Summer baseball is one of the pure joys in life, and we're very close to that as the season marches on. In addition to this being an excellent time of the year for weather, it's also a fantastic time for prospect callups, and we had quite a few more this week. The Athletics have been busy with their youngsters. Shortstop Jacob Wilson has taken the league by storm, and now they've called up two more. Making their debuts over the weekend are outfielder Denzel Clarke (A's No. 5 prospect) and super-utility player Logan Davidson (No. 30).

They weren't the only team that got to work, as Washington Nationals outfielder Robert Hassell III made his debut earlier as well -- notching two singles and a steal. Then, the Nats made another callup with the news of Jacob Young's (shoulder) injury, promoting the organization's ninth overall prospect, outfielder Daylen Lile. With some reps available in Washington's outfield, Lile could be an intriguing player to monitor after he tore up minor-league pitching at Triple-A Rochester to the tune of a .361/.432/.514 triple slash line (18 games).

The most impactful injury this week belongs to that of Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco (elbow), who was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday with elbow inflammation. Blanco is seeking a second opinion, but this isn't good. Anything is possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath -- which is a shame, because he was starting to come on.

Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (leg) was removed from Thursday's contest with the Cleveland Guardians after experiencing right leg discomfort. He'll be one to monitor over the next few days. New York Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz (shoulder) was placed on the injured list this week, too, though the Yanks believe it should be a short stay. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) had season-ending surgery on Wednesday and will likely miss at least half of 2026 after sustaining a UCL sprain. It's unfortunate news for Jones and perpetuates a trend of devastating elbow injuries to young pitchers.

Lastly, as mentioned above, Jacob Young was placed on the IL, but so was teammate Dylan Crews (oblique). It's not ideal for the Nationals, but at least they'll get to give some of their younger players a chance. Both outfielders have a chance to miss more than the minimum stay on the list.

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

Waiver Adds

Wilmer Flores, 1B - San Francisco Giants (49% Owned)

Simply put, Wilmer Flores' production on the diamond and the Baseball Savant page don't match up. He's been excellent, but his metrics don't support it. Despite tallying two fewer RBI (42) than the league-leading Aaron Judge -- on 29 fewer hits, no less -- he sports bottom-of-the-barrel average exit velocity (84.8 MPH) and hard-hit rate (23.6%) figures -- placing him in the 2nd percentile of big-leaguers. It hasn't been pretty, but he's getting it done.

Impressively, Flores has racked up ten home runs and 45 total hits over 175 at-bats (.257) -- eclipsing his marks from 2024 (four, 44) in 39 fewer opportunities. One area where he excels is his LA SwSp% (38.6%), which ranks in the 81st percentile. Essentially, even though he isn't consistently making hard contact, the 33-year-old has a knack for placing the ball's trajectory in the optimal range of launch angle, which lies somewhere in between 8 and 32 degrees.

He's looking more like the player who hit .284 with 23 homers in 2023. If he's recaptured that form, at the pace he's going, it's likely to be closer to 30 dingers.

Brandon Lowe, 1B/2B - Tampa Bay Rays (41% Owned)

The Rays' Brandon Lowe has been underperforming his expected statistics all year. At the start of 2025, he was impacting the ball with some of the best in the business. Since then, he's cooled off considerably. Still, the former third-round pick's .224/.281/.382 slash line is deceiving when we take into account how far off he is from his xBA (.268) and xSLG (.483).

Lowe's profile hasn't deviated much from what it was in 2024. Despite barreling the ball at a lower rate than last campaign, there's been an increase in average exit velocity -- matching a career high (91.6 MPH) -- and he's notched his hardest-hit ball since 2022 (111.6 MPH). Additionally, his line drive rate has increased, accompanied by a corresponding drop in FB%. Furthermore, he's favored left and right field, with a decline in Straight%.

Positive regression may already be hitting the Maryland alum in his most recent nine appearances. Over that stretch, he's a blistering 12-for-33 (.364) with two doubles, three home runs, one steal, and seven RBI to match his run total.

Jordan Beck, OF - Colorado Rockies (33% Owned)

Jordan Beck was ridiculously productive over 44 April at-bats -- boasting a robust 1.100 OPS with five long balls, two doubles, a triple, ten runs, and ten RBI. He hasn't been nearly as good since -- and notably hit all five of those dingers over a two-day (three-game) period. However, he's starting to catch fire again, batting a strong .321 (9-for-28) with six extra-base hits in his last six games.

The 6-foot-2 righty has one of the more peculiar-looking Statcast charts. I'm not sure what to make of it other than we should be paying attention, but he has improved in essentially every underlying metric. There are still some warts -- particularly an undesirable 28.6% strikeout rate -- but I like that Colorado has moved him up to the top of the order over the previous seven games, and that could be his new home.

Beck strikes out more than you'd like for a leadoff man, but he has the speed to make a difference on the base paths. In the minor leagues back in 2023, he put together a 25/20 season in just 126 games and looks to be on his way to challenging that in the bigs.

Will Benson, OF -Cincinnati Reds (33% Owned)

With the way I tend to construct my fantasy roster, I won't have any Will Benson shares because I have nowhere to play him. I like to deploy a star-studded outfield and don't have room, and that upsets me, because Benson could be one of the better pickups this year if he can even somewhat sustain his pace. Just take a look at his metrics.

The No. 14 overall pick of the 2016 MLB Draft was swinging a hot bat for Triple-A Louisville, slashing .289/.377/.521 with seven long balls, five doubles, a triple, 26 runs scored and 29 RBI before his callup, and has been even better in the majors. He's up to five home runs already -- in 11 games -- and eight of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles). It's a very small sample, but too loud not to take notice.

Benson won't go yard upwards of 45 times from here on out, but he's at least interesting. He topped out at 22 bombs in the minor leagues (twice) in 123 games.

Chase Meidroth, 2B/3B/SS - Chicago White Sox (19% Owned)

Chase Meidroth hasn't looked to be overmatched in his first taste of big league action. He's hitting a crisp .301 (28-for-93) with eight steals, four doubles, a lone home run, and a strong 12:16 BB: K ratio (27 games). The rookie shortstop holds one of the top whiff and chase rates in the league, putting him firmly above the 90th percentile in both figures.

Meidroth has been fantastic since returning from the injured list and has turned it on across the last 11 days. Over his previous nine outings, he's registered five multi-hit efforts to sport a scorching .417 (15-for-36) -- operating solely from the leadoff spot. The former fourth-round pick's BABIP is pretty high, but not much higher than the numbers he bolstered in the minor leagues.

There isn't much to get excited about regarding the White Sox, but Meidroth has been a bright spot at the top of the order. If anything, he should continue to be a nice source of average and steals for the remainder of the year.

Deep League Adds

Sal Frelick, OF - Milwaukee Brewers (15% Owned)

I mentioned Sal Frelick in this feature a little over a month ago, and he has mostly sustained his early-season gains. The Boston College product bolsters a .280 batting average and .402 SLG -- marking career-highs. At this juncture, he's gone yard once more than in 2024, and seems to be well on his way to setting a new personal best in steals, nine off the high-water mark he set a season ago. Unfortunately, Frelick is still somewhat buried in the lineup -- batting fifth or lower regularly -- but maybe his recent hot-hitting is enough to encourage the Brew Crew to bump him up. He's produced three two-hit performances in his last four games.

Two-Start Streaming Options

Hayden Birdsong, RHP - San Francisco Giants (34%/60% Yahoo!/CBS)

San Francisco kicked off the season by moving Hayden Birdsong to the bullpen, but they backtracked recently -- transferring him to the rotation in place of Jordan Hicks. I had been waiting nearly two months for the Giants to make that move, and the righty finally has a chance to show his stuff.

The Illinois native shined in his first start, firing five scoreless innings (five hits) with four strikeouts to pick up a win over the Kansas City Royals. He's pitched 28 1/3 innings in all thus far, compiling a 1.91 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with a 29:10 K: BB ratio. It's a brilliant start for him, and he'll aim to build on it over a two-start week next week.

I'll admit, his first outing is a little hairy -- coming on the road against the Detroit Tigers. Detroit has been really good (scoring the fourth-most runs per game in the MLB), and they're not even at full strength yet. I'd consider benching Birdsong for that matchup, but he's all systems go the second time he toes the rubber. Later in the week, he'll line up against an enticing Miami Marlins lineup that's procured the tenth-fewest runs per game. It's quite favorable, but also conflicting, considering I'm also recommending the pitcher he'll face (see below).

Ryan Weathers, LHP - Miami Marlins (26/63% Yahoo!/CBS)

Speaking of shining -- that's all Ryan Weathers has done since the Marlins activated him from the injured list. In two appearances, he's yielded seven hits and two earned runs with just one walk to nine strikeouts (ten innings). Weathers got a late start this season after a forearm strain in spring training sent him to the IL. He looked strong last year before a finger injury derailed most of his campaign, but he's now healthy and has looked sharp.

The former first-round pick's second start next week is, as mentioned above, at home against San Francisco. It's one of the worst matchups in the league, but not so intimidating that it scares me off. If I had to pick one, I'd be more excited about his first outing -- a revenge matchup against the team that drafted him, the San Diego Padres. The Friars are in the bottom half regarding runs per game, and though Gavin Sheets has been hot, Weathers could be in must-start territory with a few more strong performances.

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your matchups next week!