yahoo leagues
We’ve gone from the Blue Jays overemphasizing defense in most of their moves the last couple of years to choosing to start Horwitz, primarily a first baseman in the minors, at second base against right-handers. I’m still not sure that’s the right call for the team, but Horwitz is excelling at the plate, and it’s worth taking advantage of his second base eligibility.
It’s not really any sort of surprise that Horwitz is raking; he batted .337/.450/.495 for Triple-A Buffalo last season and was at .335/.456//514 this year before being called up earlier this month. The debate has been whether he’d offer enough power to justify a job as a first baseman or designated hitter against righties. As a second baseman, the lack of homers is much less relevant, but it seems unlikely that he’ll display enough range to remain there for long. Fortunately, that might not really matter this season; the Jays seem poised to sell at the deadline and could have another spot open for Horwitz in the final two months. He’s not going to be a fantasy stud as only a modest contributor in homers and a zero in steals, but he’s legit when it comes to hitting for average and, even if the Jays sell off players, he’ll probably be fine in runs and RBI while hitting in the top half of the order.
Robbie Ray - SP Giants - Rostered in 23 percent of Yahoo leagues
When the Mariners traded Ray to the Giants for Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani in a swap of bad contracts over the winter, it was hard not to wonder if maybe they would have just been better off standing pat. After all, Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner, offered far more intriguing upside than the two veterans the Mariners were getting back. We’ll get to start to see just how big of a mistake in the coming weeks, as Ray, who underwent Tommy John surgery after just one outing last year, has thus far made five rehab starts in the low minors, striking out 17 and walking just one in 9 1/3 innings. The Giants will likely aim to have him back right after the All-Star break, though they will need to get an extension on his rehab assignment first.
Of course, Ray is hardly a sure thing to help the Giants in the second half. He’s been average more often than awesome as a major leaguer and at times has been considerably worse than that. At 29 percent, he has one of the best strikeout rates in major league history, but those strikeouts have often come with plenty of walks and homers. The good news for Ray is that he’s now in a tough home run park in what’s been a pretty tough home run year on the whole. He’ll probably be inconsistent in his first few months back, but with the current environment working his favor, it’d be nice to have him stashed in mixed leagues.
Quick Hits
- I wasn’t going to give Noelvi Marte a full writeup again, but he’s back now and still available in 61% of Yahoo leagues. That’s likely to change quickly.
- Given the way the Guardians have handled Kyle Manzardo and Johnathan Rodriguez, it’s fair to be skeptical about Jhonkensy Noel’s role following his promotion this week, especially given that he didn’t start Thursday after homering in his debut Wednesday. Still, there’s a whole lot of power here, and if he gets off to a hot enough start to force the Guardians to use him regularly, he’ll be worth trying.