Approaching Week 10, the season's midpoint for those transitioning to football and a crucial juncture in the fantasy baseball season, injuries have left their mark. Week 9 delivered a devastating blow, as Atlanta Braves star OF Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the year. Acuna's setback last Sunday marked the climax of an unfortunate industry wide injury trend, halting his season and leaving a void in both MLB and fantasy rosters. Given his dynamic play and status as a top pick in fantasy drafts, Acuna's absence is keenly felt. Since his 2023 performance set a high bar, his setback this season is irreplaceable. However, we remain hopeful for a swift recovery.
As always, we’ll do our best to cure your fantasy ails by offering some intriguing options to consider while they’re hot. As usual, for a hitter to qualify for this list, he must be less than – or around – 50% owned in Yahoo! Leagues. Additionally, a player will only appear here twice if they continue raking from weeks prior.
Jonathan India, 2B - Cincinnati Reds (46% Owned)
Cincinnati 2B Jonathan India has been a strong play in his last seven games. Over the previous week, he’s 6-for-17 (.352 Avg) with a grand slam and a double while swiping a base. While we don't expect much power, moving forward he could provide an excellent batting average boost. Currently India presents as more of a Roto play while the hits are falling – but I’m encouraged by his plate discipline, which has seemingly turned a corner.
India’s strikeout rate is acceptable – minimally down from last season – but he’s increased his BB% by 4.5 points up to an excellent 14.3%. In fact, he’s walked more than he’s struck out over the last week – 5:3. While he’s hitting just .222 on the year, Statcast has him pegged for an xBA of .266, which hints at some positive regression for the keystone occupant. India's BABIP supports this notion as it is down from a year ago and well under .300 – a mark he eclipsed in his first two seasons in the big leagues.
Joey Ortiz, 2B/3B - Milwaukee Brewers (42% Owned)
The last time I wrote about Brewers 2B/3B Joey Ortiz, he was barely owned (only 1/10 of leagues). Since then, his ownership has sky-rocketed and will disqualify him for this list shortly. Ortiz got an opportunity to lead off this past Wednesday – a trend that hopefully continues. Either way, he's continued to hit regardless.
His .280/.382/.492 triple slash is more than solid, and his K:BB ratio is nearly even over 161 plate appearances. In the past I’ve talked about players who average roughly one fantasy point per at-bat, and Ortiz certainly qualifies. Over his last 71 at-bats, he’s accrued 71.5 fantasy points (depending on your scoring). Fire him up if necessary, as you might not see him much longer.
Matt Vierling, 3B/OF - Detroit Tigers (40% Owned)
Detroit OF Matt Vierling has been excellent over the last few weeks in May. In 22 games this month, he’s hitting .312/.337/.610 with five long-balls and 21 RBI. Additionally, Vierling has hit no lower than third over the last five days and has been on quite the power binge with four of his five home runs for the month during that span.
Vierling's .279 xBA aligns with his .288 average on the season, and five of his eight walks on the year have come in the last two weeks. He isn’t hitting over his head, either, as his .333 BABIP is just 12 points higher than his 134-game sample from a year ago. Most encouragingly, his average exit velocity is up to 92.3 MPH – three MPH more than in 2023.
Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS - Pittsburgh Pirates (28% Owned)
Former Pittsburgh first-round pick Nick Gonzales has been stellar since his call-up. Gonzales is another hitter who qualifies on a near 1-to-1 ratio of fantasy points to at-bats and has been better than that over the last week. He’s also worked his way up to as high as fourth in the batting order. While Gonzales doesn’t exactly “qualify” for Statcast metrics just yet, there’s a lot of red on his page – which is what we love to see.
Compared to his stint in the majors last season, his average exit velo has jumped by five MPH (90.9), and he’s registering a hard-hit ball twice as often – all the way up to 52.1% of the time. It’s unclear how sustainable Nick's .313 average is, but this is a player who routinely registered a .350+ BABIP over every level of ball that he’s played. Despite the good numbers, Gonzales is still striking out quite a bit, so he may not be the type of player you need, especially in points leagues. However, even if you don’t necessarily need him, this might be someone to stash if you have an extra roster spot. I’m not calling “breakout” just yet, but it certainly looks like the start of one.
Masyn Winn, SS - St. Louis Cardinals (23% Owned)
Cardinals SS Masyn Winn has been a machine over the last two weeks. The steals aren’t there, but he’s in the middle of an 18-game hit streak. Perhaps most impressively, Wynn has struck out just once in his last 38 at-bats, tallying 15 hits during that span. The average is excellent, and the comically low K% is something we rarely see.
There’s not much power to see here – just two home runs over 159 at-bats – but Wynn is a fantastic source of batting average right now and more likely to help us in Roto leagues until he starts to steal a few more bags. Regardless, he’s on an impressive run and garners our attention while he’s this hot.
JJ Bleday, OF - Oakland Athletics (21% Owned)
Oakland OF JJ Bleday continues to impress. He’s locked into the second spot in the batting order, and while he can’t fully replace Acuna for your squad, he’s got the exact same average as Acuna did before going down (.250) with twice as many home runs (8). While Bleday has decent speed, the comparisons to Acuna end there, as he has yet to swipe a bag.
This marks the third-week Bleday appears in this column, and I don’t expect him to be here much longer if he keeps swinging the bat the way he is. With his two-hit effort this past Wednesday, Bleday is up to a 1.036 OPS in his last nine games, racking up eight XBH in that span. He’s even continued to cut his K%, matching that with an identical 12.2% BB%.
Deep League Options
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 2B/3B/OF - Toronto Blue Jays (10% Owned)
Toronto utility player Isaiah Kiner-Falefa has been on fire over his last eight games. Over the sample, Kiner-Falefa is batting a spectacular .400 with three doubles, a triple, and a home run. If he can maintain his .729 OPS, it would easily mark the highest of his career. Additionally, he's striking out just 14.5% of the time while adding positional flexibility.
Pitching/Streaming Options
Trevor Williams, Washington Nationals (44%/51% Yahoo/CBS)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams has been uber-solid thus far in 2024. While I’d like to see him strike out a few more batters and get past the sixth inning with regularity, he hasn’t let up more than three runs in any appearance – pitching to a pristine 2.22 ERA.
Williams has two juicy matchups this week at home against the Mets and the Atlanta Braves (sans Acuna Jr.) The latter is a smidge riskier, but Williams is worth an add if you’ve got a roster spot to stream. He’s done an excellent job of limiting the long ball, and his advanced metrics mostly agree with his stat line, always a good sign.
Matt Waldron, R - San Diego Padres (13/36% Yahoo/CBS)
Padres starter Matt Waldron has been up-and-down this season, but is currently coming off arguably his best start of the year. This past Tuesday, he blanked the Marlins at home with seven innings pitched, six hits allowed, no walks, and 8 K's. In fact, he’s struck out 25 batters over his last 17 2/3 innings and hasn’t let up more than two earned runs since his start against the Diamondbacks back on May 5th.
He’ll toe the rubber against the Los Angeles Angels and those same D-Backs in Week 10, and while the latter presents a potentially tough rematch, it’s hard not to be intrigued by him while he’s pitching so well.
In Week 10 of Fantasy Baseball, injuries continue to shape the season, with Ronald Acuna Jr.'s ACL tear marking a significant loss for both MLB and fantasy teams. While Acuna's absence creates a void, we remain committed to providing solutions to bolster your lineup. Our recommendations focus on players owned in Yahoo! Leagues at around 50% or less, with repeat appearances indicating sustained performance. From Jonathan India's impressive plate discipline to the surging performances of Matt Vierling and Nick Gonzales, there's no shortage of talent to consider. As we navigate the midpoint of the season, our aim is to equip you with the tools needed for success. Best of luck in Week 10!
