Early season despair -- it grips us all. Whether it's a flurry of injuries or one of your stars coming out of the gates cold, it's happened to all of us. Fortunately, baseball is a long season -- no need to panic. The season is so long that you still have plenty of time to climb out of your hole (if you're in one). I wouldn't suggest a roster shakeup just yet, as your slumping stud could quickly come out and make you regret dumping him. Still, if you're inclined to trade a struggling bat or arm, do your research. Making a rash decision at this point in the season can put you further behind than suffering through the slog of a slow start.

Speaking of injuries, we've been up and down in early 2025. The biggest unfortunate news over the last week is that Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (elbow) will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his flexor tendon. Per manager Craig Counsell, it's unclear if Tommy John will be required. Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (elbow, shoulder) is reportedly dealing with a shoulder injury separate from the elbow issue that has sidelined him since spring training. Rodriguez will be getting a second opinion on his shoulder. In other pitching news, Washington Nationals pitcher DJ Herz (UCL) is set to undergo Tommy John and likely won't be back until next July. Though he searched for a second opinion, not much could be done for the partial tear he experienced. Fortunately, the injury news isn't all bad, as some big-ticket athletes are on their way back after stints on the IL.

As a reminder, this column typically assumes point formats and will only feature athletes at or around 50% ownership on Yahoo! A player will only appear on this list twice if he continues from weeks prior. Happy hunting!

Waiver Adds

Jonathan Aranda, 1B/2B - Tampa Bay Rays (50% Owned)

Jonathan Aranda hasn't done much against left-handed pitching this year, but he's mashing against righties. If you're not inclined to scoop up an asset on the strong side of a platoon, the 26-year-old isn't for you. Still, there's a lot to like under the hood, even if he isn't occupying an everyday role.

Aranda has been electric, compiling a .377/.443/.679 triple-slash with three home runs, seven doubles, 11 runs scored, and 11 RBI through 53 at-bats. Not only has he cut his strikeout rate (16.4%) and bumped up his walk percentage (9.8%) from 2024, the Tijuana native has seen spikes in both average exit velocity (95.0 MPH) and hard-hit rate (59.1%).

He's not going to hit in the high-300s all season -- particularly because he's about 100 points off his career normal BABIP-wise (.415). Still, he should be a useful asset in points leagues, supplying a decent power boost. Aranda's 20 hits thus far are ten off his total from 2024 in 84 fewer plate appearances.

Dylan Moore, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF - Seattle Mariners (43% Owned)

Aside from his enticing positional versatility, Dylan Moore has had a strong start to 2025. The veteran righty is batting a hot .333 (15-for-45) with four home runs and four steals, and it appears that his average isn't a fluke. After four straight seasons of a .205 xBA or less, Moore is sporting a .306 xBA through 49 plate appearances.

The 32-year-old was an excellent source of steals last year (32), but hasn't been much help outside of that statistic since 2020, when he hit .255. While he has yet to hit the robust 12.0 walk rate he authored in 2024, Moore has dropped his strikeout percentage to a respectable 20.4%. That's a career-low if it holds, as his other campaigns present a figure at least 8% higher.

Fear not for his elevated BABIP (.355), because the former seventh-round pick held a .320 BABIP in 2022, resulting in a dismal .224 outcome.

Wilmer Flores 1B - San Francisco Giants (43% Owned)

I've been holding off on writing up Wilmer Flores because I just don't believe the production. His average hasn't exactly caught up, but Flores has been a menace in points leagues -- scoring just under a point per at-bat and ranking as a top 30 player in the format. The 33-year-old has slightly raised his average exit velocity from 2024 but is still only in the seventh percentile of big leaguers. Furthermore, his hard-hit rate is down -- raising even more questions about how he's surpassed his home run total from last season in 150 fewer at-bats.

With that said, maybe we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. The Venezuela native batted a strong .284 in 2023 and has an abnormally low BABIP at present (.204). Flores could see his batting average rise expeditiously over the coming weeks if he can keep up this pace. He currently leads the majors with 23 RBI -- one more than superstar slugger Aaron Judge -- and has kept his strikeout rate down while swinging the bat more.

Interestingly, Flores is making less contact in the zone, but his first-pitch swing percentage has increased. Perhaps being more aggressive at the plate is what's turned around his at-bats.

Tyler Fitzgerald, 2B/SS/OF - San Francisco Giants (40% Owned)

Tyler Fitzgerald is picking up right where he left off. He's getting regular playing time and vastly outperforming his .225 xBA with an impressive .309 average. Typically, this would send me running for the hills, but the Louisville product did the same thing in 2024 -- outpacing his .227 xBA with a solid .280 average over 314 at-bats.

Moreover, Fitzgerald's BABIP (.395) is sitting right around the .380 he held a season ago, so he's probably good at outpacing himself. The 27-year-old is chasing a higher percentage of pitches, but has dropped his strikeout rate by over six points (25.0%) and has been more aggressive at the plate -- particularly on the first pitch.

Fitzgerald is making more contact than he did in 2024 and should continue to be a boost in the stolen bases department with his 93rd percentile sprint speed. He's already up to four through 16 games.

Sal Frelick, OF - Milwaukee Brewers (26% Owned)

Sal Frelick has been excellent to start this year and may only just be heating up. The former top prospect had recorded a middling batting average since his big-league debut in 2023, but a part of his game went untapped. Well, he's flashing it now. As a prospect, Frelick bolstered a 70 grade for his hit tool and legs, and they're on full display in early 2025.

The Boston College alum is hitting a red-hot .318 (21-for-66) with two doubles, two triples, and 11 runs scored. Additionally, he's halfway to his 2024 home run total of two, has already stolen five bases, and his Statcast xBA of .295 supports the increase in batting average. Frelick has dropped his strikeout rate for the second straight year and is back up to a double-digit walk percentage (10.5%).

Though he may never hit for power, the former No. 15 overall pick could morph into a strong three-category producer if he begins to climb in the batting order. I expect him to do so if he continues to hit this way. Frelick has five multi-hit outings already, including a four-hit effort in which he was a long ball away from the cycle.

Deep League Options

Griffin Conine, OF - Miami Marlins (2% Owned)

Griffin Conine has had a nice start, though not in the way we might have envisioned. The former second-round pick out of Duke was known more for his pop in the minors than his ability to hit for average -- particularly when he smashed 36 dingers in 2021 across 108 games and three levels. However, his discipline and eye at the plate are making waves for him in 2025. Conine has always been a high-BABIP guy, so his .390 isn't the least bit concerning. The home runs are likely to start falling, though, as he's registered a bat speed and hard-hit percentage in the 85th percentile thus far. Perhaps most impressively, the 27-year-old has cut his K% to 23.4% -- a stark contrast from the 30% + pace he punched out at in the minors.

Two-Start Streaming Options

Max Meyer, LHP - Miami Marlins (46%/81% Yahoo!/CBS)

I've been fascinated with Marlins pitchers for a while now, ever since Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez got called up in 2017/2018. Somehow, Miami always has some new, intriguing arm, and in 2025, it's Max Meyer. The former third-overall pick hasn't done anything outrageous or flashy, but he's been superb, compiling a 2.63 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a 27:7 K: BB ratio in 24 innings. 

Meyer was up in the majors during July of 2022 for his debut, but was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery that August -- missing the entire 2023 season. Upon his return, he wasn't great, but it's hard to expect any athlete to get back to their old ways after a severe injury.

He's been saddled with two losses already (and wins won't be easy to come by with the Marlins' offense behind him), but all the underlying metrics appear strong. The 27-year-old looks like he's got his stuff back, striking out 27.6% of the batters he's faced and enticing them to whiff 31% of the time (79th percentile). Furthermore, he's inducing a ground ball 57.1% of the time, putting him in the top 13% of big-leaguers.

The Minnesota product will face two favorable matchups this week: at home against the Cincinnati Reds and on the road against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Neither offense is particularly worrisome, and he will not face an overly formidable opposing starter.

Mitchell Parker, LHP - Washington Nationals (32%/63% Yahoo!/CBS)

Mitchell Parker was someone I was all in on last season, despite his up-and-down performance. He was solid, albeit unspectacular, notching a 4.29 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 151 innings pitched with a 7-10 record. To date, Parker is striking out fewer batters and walking more, but has been stellar in 24.1 innings.

The Albuquerque native holds a pristine 1.85 ERA in 2025, and limited the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies to one combined run in his first two starts. He's been even better with getting ground balls, letting up just two barreled balls on 360 pitches. Despite his fastball not being great, his secondary pitches have been clutch, with each garnering a whiff at least 30% of the time.

Parker will square off with two unfavorable starts this week in the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets -- both at home. The Orioles have been one of the better run-scoring organizations in 2025, so I don't blame you if you'd prefer benching him for that outing. The Mets are no cakewalk either, but their top-of-the-order bats haven't exactly woken up yet as they've scored the tenth-fewest runs per game (4.00) in the league.

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your upcoming matchups!