In a bold move, the New York Mets have elevated one of their top prospects, A.J. Ewing, to the major leagues. We’ll explore what this means for Fantasy Baseball enthusiasts, spotlight other players to consider before Tuesday’s games, and highlight key moments from Monday’s matchups.
A.J. Ewing, Outfielder, Mets (16% rostered) – The Mets have decided to bring Ewing up from Triple-A, showcasing their willingness to fast-track talented players. Similar to their earlier promotion of Carson Benge, Ewing’s call-up suggests the team values certain developmental benchmarks over sheer statistics. Ewing has impressed this season with a .339/.447/.514 slash line across two minor league levels. Known for his speed, he swiped 70 bases last year and has 17 steals in just 30 games this season. While not simply a speedster like Chandler Simpson, Ewing displays patience and consistent contact at the plate. His power is still developing, which might tempt major league pitchers to challenge him more. However, many scouts believe he could develop at least average power. Ewing’s potential for Fantasy Baseball is significant, especially in Roto leagues, as he could be a formidable asset if he secures a regular spot. His tenure in the majors may hinge on Luis Robert’s return from injury, signaling the Mets could be anticipating a longer absence for Robert than initially expected.
Henry Bolte, Outfielder, Athletics (6% rostered) – The Oakland Athletics have a penchant for acquiring athletic outfielders with immense potential and some uncertainties. Henry Bolte fits this mold, joining the likes of Lawrence Butler and Denzel Clarke. Displaying impressive athleticism, Bolte has recorded 30 steals and 14 home runs in his last 71 Triple-A games. While his speed was always evident, his emerging power is noteworthy, especially with 12 home runs this season alone. Although his strikeout rate has fallen to 22%, this is due to a more aggressive approach rather than improved contact skills. If Bolte can capitalize on balls in play, this trade-off could prove beneficial. However, his 57% groundball rate raises questions about how well his power will translate at the major league level. His combination of speed and potential for high exit velocities makes him a player to watch in Roto leagues, provided he minimizes his strikeouts.
Peter Lambert, Starting Pitcher, Astros (60% rostered) – While Lambert might not be a must-add in Fantasy leagues, he is certainly making a case for closer attention. Despite a fastball with below-average velocity, Lambert has been effective, generating swings and misses with his entire pitching arsenal. In his latest outing, his changeup and slider were particularly effective, contributing to 10 out of 13 strikeouts. This season, his cutter and four-seam fastball have also yielded positive results. Following a solid performance of seven innings with three runs allowed, Lambert has accumulated 25 strikeouts over 28.1 innings. Although not an ace, he could be a strategic addition against favorable matchups, such as his upcoming game against the Texas Rangers.
Monday’s standouts
Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays vs. Rays: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K – Gausman struggled to find his splitter in this outing, landing it in the strike zone only 19% of the time. This led to an increased reliance on his slider, which, along with his four-seam fastball, was hit hard. Such inconsistency can occur with splitter-heavy pitchers, despite Gausman’s strong start to the season. Recently, he has allowed four or more runs in two of his last three starts. This performance seems to be an anomaly, and Fantasy owners might view it as a mere blip.
Ryan Weathers, Yankees @ Orioles: 6.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K – Ryan Weathers delivered an impressive performance, maintaining a no-hitter into the seventh inning before ultimately allowing two runs. Despite lacking elite velocity, Weathers continues to perform well, though his fastballs are susceptible to hard hits. This vulnerability, paired with a 4.65 xERA that contrasts his 3.00 ERA, presents a concern. With Gerrit Cole’s return from the injured list looming, the Yankees face a decision on Weathers’ role in the rotation, given his recent success.
Michael Soroka, Diamondbacks @TEX: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K – You know, if you take out the one eight-run outing, Soroka has a 1.87 ERA for the season. Even including that one, it’s a 3.53 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. I still think he’s too prone to those kinds of disasters to ever truly feel comfortable trusting him – and I certainly wouldn’t trust him in his next start in Coors Field. But the start after that? Against the Rockies in Arizona? Yeah, I think I’d be cool with that one. And he might get the Mariners in Seattle after that, making for a couple of interesting streaming weeks.
Joey Cantillo, Guardians vs. LAA: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – Cantillo found some success in this one despite not really having his changeup working, no small thing given how dependent he is on that pitch. I’m not really sure that’s a sustainable strategy, but he’ll have better days with his best pitch moving forward, so just be happy you survived this one. I generally think Cantillo is a pretty fringe-y pitching talent despite the solid ERA, so I’m not fully convinced he’s a must-roster pitcher in the long run. But he should be useful for another start against the Reds away from Cincinnati this weekend.
Roki Sasaki, Dodgers vs. SF: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K – I think we’re seeing some growth from Sasaki. The results still aren’t great, but I think this is the closest I’ve come to feeling actual optimism about him since he made it to the majors. The fastball is still bad despite good velocity, but he continues to do some interesting stuff with his splitter, which might actually be best categorized as two different pitches at this point. He’s got the slower splitter that comes in between 85-88 mph that he used exclusively before the past few starts, and then he’s got the harder version he introduced recently that comes in around 90 mph or harder and typically with 900-plus RPM of spin. The slower version is mostly used in putaway counts because he doesn’t command it as well, but the harder version has become more of an all-counts pitch. He still fell short of a quality start against a beatable matchup, and I’m not sure we’ll ever reach the point where I feel comfortable with Sasaki as a reliable starter. But he’s looked better over the past three starts than ever before in his MLB career, and I’ve actually added him in a few leagues just in case he can build on these signs.
Trevor McDonald, Giants @LAD: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – The results could have been worse, given the matchup, but after a pretty interesting debut against the Padres last week, McDonald really didn’t give us much to be excited about in this one. He missed a decent amount of bats with his slider and changeup, but his sinker looks too hittable to buy into as anything more than a streamer, and I don’t think I want to trust it in Sacramento for his next matchup.
News and notes
Nathan Eovaldi was scratched from his start Monday due to left side tightness. He’s considered day-to-day, but I hope you were able to get him out of your lineup for this one.
Mookie Betts was activated and in the lineup batting second. Alex Freeland was optioned to Triple-A. Betts had a hit and a couple of hard-hit balls in his first game back, while Hyeseong Kim figures to continue to see playing time at second base alongside Betts.
Jeremy Peña will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A on Tuesday.
Ryan Helsley hasn’t been cleared to start a throwing program yet. He’s on the IL with right elbow inflammation.
Giancarlo Stanton will undergo tests on his injured right calf in hopes of ramping up to running this week. He’s probably still a few weeks away from returning.
Samuel Basallo was scratched from the lineup with left knee discomfort. He’s expected to avoid the IL, but is dealing with some aftereffects of a collision at the plate Sunday.
Jose Caballero was out of the lineup Monday due to a right middle finger injury. He’ll undergo an MRI, and if he has to miss time, this could be Anthony Volpe’s ticket back to the majors.
Addison Barger was placed back on the IL with right elbow inflammation. He just returned Friday after dealing with injuries to both ankles, so that’s a real bummer.
Well, this is annoying: Bryce Eldridge didn’t start Monday against a right, his second game in a row on the bench. Manager Tony Vitello said Eldridge will receive a chance to pinch-hit in every game that he doesn’t start, but the Giants do want to have Rafael Devers and Casey Schmitt in the lineup everyday, which makes it hard to find a spot for Eldridge consistently. I don’t really see the point of having a 21-year-old top prospect on the roster if you aren’t going to play him everyday. Eldridge needs reps more than the Giants need to marginally increase their chances of getting a hit in a high-leverage spot late in games, which seems to be his primary role on the team.
