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Stats

Esmerlyn Valdez stays hot with 11th homer in win

Valdez_Esmerlyn (1).jpg

Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

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Esmerlyn Valdez launched a two-run homer, propelling the Pirates to a 7-1 win over the Guardians in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The magic continues. Valdez picked up right where he left off prior to the All-Star break, lifting a towering fly ball off Guardians starter Gavin Williams that just kept on carrying into the right-field seats to give Pittsburgh a 4-1 advantage in the sixth inning. The 22-year-old slugging prospect has gone deep a staggering 11 times in just 29 games to open his big-league career. He’s going to cool off at some point in the near future since he’s striking out nearly 40 percent of the time and running a BABIP in the .400 range, but he’s clearly going to keep hitting for power, which should keep him fantasy-relevant until further notice.

- George Bissell

Recap

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Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

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Esmerlyn Valdez went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two runs scored as the Pirates defeated the Red Sox 8-3 on Sunday.

Valdez doubled in the first inning and came around to score when Bryan Reynolds followed with a double of his own. He doubled again in the third, this time scoring on a Brandon Lowe groundout. The 22-year-old was off to an electric start in his big league career, but he has slumped in August with a strikeout rate pushing 40%. The slump coincides with a stretch in which the entire Pittsburgh lineup has struggled to produce. Valdez will ultimately be a streaky hitter with big power and big swing-and-miss.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez is not in Pittsburgh’s starting lineup against the Brewers on Thursday.

Since taking a scary-looking hit by pitch last Tuesday, Valdez is 1-for-23 in his last eight games. Ronny Simon is starting in right field against RHP Dustin May.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez (wrist) is in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Diamondbacks.

Valdez managed to avoid serious injury, with initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures, after being hit in the left wrist by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning on Monday night. He’s back in right field and hitting cleanup following the injury scare. The 22-year-old rookie slugger has been an unexpected revelation for Pittsburgh, and fantasy managers as well, hitting .290/.386/.702 with 14 homers and 36 RBI across 145 plate appearances in 38 games this season. He’s overdue for some regression in the batting average department based on his plate skills, but the over-the-fence power is very real and it’s fantastic.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez is listed as day-to-day after getting hit on the hand on Monday night.

Valdez had to be removed from the game and appeared to be in clear pain. However, the X-rays revealed no fracture, so the 22-year-old will simply wait for the pain and swelling to go down before re-entering the lineup. Both the Pirates and fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

The Pirates didn’t provide an update on Esmerlyn Valdez (hand, wrist) following Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks.

It’s surprising that the Pirates didn’t offer a postgame update after Valdez was hit by a pitch during the early stages of Monday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks. The power-hitting 22-year-old appeared to get hit in the left hand/wrist area and presumably underwent X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. It’s possible there was too much swelling to be able to tell anything on initial imaging. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status leading into Tuesday’s contest.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez was removed from Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks after being hit by a pitch on the left hand.

Valdez was struck by a pitch on the left hand during the fourth inning of Monday’s series opener in Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old rookie sensation, who has hit 14 homers in 38 games this season, will head for X-ray to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status following the contest.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez went 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk, two RBI, and two runs scored as the Pirates defeated the Cubs 8-7 on Sunday afternoon.

Valdez’s homer was his 14th this season, tying him for the third-most through 37 big league games, according to Sarah Langs of MLB. It has been an incredible run, but his strikeout rate remains at 38 percent, which will be difficult to overcome over a longer sample. It helps that he’s part of a lineup that ranks second in the majors in runs per game. Valdez is a must-start fantasy option until his power heater fully cools off.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez walloped a two-run homer on Monday in a loss to the Yankees.

Valdez put Pittsburgh ahead with an opposite-field 431-foot tater into the right-field seats against Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. The 22-year-old rookie sensation is up to 13 homers in 32 games at the highest level. The massive over-the-fence pop is very real. However, there are several underlying indicators, most notably his literal .400 BABIP along with a staggering 37.7 percent strikeout rate, that suggest he’s overdue for some regression.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run against the Guardians on Sunday.

Valdez’s home run was his 12th in the first 105 at-bats of his MLB career. He hit a two-run shot off Will Dion in the ninth inning. Valdez will come back to earth eventually, but he’s made it abundantly clear that his power is legitimate by posting a .733 slugging percentage in his first 31 career games.
Esmerlyn Valdez

PIT Right Fielder #55

Esmerlyn Valdez went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer to power the Pirates to a 3-2 win over the Brewers in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.

Valdez did it again, homering in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. This time, he put the Pirates on the board with a two-run blast off Shane Drohan in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of the day after mashing two in the first game and his 10th of the season in just 100 plate appearances while slashing .311/.370/.722.

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Marcelo Mayer

SF 2nd Baseman
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Marcelo Mayer went 1-for-6 with four strikeouts as Triple-A Sacramento’s leadoff man on Sunday.

Mayer, out since late June with a stress reaction in his forearm, is 5-for-14 with a homer in three games since joining the River Cats. They might wait a few more days, but the Giants will likely activate him this week and install him as their starting second baseman.
- Matthew Pouliot

Injury

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Joel Kuhnel

MIL Relief Pitcher #67
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Joel Kuhnel pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings Sunday in his latest rehab outing for Triple-A Nashville.

Kuhnel, out since July 4 with a shoulder impingement, gave up two runs in his first rehab appearance on Aug. 2, but he’s pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings since. It seems like he’s ready to be activated if the Brewers want him back.
- Matthew Pouliot

Injury

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Sal Frelick

MIL Right Fielder #10
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Sal Frelick doubled in four at-bats in his seventh game for Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Frelick, on the IL with a shoulder strain, is 5-for-22 with a homer and five walks since joining Nashville. He could come off the IL and replace Brandon Lockridge on the Brewers’ roster on Tuesday, but given the way he performed before landing on the IL, there’s no need for the team to make him a lineup fixture right away.
- Matthew Pouliot

Injury

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Bobby Miller

LAD Starting Pitcher #28
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Bobby Miller, on the 60-day IL with shoulder soreness, tossed three scoreless frames for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Miller struck out three and averaged 97.3 mph with his fastball in his third minor league appearance. The Dodgers will eventually need to activate him from the injured list and likely will option him to Triple-A when it happens, but perhaps he’ll see some bullpen time in September.
- Matthew Pouliot

Injury

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Ryan Clifford

NYM Outfield #87
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Ryan Clifford struck out all five times he was up for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

The left-handed-hitting Clifford, who previously projected as a solid platoon guy as a first baseman or corner outfielder, has been one of the biggest disappointments in the minors while hitting .175/.267/.344 with a whopping 164 strikeouts in 431 plate appearances for Syracuse. He has too much power to be given up on at age 23, but it’s going to be tough for the Mets to justify adding him to their 40-man roster this winter.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Ramón Urías

STL 3rd Baseman #29
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Ramón Urías finished 0-for-4 in a second straight hitless game for Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.

Urías, on the IL since early May with an elbow injury, is 6-for-31 with two homers and a 13/2 K/BB in 11 games since resuming a rehab assignment with Memphis. Perhaps the Cardinals will activate him soon in place of Blaze Jordan or Bryan Torres, but releasing him could also be on the table. The 32-year-old Urías is a nice utilityman in theory, but after missing so much time, he doesn’t seem poised to help much this year.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Daniel Palencia

CHC Relief Pitcher #48
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Daniel Palencia fanned three of the four batters he faced for Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.

Palencia topped out at 100.0 mph in his fifth rehab appearance as he makes his way back from a flexor strain. He should come off the IL this week, though since Jacob Webb is performing very well, he probably won’t go back to closing right away.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Danny Jansen

TEX Catcher #9
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Danny Jansen finished 2-for-3 with a walk for Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Jansen, on a rehab assignment from a forearm strain, is 5-for-15 in five games for Round Rock. He caught back-to-back games the last two days, so it seems quite possible he’ll be activated Tuesday.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Ethan Salas

SD Catcher #90
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Ethan Salas homered and doubled to drive in four runs for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

Salas is hitting .377/.453/.698 with three homers and 20 RBI in 14 games since moving up to El Paso at the end of last month. It’s hard to imagine the Padres introducing him to the majors in the middle of a pennant race, but he’s back looking very much like one of the game’s best prospects.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Samuel Basallo

BAL Catcher #29
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Samuel Basallo doubled and struck out three times in his first game for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.

Basallo, who is on the IL with shoulder inflammation, caught most of the game before exiting late. He seems likely to be back with the Orioles by Friday at the latest.
- Matthew Pouliot

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