The Texas Rangers were dealt a stunning blow this past Wednesday when superstar shortstop Corey Seager (hip) was placed on the 10-day IL with right-hip discomfort. It’s unclear the severity of his injury (or when and where Seager picked it up, for that matter) but when asked whether it would effectively end his season, neither he nor general manager Chris Young would give a direct answer. Aside from missing some time in June and a poor April in which he hit .208, the tenth-year veteran sported .287, .311, and .282 averages in May, July, and August. The 30-year-old also ranked in the 90th percentile or better in many batted-ball metric categories.
Luckily, it isn’t all bad news for MLB squads and fantasy managers, as many big-name players are returning from extended stints on the shelf. Texas Rangers ace Jacob DeGrom spun another scoreless outing in his most recent rehab start, which lasted 2.2 innings. The plan is for DeGrom to make his next rehab appearance Saturday and rejoin the Rangers rotation afterward. Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (ankle) could potentially return this weekend for the team’s series against the Astros. Lastly, Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) could also potentially be ready to return today (Friday) after running and taking live batting practice Thursday morning. Tucker’s injury, which has long been reported as a shin contusion, has recently been detailed as a fracture – providing a new update explaining the length of his time spent away from the team.
As always, we’ll do our best to cure your fantasy ails by offering some intriguing options to consider while they’re hot. As per 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 on this list more than once if they continue to rake from weeks prior. Let’s get into it.
Cedric Mullins, OF - Baltimore Orioles (54% Owned)
During his six-game hitting streak, Baltimore OR Cedric Mullins is a cool 9-for-21 (.429). He’s driven in five RBI and chipped in a homer and two steals during the hot streak, and has stolen seven bases over his last 18 games – putting him within reach of 30 steals for what would be the third time in his career. Despite his season-long .231 line, he’s been a more significant contributor over the last few months.
Mullins hit a paltry .214 before the All-Star break, but since then is batting a solid .274 across 106 at-bats. The veteran outfielder stole 16 bags before the break and worked his way to a 14:65 BB:K ratio. However, he’s already up to 10 swipes since then, with a vastly improved 19:21 BB:K. Snag him before he no longer qualifies for this list.
Geraldo Perdomo, 2B/3B/SS - Arizona Diamondbacks (43% Owned)
Arizona 2B/3B/SS Geraldo Perdomo has multiple hits in three of his last five games. Only one of those went for extra bases (double), but he’s been a solid play since June even though he didn’t take on a more prominent role until July. Perdomo hasn’t hit for less than .271 since June, and he’s been even more productive since the break.
The 24-year-old shortstop is up to 12 doubles and 30 runs scored since mid-July – both superseding his first-half totals – and has hit either first or second in the D-backs lineup over their last three contests. It will be interesting to see if Perdomo keeps that up with the impending return of Ketel Marte. Regardless – he’s been an excellent four-category contributor with six steals over that timeframe as well.
Lars Nootbar, OF - St. Louis Cardinals (24% Owned)
Cardinals OF Lars Nootbar has started September on a absolute tear. He’s batting a mind-blowing .538 (7-of-13) with a homer, double, and two steals. He’s got a dead-even 3:3 BB:K ratio, too. Nootbar has multiple hits in two of his last four games and at least one hit in 16 of his previous 18. That includes nine in a row.
The former eighth-round pick was one of my favorite breakout picks in 2023, but he seems to have found another gear this year. A 91.9 average exit velocity is good for the best of his career. Additionally, his 50.2% hard-hit rate is up over 13 points from last season and is the first time he’s reached that mark as a pro.
Victor Robles, OF - Seattle Seahawks (16% Owned)
Seattle OF Victor Robles is the most productive player featured on this list in terms of the number of fantasy points scored over the last week. Robles has been excellent, with multiple hits in six of his previous nine games. It’s been a bit all-or-nothing for him as he was hitless in the other three, though he did not once produce negative fantasy points.
He’s been a strong performer for the Mariners since the All-Star break, with a fantastic .303 average. The 27-year-old outfielder has also nearly doubled his steal total since mid-July, as he’s up to 15 after just eight in the first half. He’s snuck into the one-hole a couple of times over the last few games as well, and if he had a few more regular appearances, would also have a nice boost to his counting stats. Robles has a 1.125 OPS over 21 September plate appearances.
Ty France, 1B - Cincinnati Reds (8% Owned)
This past Thursday, Reds 1B Ty France hit his 12th homer of the season – reaching his 2023 total in 37 fewer games. The Reds’ first baseman has been on a tear, with multiple hits in three straight games and five of his last nine. That includes a three and four-hit performance as he has suited up to play in seven consecutive contests. France is up to a .296 average since the break, and is halfway to his first-half home run total in just under a third of the plate appearances.
The 30-year-old journeyman is an outlandish 9-for-14 (.643!) in September with one long ball, a two-bagger, one steal, and two walks to no strikeouts. With an insane .929 slugging, France has a ridiculous 1.617 OPS in the month. He’s locked into the heart of Cincinnati’s order and can be counted on while he’s on this hot streak.
Deep League Options
Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS - Pittsburgh Pirates (7% Owned)
Pirates 2B/SS Nick Gonzales has been all over the lineup since his return from the injured list with a groin injury. He’s hitting a solid .300 (12-for-40) with five RBI, five runs scored, three doubles, and a steal. Gonzales has a palatable 19% strikeout rate on the year and has missed just one appearance since his return. Three of his last six games have resulted in multi-hit outings.
Mickey Moniak, OF - Los Angeles Angels (6% Owned)
Los Angeles OF Mickey Moniak has been on the strong side of a platoon for the Angels this season but has found his power stroke over the last seven games. Moniak clobbered five long balls in that time frame and had four straight two-hit games. He’s still striking out a ton (27.1% since the break), but has surpassed his pre-All-Star home run total (5) by three and is just four off his double total of ten. A solid .280 average since the break is far better than he hit in any other stretch of the year.
Pitching/Streaming Options
Jeffrey Springs - Tampa Bay Rays (48/78% Yahoo!/CBS)
Tampa starter Jeffrey Springs appeared in this column last week in anticipation of his scheduled two-start week, but that was pushed back to Monday, so he’ll be featured here again – for many of the same reasons he was considered in the last column. Springs has now allowed two or fewer runs in 5-of-7 starts and most recently pitched his longest outing of the season against the Minnesota Twins. Despite the low strikeout total of four – he allowed just one run on four hits across six innings of work – he was able to get his first quality start of 2024.
The 31-year-old will have his work cut out for him this week as he’ll face both a formidable Philadelphia Phillies lineup and an elite Cleveland Guardians order. However, Springs has been mostly excellent – allowing three or fewer runs in all but one of his appearances. If you’re opposed to his start against the Phillies, make sure you grab him early for his second start of the week.
Rhett Lowder, - Cincinnati Reds (11/30% Yahoo!/CBS)
It’s a small sample, but Cincinnati starting pitcher Rhett Lowder has thus far impressed in his big-league debut. Across 10.1 innings, Lowder has amassed a 0.87 ERA with nine strikeouts. Curiously he has allowed eight free passes, but the Reds’ No. 2 prospect did not experience control issues throughout his meteoric rise up the Cincinnati farm system. Despite letting up four of those walks in his last outing against the Houston Astros, the 22-year-old allowed no runs on four hits while punching out three batters over 6.1 innings of work for his first career quality start.
The seventh overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft has an excellent first matchup of the week against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Redbirds are ranked 24th in the league in runs per game (4.1), and Lowder has a fantastic .217 xBA against in his two starts. His second start comes against a more challenging Minnesota Twins squad, but if he pitches well against the Cards, I’ll have no fear of throwing him into my lineup again later in the week.
In conclusion, as Week 24 of fantasy baseball approaches, staying ahead with emerging players and key injury updates is crucial for success. With stars like Corey Seager sidelined and others like Jacob deGrom and Kyle Tucker poised for a return, navigating these roster changes will be vital for fantasy managers. Additionally, players like Cedric Mullins, Lars Nootbar, and Geraldo Perdomo are heating up at the perfect time, offering valuable contributions that could be game-changers in your league. Whether it's finding a deep-league gem or capitalizing on a player's hot streak, every decision matters in these final weeks.
As we enter the critical stretch of the season, make sure to keep an eye on injury updates, performance trends, and roster adjustments to maintain an edge. The names mentioned above provide great opportunities to fill gaps or bolster your lineup as the fantasy season winds down. Now is the time to act quickly and strategically to make a final push toward victory.
