Now is a good time to look ahead -- particularly if you're sitting atop the standings or consider yourself a strong contender for the playoffs. It's an even better time to cash in on some early-season studs whose metrics don't project to sustain their current pace. That's easier said than done, especially in today's world of savvy fantasy managers. However, I always say, "If you don't ask, you don't get," so it never hurts to reach out to a league mate just to get a conversation going. You never know where it may take you, as it could lead to deals you hadn't thought of and a reliable trade partner in the future.
Again, we saw more injuries with massive implications over the past week, which isn't great. Still, it's not as many as before, and it's about that time of the year, so we'll roll with the punches. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (groin) was placed on the 15-day IL on Friday after picking up a Grade 1 right groin strain. It could be way worse, but it's still not ideal. We'll likely get an update on him in a week or so. Houston Astros pitcher Hayden Wesneski (elbow) was also placed on the 15-day IL this past Friday with elbow discomfort. It's retroactive to Wednesday, but awful news for Wesneski. He's being evaluated. Houston lost another stud earlier this week when they placed outfielder Yordan Alvarez (hand) on the 10-day IL with hand inflammation. That's a strange designation, but an MRI revealed a minor muscle strain in Alvarez's hand that will only require time to heal. It doesn't sound like he'll be sidelined long.
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 ranking from weeks prior. Happy hunting!
Waivers Adds
Jonathan India, 2B/3B/OF - Kansas City Royals (45% Owned)
Jonathan India had a brutal April in which he went 16-for-86 (.186) with five doubles, five runs scored, and three RBI. However, his plate discipline remained, bolstering 14 walks to 19 strikeouts. Maybe it was just a bit of bad BABIP luck for him, as he's been quite good since the calendar flipped to May, and even a little before that. The former fifth-overall pick has at least one hit in 11 of 13 appearances, with four multi-hit efforts, including three in his last four outings.
India is 15-for-49 (.306) over that stretch, with four extra-base hits (three doubles, one homer), 11 runs scored, five RBI, and a strong 11:9 K: BB ratio while exclusively hitting at the top of the lineup for the Royals. I recommended India at the start of the year after his blistering first few games, and it's nice to see him contributing again after shaking his recent slump.
It'd be even better to see him steal a few more bags, considering his 67th percentile sprint speed, as he's only attempted two and failed to convert. Still, he should continue to be a run-scoring machine at the top of KC's lineup. Despite the struggles, he holds the lowest strikeout percentage and highest walk rate of his career.
TJ Friedl, OF - Cincinnati Reds (43% Owned)
TJ Friedl has cooled off a bit lately, but he's still been a viable fantasy play. Aside from slight increases in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, not much has changed regarding his quality of contact compared to last year. One notable change in the 29-year-old's profile is that he's hitting fewer fly balls (21.8%), increasing his line drive rate (27.4%), and hitting the ball straight more often as opposed to the opposite field.
Either way, it has led to the highest xBA of Friedl's career (.262), which supports his .272 batting average. He's up to eight steals too, just one shy of his total from 2024 while doing it in 150 fewer at-bats. Expect his run production to tick up as his teammates' bats begin to wake up. The Pennsylvania native has occupied the Nationals' top lineup spot all year.
On an even better note, he's looking much more like the 18-home run, 27-steal player we saw in 2023 (138 games).
Trent Grisham, OF - New York Yankees (31% Owned)
Trent Grisham looks the best he has in years, and it doesn't appear to be a fluke. The former No. 15 overall pick of the Brewers in the 2015 MLB Draft has garnered more playing time recently and has made the most of it, slashing a strong .292/.376/.640 with ten home runs, 20 RBI, and 19 runs scored. Incredibly, all but one of Grisham's 26 hits weren't a long ball or a single (double).
The move to New York has done wonders for the Texas native. He's sporting the best quality of contact ever (91.8 MPH average exit velocity, 48.6% hard-hit rate), to go with a stark drop in his strikeout percentage (18.8%). The veteran is hitting both left- and right-handed pitching well (.281/.298), and only slightly out-performing his xBA (.278).
Grisham should continue to play regularly and (when he's started) has hit from either the leadoff spot or second in the order since April 20.
Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF - Baltimore Orioles (27% Owned)
The Orioles have been one of the stranger teams in the league so far, but Ryan O'Hearn is scorching on offense. He began upping his production in 2024, but has taken it to a whole new level this year. The lefty slugger holds a healthy .304 xBA and is halfway to his home run total of last season (15) in roughly 350 fewer at-bats.
I love that he's maintained his plate discipline gains -- registering the same increase in walk rate (9.3%) and decrease in strikeout percentage (14.0%) that he did a year ago. In his last nine outings, he's logged three multi-hit performances, blasted four dingers, knocked in seven RBI, and scored seven runs.
Baltimore's offense continues to struggle, but O'Hearn has been a bright spot. I don't expect he'll be so available in the coming days.
Daniel Schneemann, 2B/3B/SS/OF - Cleveland Guardians (23% Owned)
Daniel Schneemann has a smaller sample than most in 2025, but I love what I've seen out of him -- particularly over the last week. During that time, the Brigham Young alum is 8-for-19 (.421) with three doubles, three home runs, and a superb 2:4 K: BB ratio. In addition to increased playing time, Schneemann has hit second in the order over the last four games -- a vast improvement over the sixth or higher he'd previously batted.
The 28-year-old is slightly outperforming his xBA (.263), but everything is looking good under the hood. He's seen a brilliant 12-point increase in hard-hit percentage (50.0) and even slightly elevated his average exit velocity (90.4 MPH). If he can sustain the gains he's displayed plate discipline-wise over the last two weeks, his already-improved 26.3% strikeout rate will plummet.
Schneemann's sample is small, but Statcast is at least somewhat supporting his production. A 20% barrel rate puts him in the top 2% of big-leaguers.
Deep League Adds
Colt Keith, 1B/2B - Detroit Tigers (15% Owned)
Colt Keith has rebounded from his dreadful start to the year and has started to show some power since the end of April. Aside from two hits in each of his last four starts, he's shown out since Apr. 30, mashing all four of his home runs along with four walks to three strikeouts. Speaking of walks, Keith is up there with the best of them, drawing a free pass a robust 17.0% of the time. According to his quality of contact metrics, he's right there with his performance in 2024 and is vastly underperforming his .264 xBA (.215). That's evidenced in a .242 BABIP, which is dwarfed by his career marks. I wouldn't be shocked if we're talking about him again next week in the featured part of this column.
Jake Meyers, OF/Zach Dezenzo, 1B/OF - Houston Astros (7%/1% Owned)
I decided to highlight the Astros outfielder duo of Jake Meyers and Zach Dezenzo together because I couldn't figure out which one I'd choose if I had to, so I'll pass that conundrum onto you. Meyers is on fire with a hit in eight straight contests. They've mostly been singles, but he had a four-hit effort where he was a single short of the cycle (two home runs) to go with seven stolen bases on the season (albeit none in 15 contests). Dezenzo, on the other hand, offers a bit more positional versatility and has been nearly as good of late. He holds far better LA SwSp% and barrel rate figures than his teammate, but isn't batting for as high an average and is striking out far more often. Moving forward, I think they'll both be fine, and I would slightly lean Meyers if my life depended on it. It's close, though.
Two-Start Streaming Options
Matthew Liberatore, LHP - St. Louis Cardinals (45%/74% Yahoo!/CBS)
If Matthew Liberatore is still available in your league, then he's the highest priority pickup. Unless you're already loaded at pitching, that is. Still, he's been nothing short of exceptional when on the mound. In the 25-year-old's most recent outing, he stifled the Pittsburgh Pirates over seven strong innings, letting up three hits and one earned while walking three and striking out eight. Liberatore has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last five starts with a 27:5 K: BB ratio across 28 2/3 innings.
The former first-round pick will garner one difficult and one favorable matchup next week (though I'm starting him for both because he's been so superb). He'll line up against the Philadelphia Phillies early in the week, so I understand if you don't want to run him out for that one. His second start is far more appetizing, coming against the Kansas City Royals on the road. Even if he bombs against the Phillies, don't overthink the latter. It's a no-brainer.
On the season, Liberatore holds a tidy 3.07 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.
Thanks for reading, and good luck in your upcoming matchups!
