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AVG
Edmundo Sosa, SS/2B, Cardinals
Sosa has started each of the last four games for the Cardinals at shortstop, as he appears for the time being to have leap-frogged the struggling Paul DeJong. In those four contests he’s gone 8-for-14 with one home run, two triples, a double, seven RBI and six runs scored. If we go back to the beginning of August, Sosa is sporting a blistering .392/.483/.667 batting line across 60 plate appearances. Sosa makes a lot of contact and has an elite sprint speed, two things that aid him in hitting for average. He could be a solid source of average the rest of the way if he continues to play regularly.
HR
Ian Happ, OF, Cubs
Happ has had a dreadful season overall for the Cubs and was often finding himself on the bench prior to the trade deadline. However, with the team’s roster re-shuffling Happ is back to being an everyday player and he’s responded with a 1.204 OPS, four home runs and nine RBI over his last 11 contests. Happ is still striking out a lot. In fact, he’s coming off a golden sombrero on Sunday. That said, the 27-year-old’s home runs tend to come in bunches, and he’s certainly capable of being a power asset in fantasy leagues down the stretch.[[ad:athena]]
RBI
Colin Moran, 1B, Pirates
Injuries have limited Moran to just 70 games this season, but he’s been productive when on the field, sporting a solid .286/.343/.429 batting line. That triple slash goes up to .311/.359/.455 against right-handed pitching. Moran is batting .322/.355/.492 with three dingers and 10 RBI over his last 18 contests, and he’s cemented into the cleanup spot in the Pirates’ lineup. Yes, it’s a lineup that’s not going to score a bunch of runs, but there should still be a decent number of RBI chances for Moran.
SB
Leody Taveras, OF, Rangers
Taveras was the Rangers’ Opening Day center fielder, but he flopped in a major way, getting sent back to the minors after a 4-for-46 start which included a 23/3 K/BB rate. The 22-year-old got his act together at Triple-A Round Rock, putting up a .811 OPS with 17 home runs and 13 stolen bases to earn a recall last week. Taveras has gone hitless in his first five games since returning to the majors but has still managed to steal a couple bases. The question here is how badly do you need stolen bases? Taveras is a legit 80-grade runner who is 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts at the big league level. I don’t think he’s ready to hit in the majors, but he’s going to run when he does get on.
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R
Odubel Herrera, OF, Phillies
Herrera has been up and down in 2021 in his return to the majors. The 29-year-old is currently on the upswing, having posted a robust .325/.376/.636 batting line with six home runs, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored in 23 games this month. That hot streak has earned him the top spot in the Phillies’ lineup against right-handers. With Jean Segura, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto batting behind him, Herrera should have the opportunity to score a good number of runs if he can continue getting on base.
W
Corey Kluber, SP, Yankees
Typically I highlight lower-rostered players than Kluber in this space, but he is still available in nearly 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and is slated to make his return Monday, so I felt he was worth bringing up. The veteran right-hander has been on the shelf since early May with a strained shoulder and is expected to be limited to 65-75 pitches on Monday against the Angels. That could make it difficult for him to pick up a win, but if he can just get through five the surging Yankees offense should provide ample support. Kluber is then slated to face the Orioles this weekend. It’s a cushy way to break back in.
ERA
Edward Cabrera, SP, Marlins
Cabrera held the Nationals off the scoreboard for six innings in his major league debut last week before they finally got to him in the seventh. It was an impressive debut nonetheless, even though he only managed to pick up two strikeouts. The 23-year-old held a 2.93 ERA in the minors this season prior to his promotion after putting up a 2.23 mark in 2019. Picking up well over a strikeout per inning along the way. Cabrera is set up for two starts this week versus the Mets and Phillies.
WHIP
Kyle Freeland, SP, Rockies
It seems to be going under the radar how great of a season Freeland has put together. The left-hander struggled in his initial five starts after coming back from a shoulder injury, but in the 12 outings since then he’s been fantastic, sporting a 2.57 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 68/12 K/BB ratio covering 70 innings. I would still be wary of using Freeland for his starts at Coors Field, but thankfully this week he’s got a juicy matchup on the road versus the Rangers.
K
Glenn Otto, SP, Rangers
Acquired from the Yankees in the Joey Votto trade, Otto was awfully impressive in his major league debut last week against the Astros, holding one of the best offenses in baseball scoreless over five innings on just two hits and no walks to go along with seven strikeouts. This came after the right-hander posted a 3.20 ERA and 134/24 K/BB ratio over 95 2/3 frames between Double- and Triple-A. Otto is mostly a two-pitch pitcher and he used his fastball and slider evenly in his first outing, picking up eight whiffs on 20 swings with the latter offering. He might ultimately profile better as a reliever, but Otto certainly appears capable of missing bats and he gets to face the Rockies at home this week.
SV
Adam Ottavino, RP, Red Sox
The Red Sox have, at least for the time being, stripped Matt Barnes of his closer role following a brutal stretch. The beneficiary has been Ottavino, who picked up back-to-back saves over the weekend to push his total on the year to a career-high 10. Ottavino himself has had some struggles in the second half, but he’s turned in six straight scoreless outings. Barnes will probably get his closer job back eventually, but Ottavino is certainly capable of holding things down in the meantime.
