The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Few names in the fantasy baseball universe elicit as many polarizing reactions as Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. Some say that he’s the guy who could steal 80 bases over a full season and win you the stolen base category single-handedly while also contributing 15-20 home runs. Others argue that he’s made of glass and regardless of how dynamic he is, he’s never going to be able to avoid the injured list. Haters will simply point to his .287 career on-base percentage as a reason why he’ll never remain near the top of the Royals lineup -- or even in an everyday role once he’s exposed.
The truth of the matter is, we don’t really know who’s right and who’s wrong yet, though this season has given glimpses into the beliefs of those first two camps.
Entering play on Wednesday, Mondesi had appeared in a total of 10 games this season -- and he didn’t even finish all 10 of them. That’s not ideal. The 26-year-old began the season on the injured list after suffering a severe right oblique strain just days before Opening Day.
He didn’t make his season debut until May 25. Once he did though, he played in seven straight games -- hitting .360/.360/.720 with a pair of homers, five RBI and a stolen base in 26 plate appearances. This was the dynamic five-category contributor that fantasy managers had been waiting two months to finally deploy.
In that seventh game back though, he exited after tweaking his hamstring. After taking it day by day and being held out of the lineup for a week, he was finally placed back on the injured list on June 6 with a left hamstring injury. This one was supposed to be a minor injury though, and it was, as Mondesi returned to the lineup on June 16. He did so with a bang also, smacking a solo home run in a loss to the Tigers. After the team had an off-day, he was back in the lineup again on June 18 -- crushing a three-run homer against the Red Sox. Finally, it was all happening. [[ad:athena]]
After sitting out the second game of the Red Sox series, Mondesi was back for the series finale and went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. He was removed from that game though after he “felt something in his side”. The next day, Mondesi was placed on the injured list for the third time this season -- this time with a strained left oblique.
The calendar then flipped from June to July. Then July to August. Finally August to September. Fantasy managers who had held onto this superstar speedster all season long were beginning to lose hope. After all, this was a player who was drafted in the first two rounds of most drafts in March and had logged just 38 plate appearances on the season.
At long last, Mondesi made his triumphant return to the Royals starting lineup on Wednesday against the Indians as the team’s designated hitter. If any player could get red hot over the final four and a half weeks of the season and carry his managers to titletown, this is the guy.
He certainly didn’t disappoint in his return. In his first at-bat, Mondesi singled to center field. He advanced to second on a single by Hanser Alberto, then swiped third base and came around to score after the throw to third was overthrown. In his next at-bat, he clobbered a 422-foot solo home run off of Logan Allen. All of the tools, all of the promise, all on display in a matter of four innings in Kansas City on Wednesday night.
In each of his next three at-bats, he did something else that he has been prone to do in his young career - go down on swinging third strikes. All told though, with his 2-for-5 night he’s now slashing .366/.381/.854 with five homers, 10 RBI, two stolen bases and a 14/1 K/BB ratio in 11 games.
In all likelihood, this is going to play out one of two ways. Mondesi is either going to stay healthy and dominate over the final month of the season -- swiping a plethora of bases, socking a few dingers and leading his fantasy managers to greatness -- or he’s going to hit the injured list for the fourth time and his season will conclude the same way that it began -- in utter disappointment. If he’s available on waivers in your league though, you probably want to come along for the ride.
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Gerrit Cole - 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 15 K, 43% CSW, 32 swinging strikes
Gerrit Cole was on another planet in his dominant victory over the Angels and likely thrust himself back the front of the race for the American League Cy Young Award. He piled up an absolutely absurd 32 swinging strikes in the contest -- THIRTY-TWO -- while registering a stratospheric CSW of 43 percent. Of the 32 whiffs, 18 came on his fastball.
The 15 strikeouts were a season-high for the 30-year-old hurler while the 32 whiffs were a career-best. It’s the fifth time this year that he has struck out 12 or more batters -- the most in a single season in Yankees franchise history. Now 14-6 on the season, he boasts a 2.73 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 215/32 K/BB ratio over 155 innings. The strikeout total is tops in all of baseball.
Jackson Kowar - 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 30% CSW, 13 swinging strikes
It was far and away the best start in the 24-year-old right-hander’s young big league career. The only damage done against him came on a pair of unearned runs in the fifth inning, but unfortunately that was enough to deny him of his first career victory. The talent is there and the minor league numbers are impressive -- perhaps this time around he’ll deliver on that promise. He also has a juicy matchup on tap against the Orioles for next week.
Luke Weaver - 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 29% CSW, 4 swinging strikes
Making his first start since May 16, Weaver didn’t show any signs of rust in an impressive victory over the Padres, scattering four hits over six innings of one-run ball. The only blemish on his day was a solo blast off the bat of Trent Grisham. Strikeouts aren’t really his thing -- as he generated only four swings and misses in this one -- and he’s unlikely to win many games with the Diamondbacks offense backing him, but Weaver should be able to provide assistance in ratios over the final four weeks of the season. He holds a 4.11 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 41/13 K/BB ratio over 46 innings in nine starts this season.
Hitters with an EDGE
Nick Castellanos - 2-for-3, 2 HR (26), 6 RBI, 3 R, BB
Castellanos had quite the game in the nightcap of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, smacking a two-run shot off of J.A. Happ in the opening inning and then breaking the game wide open with a grand slam off of the Cardinals southpaw in the second inning. He’s having a mighty impressive season in the middle of the Reds lineup, slashing .319/.376/.579 with 26 long balls and 78 RBI in 111 games.
Gavin Sheets - 2-for-3, 2 HR (8), 4 RBI, 2 R
Sheets made a major impact in his return from Triple-A as the rosters expanded on Wednesday, crushing a three-run homer in the third inning and tacking on a solo shot in the eighth to notch his first career multi-homer game. The 25-year-old is now hitting .239/.311/.554 with eight homers and 20 RBI in his first 30 big league contests. He’s only expected to play sparingly down the stretch though, so don’t anticipate him making much of an impact in fantasy leagues.
Akil Baddoo - 2-for-4, HR (11), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
While he may not end up taking home the hardware, the 23-year-old Rule-5 pick has had an extremely impressive rookie campaign and will definitely garner consideration for the American League Rookie of the Year honors. He clubbed his 11th home run of the season in Wednesday’s victory over the A’s and is now slashing .261/.326/.460 with 47 RBI and 14 stolen bases on the season.
Editor’s Note: Drafting is only half the battle! Get an edge on your competition with our MLB Season Tools - available in our EDGE+ Roto tier for $3.99/mo. (annually) or $9.99/mo. (monthly) - that are packed with rankings, projections, a trade evaluator, start/sit tools and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
EDGE Priority Pickup
Carlos Hernandez, SP, Kansas City Royals -- Available in 73% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.
He’s not the type of sexy name that you’re hoping to find on the waiver wire that leads your fantasy squad to a league title over the final 4 1/2 weeks of the season, but it’s hard to ignore what the 24-year-old hurler has done over the past month.
Over his last six outings, Hernandez has registered an outstanding 1.73 ERA, minuscule 0.85 WHIP and a 28/7 K/BB ratio across 36 1/3 innings. He has gone at least five innings in every one of those appearances and went six innings or more in four of six.
He also has a pretty attractive schedule down the stretch, assuming that the Royals keep their six-man rotation and there are no major scheduling changes. He’s lined up to start against the White Sox at home on Friday, which looks like his toughest matchup remaining. From there, it’s at Baltimore, vs Oakland, at Cleveland and vs Cleveland. For a player that’s just sitting on the waiver wire in over 70 percent of all Yahoo leagues, he could be an impact addition over the final month.
Closing Time
Adam Ottavino vs. Rays - 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K (11th save)
With Matt Barnes sidelined on the COVID-19 IL, Ottavino has continued to solidify himself in the ninth inning role for the Red Sox. He made quick work of the Rays in this one, needing just 12 pitches (nine strikes) to get Kevin Kiermaier on a comebacker to the mound and then strike out Joey Wendle and Brandon Lowe. For the season, he now carries a 3.40 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. Don’t be surprised if he holds down the closer’s gig for the remainder of the regular season.
Aroldis Chapman vs. Angels - 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (25th save)
Chapman came on in the ninth inning and did his job to preserve Gerrit Cole’s gem on Wednesday night, retiring all three hitters that he faced to protect a three-run lead. He has now converted each of his first two save chances since returning from the injured list on August 18 and has made good on 25 of his first 29 chances on the season.
Paul Sewald vs. Astros - 1 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K (8th save)
It wasn’t the smoothest of outings, but Sewald managed to pitch his way out of trouble to protect a one-run lead against the Astros on Wednesday. He came on to get the final out in the eighth inning with two men on -- getting Carlos Correa on strikes to end the threat. He then allowed a pair of one-out singles in the ninth to Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman, but wound up getting Kyle Tucker on a shallow fly ball and Jake Myers on a called third strike to end the night. The 31-year-old hurler has been terrific this season, compiling a 2.45 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 79/13 K/BB ratio over 47 2/3 innings for the Mariners.
Thursday’s Matchup of the Day
Logan Webb (SFG) vs. Eric Lauer (MLW)
It’s hard to not be impressed by what Logan Webb has accomplished in the Giants starting rotation this season. The 24-year-old right-hander has been dominant through 20 appearances (19 starts) on the season, registering a minuscule 2.65 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 111/29 K/BB ratio across 105 1/3 innings of work.
He has stepped his game up considerably since the All-Star break. In nine starts since the Mid-Summer Classic, Webb owns a sparkling 1.69 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 53/12 K/BB ratio over 53 1/3 innings. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a single start since May 5 against the Rockies at Coors Field. Pretty impressive.
This will be his second time seeing the Brewers this season, as Webb did battle against them at American Family Field in Milwaukee on August 6. In that start, he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out nine over six frames.
On the other side of the diamond, it’ll be Eric Lauer trying to silence a powerful Giants offense that smashes left-handed pitching. The 26-year-old southpaw has pitched pretty well in 18 appearances (14 starts) on the season, compiling a 3.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 82/31 K/BB ratio over 82 1/3 innings.
Like Webb, Lauer has been on a bit of a run lately, registering a 2.23 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 41/17 K/BB ratio over his last nine outings (eight starts) dating back to June 27. He hasn’t been nearly as efficient though, as Lauer has failed to reach five innings in each of his last three starts. He has not faced the Giants this season.
American League Quick Hits: The Mariners signed manager Scott Servais to a multi-year contract extension. They also announced that general manager Jerry Dipoto was promoted to president of baseball operations and also given a multi-year extension.… Kenta Maeda underwent successful Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. … White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson landed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. … The Red Sox placed Xander Bogaerts and Yairo Munoz on the COVID-19 injured list. … Royals skipper Mike Matheny indicated Wednesday that Adalberto Mondesi will play primarily at third base the remainder of the season. … Shohei Ohtani (wrist) threw a bullpen session without issue on Wednesday. He’ll make his next start on Friday against the Rangers. … The White Sox signed Carl Edwards Jr. to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Charlotte. … The White Sox released right-hander Kyle Crick. … Triston McKenzie will return to the Indians rotation on Thursday against the Royals. … Lucas Giolito (hamstring) will miss his next scheduled start. … George Springer (knee) returned to the Blue Jays lineup on Wednesday. … Gio Urshela was held out of Wednesday’s lineup due to a left hand injury. … Lou Trivino was unavailable on Wednesday due to back spasms. … Aaron Judge blasted his 30th home run as the Yankees topped the Angels. … Miguel Cabrera homered and plated three runs as the Tigers rallied to beat the A’s… Marcus Semien launched his 33rd home run in a victory over the Orioles. … Wander Franco smacked a two-run homer off of Chris Sale, extending his on-base streak to 32 consecutive games. … Christin Vazquez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer as the Red Sox beat the Rays. … Carlos Rodon fanned five over five innings of one-run baseball in a victory over the Pirates.
National League Quick Hits: Wednesday’s scheduled battle between the Nationals and Phillies was postponed due to inclement weather. They’ll make it up on Thursday afternoon. … Mike Moustakas (hip) returned to the Reds starting lineup on Wednesday. … Cardinals manager Mike Shildt acknowledged that Carlos Martinez (thumb) is unlikely to return this season. … The Rockies placed Jon Gray on the 10-day injured list with right forearm tightness. ... Brad Brach (shoulder) began a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville. … Dinelson Lamet returned from the 10-day injured list and will work out of the Padres bullpen down the stretch. … Ke’Bryan Hayes (hand) was held out of the Pirates lineup again on Wednesday. He’s still considered day-to-day. … Ozzie Albies (knee) was kept out of the Braves lineup. He’s considered day-to-day for the time being. … Kyle Freeland was pulled from Wednesday’s start in the second inning due to a left hip impingement. … Matt Duffy was scratched from the Cubs lineup due to neck stiffness. … Pirates prospect Henry Davis will miss the remainder of the minor league season due to an oblique injury. … Johnny Cueto landed on the injured list with a right elbow strain. … Touki Toussaint will start for the Braves on Thursday against the Rockies in Colorado. … Drew Smyly will not make his scheduled start over the weekend and it sounds like he’ll be shifted to the bullpen. … Brett Anderson was pulled from Wednesday’s start with a left shoulder contusion. … Trevor Rogers will rejoin the Marlins rotation on Friday against the Phillies. … Paul Goldschmidt slugged a pair of home runs as the Cardinals topped the Reds in the first game of their doubleheader. … Brendan Rodgers homered and drove in three runs on Wednesday as the Rockies triumphed over the Rangers. … Josh VanMeter homered and plated three runs as the Diamondbacks crushed the Padres. … Yu Darvish was tagged for six runs (five earned) over 2 2/3 innings in a losing effort there. … Justin Steele fired five shutout innings in a victory over the Twins. … Adbert Alzolay worked the final four innings there to earn his first career save. … Frank Schwindel homered for the third straight game to provide the offense in that win for the Cubs. … Max Scherzer fanned nine over six shutout innings in a tough-luck no-decision against the Braves. … Max Muncy slugged his 30th home run in that victory for the Dodgers. … Lorenzo Cain went deep and drove in three runs as the Brewers beat the Giants.
