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AVG
Harold Ramirez, OF, Rays -- Available in 95 percent of Yahoo leagues
Ramirez ended his excellent week at the dish with two hits, including a home run against the Blue Jays on Sunday. He went 12-for-29 with five multi-hit games since Tuesday. After starting the year in a short-side platoon, his skills at the plate have earned him everyday playing time. The 27-year-old outfielder is hitting .323/.372/.444 with four homers and three steals across 218 plate appearances. His 13.8 percent strikeout rate combined with a 43.7 percent hard-hit rate makes it easy to buy into his hit tool. A 52.1 percent ground ball rate will cap his power. But Ramirez should continue to help in batting average going forward while chipping in some counting stats in the top half of the Tampa Bay lineup.
HR
Darick Hall, DH, Phillies -- Available in 96 percent of Yahoo leagues
The Phillies recalled Hall to help fill the hole Bryce Harper left in the lineup when he landed on the injured list with a broken thumb. Hall was hitting for plenty of power in Triple-A, blasting 20 homers across 315 plate appearances with a .894 OPS to earn the callup. He connected to three hits over his first four games, with all three leaving the yard. Hall isn’t likely to help in batting average. And he appears to be on the strong side of a platoon at designated hitter to start off, playing against right-handed pitchers. But with all six games this week projected to come against right-handed starters, Hall could be a streaming option for fantasy teams in deeper leagues looking for a boost in power.
R
Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox -- Available in 65 percent of Yahoo leagues
Duran is proving to be a much different hitter than when he got an opportunity with the Red Sox last season. He produced a .578 OPS in 2021 with a 35.7 percent strikeout rate as he tried to gear his swing toward more power. Getting another chance with the major league club this season, he’s shifted to a more contact-oriented approach, and it’s working. The 25-year-old outfielder is hitting .333/.389/.530 with one homer, ten runs scored, and four steals across 72 plate appearances while striking out 18.1 percent of the time. It’s a small sample, but he’s improved his zone-contact rate from 81.5 percent last season to 92.5 percent this year while making better swing decisions with a lowered chase rate. And he may not be sacrificing so much of the power he flashed in the minors last season. Duran has already recorded five barreled balls, six doubles, and a pair of triples in his 16 games. Hitting leadoff for the Red Sox, he could be a valuable addition in fantasy leagues, capable of providing production across the board.
RBI
Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B/DH, Royals -- Available in 69 percent of Yahoo leagues
Pasquantino received his much-anticipated promotion after hitting .280/.372/.576 with 18 homers and 67 RBI across 296 plate appearances in Triple-A. Despite going just 2-for-15 at the plate this week, he’s already displaying the elite contact and plate discipline that made him one of the Royals’ top prospects. The 24-year-old slugger has stuck out only twice in his 20 plate appearances while drawing five walks. And with seven hard-hit balls, including a 112.7 mile per hour max exit velocity, it’s only a matter of time before they start to drop for hits. And hitting cleanup in the Kansas City lineup, he’ll be in line to drive in runs when they do.
SB
Jonathan Villar, 3B, Angels -- Available in 88 percent of Yahoo leagues
Things didn’t quite work out so well for Villar in Chicago. He hit just .222/.271/.327 with two homers and six steals across 166 plate appearances before the team waived and released him. The Angels were quick to sign the 31-year-old veteran given their need for help in the infield. With Matt Duffy on the injured list, Villar is expected to get regular playing time at the hot corner. In his first game with the Angels on Sunday, he hit leadoff and drew a walk. Hitting atop the order may not be a regular thing for Villar. But with everyday at-bats, he could chip in a bit of speed for fantasy teams looking to supplement their stolen bases.
W
Zach Plesac, RHP, Guardians -- Available in 58 percent of Yahoo leagues
Plesac has been on an impressive run of late, tossing at least six innings in each of his last six starts. He’s allowed one run or less in four of those starts, including a six-inning scoreless effort with seven strikeouts against the Twins his last time out. Plesac has recorded a respectable 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts across 79 1/3 innings for the season. He’s not producing a high strikeout rate, showing 2020 was an outlier. But he continues to do an excellent job of keeping runners off base with a six percent walk rate. Plesac will try to keep the run going this week with two starts, beginning with a matchup against the Tigers in Detroit. He’ll end the week with a start against the Royals in Kansas City.
ERA
David Peterson, LHP, Mets -- Available in 65 percent of Yahoo leagues
One of my favorite streaming options this week, Peterson is coming off a ten-strikeout performance over six innings in a win against the Rangers. Though he’s been excellent all year, posting a 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts across 58 1/3 innings. One of the areas he’s excelled at is limiting hard contact with a 54.5 percent ground ball rate. He’s in line for a start Thursday against the Marlins in New York after coming off the paternity leave list. Miami has struggled all season against left-handed pitching, producing a .617 OPS and 78 WRC+ against southpaws. Only the Guardians have been worse. And it’ll be the third time in four starts facing the Marlins. He’s held them to two runs with 15 strikeouts across 12 1/3 innings across the first two matchups.
WHIP
Drew Rasmussen, RHP, Rays -- Available in 47 percent of Yahoo leagues
Rasmussen returned from the injured list on Saturday and went 4 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays, giving up one earned run with a pair of strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander has recorded a 3.30 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts across 62 2/3 innings this season. He gets a good matchup this week against the Reds in Cincinnati. The Reds have recorded just a 5.8 percent walk rate over the last two weeks, second-worst in baseball, while producing an 85 WRC+.
K
Yusei Kikuchi, LHP, Blue Jays -- Available in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues
This one is definitely the riskiest call on the list this week. Strikeouts are the only thing you can really hope for when starting Kikuchi. The 31-year-old left-hander has a 4.74 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts across 62 2/3 innings. He’s coming off a good start against the Rays, giving up one run over six innings with eight strikeouts. More encouraging than the whiffs was the fact he walked only one batter. Targeting the Oakland lineup has been a regular occurrence when looking for streamers. We’re going back there again with Kikuchi. He’ll get the A’s in Oakland, followed by a start against the Mariners in Seattle in a two-start week.
SV
Lou Trivino, RHP, A’s -- Available in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues
After Dany Jiménez hit the injured list with a shoulder strain, it appeared AJ Puk would be best suited to step in as the A’s closer. He did get the opportunity but couldn’t capitalize with three blown saves. The experienced Trivino stepped up and saved three games, giving him five on the season. While the situation is far from great when it comes to chasing saves, Trivino looks like the best option -- at least until Jimenez returns. Teams in deeper leagues desperate for saves could look to add Trivino with the hope he gets a save chance or two this week.
