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By this time of the fantasy season, those in 5x5 Roto leagues should have a good idea which categories they’re set in and also the ones where they could use some help. We’re here to lend a hand with the latter. All of the players listed below are widely available in your standard 12-teamer and are capable of providing a boost.
AVG
Leury Garcia, 2B/3B/SS/OF, White Sox
Due to a bevy of injuries, Garcia has wound up having to play a more integral part of the White Sox’ offense than probably the team envisioned. Over the last month the veteran utility player has turned that opportunity into production, batting .338/.424/.549 with three home runs, 20 RBI and 13 runs scored since June 12. After batting eighth at the start of that span, he’s been in the six hole of late and has held down second base admirably. Garcia’s offense has been pretty lackluster during his career, but he has batted at least .270 each of the previous four seasons. That might not sound like much, but consider the league average this season is just .240. Garcia looks like he can be useful in deeper leagues right now, particularly with the positional versatility.
HR
Max Kepler, OF, Twins
I was fairly surprised to see that Kepler is currently rostered in less than half of Yahoo leagues. Evidently many ran out of patience with the 28-year-old as he got off to a slow start this season while also missing time due to COVID-19 and a strained hamstring. This is a guy who popped 36 home runs in his last full season, though, and he’s found his power stroke this month with four home runs, a double and a triple in nine contests. Moreover, Kepler’s expected stats via Statcast say he’s been unlucky in 2021, and his hard-hit rate (46 percent), exit velocity (90.8 mph) and barrel rate (11.3 percent) are all career highs.[[ad:athena]]
RBI
Orlando Arcia, SS, Braves
The Brewers traded Arcia to the Braves shortly after Opening Day, and the 26-year-old has spent most of this season at Triple-A Gwinnett. He crushed the ball there, putting up a .303/.380/.552 batting line with 13 home runs and five stolen bases across 51 games. Also noteworthy is that Arcia had a 25/25 K/BB ratio, and his flyball rate exceeded 40 percent for the first time since the Dominican Summer League all the way back in 2011. Arcia had never started a game in the outfield in the majors prior to this season, but, due to multiple injuries, he suddenly finds himself as the Braves’ everyday left fielder and No. 5 hitter. In his first seven games since being recalled, Arcia has gone 8-for-24 with one homer, six RBI and one stolen base. Although he ultimately disappointed on the whole during his time in Milwaukee, Arcia was a worthy fantasy contributor at times. He’s a viable dart throw in deeper formats.
SB
Oscar Mercado, OF, Indians
Mercado looked like he might be a fantasy stalwart when, in his rookie season in 2019, he went 15-15 in 115 games for the Tribe. However, 2020 was a disaster for the 26-year-old, as he got off to a woeful start and never recovered, ultimately spending a chunk of his year at the Indians’ alternate site. He then failed to make the Opening Day roster this season, which was an even bigger indictment when you consider the club was playing guys out of position in center field instead. Mercado’s promotion in late June was more out of need than him earning it considering he had just a .719 OPS at Triple-A Columbus. He did hit five homers and steal nine bases for Columbus, though, and Mercado has followed that up with a nice start in Cleveland, most recently stealing a base Friday and stealing another while also homering Saturday. I can’t feign a ton of confidence in Mercado, but he has an opportunity right now and can steal some bases while also smacking the occasional long ball.
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R
Brandon Nimmo, OF, Mets
Nimmo was off to a fantastic start this season before he suffered a finger injury in early May. He had a couple starts and stops during the rehab process and wound up missing two months of action. Since returning earlier this month, the outfielder has posted a .316/.366/.421 batting line with nine runs scored in 10 games. Nimmo isn’t going to offer a ton in the power or stolen base departments, but he has elite on-base skills and bats atop a Mets lineup which is finally almost at full strength. The 28-year-old has the potential to score a boatload of runs after the All-Star break if he can stay healthy, and he’s still on the waiver wire in two-thirds of Yahoo leagues.
W
Logan Webb, SP, Giants
The 2021 campaign has been a frustrating one at times for Webb, who has made two separate trips to the injured list because of shoulder issues. However, the 24-year-old rejoined the Giants’ rotation last Friday and tossed three scoreless innings against the Nationals, striking out four along the way. He was optioned a day later, but that was to keep him stretched out so he is ready to take his turn after the All-Star break. The appearances are spread out over two months because of injury, but Webb has allowed just two runs while boasting a 25/3 K/BB ratio over 20 frames covering his last four starts. He should be ready to go five innings in his next outing and is well-positioned for wins with the Giants.
ERA
Wily Peralta, SP, Tigers
Please attempt to stifle your laughter. Peralta hadn’t made a start in the majors since 2017 when the Tigers called him up last month, and all he’s done over six appearances – five starts – is put up a 2.08 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 16/7 K/BB ratio over 26 frames. The key for him has been a split-change, an offering he started throwing in 2019 with the Royals when he pitched out of the bullpen. He’s thrown the pitch 84 times so far in 2021 and opponents have collected exactly zero hits against it. It has a whiff rate of 35.7 percent. Peralta is throwing the splitter about 20 percent of the time, but it would probably behoove him to pull a Kevin Gausman and double that usage. Obviously, there’s loads of risk here, and you shouldn’t be afraid to immediately pull the plug if things turn sour for Peralta. He has my attention, though.
WHIP
David Price, SP/RP, Dodgers
Remember him? The Dodgers took Price up on his offer when he said he’d be willing to pitch out of the bullpen this season to accommodate the team’s growing starting pitching depth. However, with that depth suddenly thinning out, Price is needed in the rotation. He made his first traditional start last Friday versus the Diamondbacks and fanned three over three scoreless innings. I use the word “traditional” loosely, as Price obviously isn’t stretched out for a normal workload yet, but it was the first “start” in 2021 for him that wasn’t an opener assignment. Price threw a season-high 51 pitches in the start, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think he could reach five innings in his first outing after the All-Star break. The southpaw should get some wins on the Dodgers even as he builds up his stamina on the fly, and he’s always offered a good WHIP due to large part to his superb control.
K
Triston McKenzie, SP, Indians
It’s certainly fair to label McKenzie a bust at this juncture of the 2021 season. He was selected in virtually all mixed league drafts this spring but has wound up going back-and-forth between the majors and minors, posting a 5.47 ERA over 12 appearances – 11 starts – with the big club. McKenzie’s control has been non-existent, as he’s walked a whopping 40 over 49 1/3 innings. The good news is he’s remained very difficult to hit (29 hits allowed) and he has still missed a bunch of bats (68 strikeouts). McKenzie put it all together last week against the Royals, limiting the free passes to one while also giving up just one hit while fanning nine over seven shutout frames. The 23-year-old’s track record prior to this year suggests that the control should improve, and McKenzie has always been a bat-misser.
SV
Heath Hembree, RP, Reds
Have the Reds finally found their closer? Cincinnati’s bullpen has been a headache for manager David Bell and fantasy managers alike this season, but of late they’ve mostly settled on one guy, and it’s been an unlikely choice in Hembree. The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Indians back in February before being released and catching on with the Reds. He was called up in late April and has struck out a whopping 51 batters over 30 innings, although that’s also come along with a 4.80 ERA. Hembree has been excellent of late, holding a 2.08 ERA and 16/5 K/BB ratio over 8 2/3 innings covering his last 10 appearances, and he’s nailed down five saves over that span. Home runs and walks are a concern, but Hembree certainly appears to be the preferred choice in the ninth inning right now for a red-hot Reds team.
