With half the season behind us, there's been no shortage of talking points, and what a first half it's been, at that. Who had Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh leading the league with 32 home runs before the mid-summer classic on their 2025 bingo card? If he gets hot again, Raleigh has a chance at entering rarefied air. If he goes yard another seven times before Jul. 13, he'll tie Barry Bonds for the most all-time in the first half of the year. He's just the tip of the iceberg, too, but there is one player I'd like to highlight before bringing down the mood with injury talk, and that's Milwaukee Brewers sensation Jacob Misiorowski.

The 23-year-old was called up a few weeks ago and has done nothing but impress. In three outings since his debut, Misiorowski has as many wins (three) as hits allowed. Aside from a wipeout slider that touches the mid-90s and a changeup that no one has been able to touch (literally, it has a 100% whiff rate[eight]), he averages 99.6 MPH with his fastball. To put how fast the Brew Crew's young stud throws on a pitch-to-pitch basis in perspective, he threw 15 balls faster than Pirates' ace Paul Skenes' fastest pitch (100.2 MPH) when the two squared off in a duel earlier in the week. Yeah, he's going to be really, really fun to watch.

And now, the bad news -- and starting with the most devastating announcement of the week, that New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning (Achilles) will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Thursday's start. It's a massive blow to the Mets' rotation, and we wish him the best and a speedy recovery. In less severe news, Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (forearm) left Thursday's outing with the Blue Jays after he was hit in the forearm by a pitch. Initial tests returned negative, though he wasn't in Friday's starting nine. He'll likely return by the end of the weekend, but monitor carefully.

Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (hand) exited Friday's start against the Rays with hand discomfort after missing three games due to a sprained index finger. It's unclear if the two are related, but we can expect an update within the next 24 hours or so. Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (ribs) exited his outing on Friday early after he was plunked in the ribs by a pitch. There has been no further update on Pena, but since "rib soreness" was used to describe the injury, I'd consider him day-to-day.

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (oblique) was not as fortunate with his ailment as the team placed him on the 10-day injured list on Friday, retroactive to Jun. 24, with a "mild" oblique strain. Oblique issues can be tricky, so it'd be surprising to see Langford return when he's eligible. Still, he's young. Lastly, Miami Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer (hip) will miss the remainder of the season after successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip.

For the uninitiated: 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 they continue to perform well from weeks prior. Happy hunting!

Waiver Adds

Masyn Winn, SS - St. Louis Cardinals (51% Owned)

Cardinal's SS Masyn Winn has done a fine job from atop the Red Birds' order. It'd be nice to see him steal more bags, considering an 80th percentile sprint speed. However, a .260/.326/.393 triple slash will play from the top of the lineup. The former second-round pick has had a dismal June -- batting .220 (20-for-91) -- but has turned it around some during St. Louis' surge. 

Winn will never blow you away with power, as through a week ago he'd tallied just three two-baggers in the month. He's picked up two more since then however, including a homer and a steal with six RBI and five runs. Aside from a slight uptick in average exit velocity, the most significant change in his profile is that he's hitting the ball in the air more, particularly to the pull side (20.9 Pull AIR%).

The third-year pro will be a solid boost for fantasy managers regarding average and runs scored, and could even be a sneaky supply of RBIs for stretches in a productive Cardinals lineup.

Jo Adell, OF - Los Angeles Angels (36% Owned)

I wrote up Angels OF Jo Adell a few weeks ago, and he's continued binging on long balls. Adell is absolutely mashing, leaving the yard ten times in the month with a solid .266 batting average and a whopping 1.014 OPS. His only other extra-base hit is a double, but that's negligible when he's putting on such a display of power. When I noted a few weeks back that he'd likely smash his previous best of 20 dingers, I didn't think he'd approach it so quickly (17).

The former tenth-overall pick is finally living up to his billing, and there's reason to believe this isn't for real. I noted previously that Adell's contact quality is the best he's sported in his career, and he's barreling the ball at an absurd rate (15.1%[91st percentile]). In a recent interview with MLB Network's Intentional Talk, he stated that he's tried to stay more on top of the fastball and has been more selective with what he swings at. Even with a 25% strikeout rate, he's still paying dividends as a fantasy asset.

Back in 2019, the 26-year-old was regarded as the "next" impact bat to enter the majors with a tantalizing blend of power and speed. While his legs have diminished, Adell's power has shown with maturity, and it looks like it could be here to stay. He's the most enticing pickup of the week and should be helpful for the remainder of the year.

Otto Lopez, 2B/SS - Miami Marlins (9% Owned)

Marlins' second baseman Otto Lopez has bounced back quite nicely from a slow start with a strong .291/.347/.384 slash line through 86 June at-bats. He's been even better recently, notching five multi-hit performances over the last week. They've mostly been cheapies, but the Dominican Republic native has three extra-base hits over the previous few days and is riding a five-game RBI streak (ten). He's batting for a nice average and scoring a decent amount of runs at the top of the lineup, too.

However, Lopez is due for positive regression, considering a 91st percentile .296 xBA, and it's come in spades this month after he hadn't eclipsed better than a .237 in April or May. The keystone occupant has been dreadful against southpaws (.213), but that hasn't stopped him from playing every day. He has undoubtedly improved in his second full season -- matching his previous best of six long balls in 170 fewer at-bats. Furthermore, the 26-year-old is only two walks off his 2024 total of 25.

Like Winn above, average and baserunning are Lopez's calling card. If you're lacking power, look elsewhere. Middle-infield option with speed and contact skills? You've found your guy.

Deep League Adds

Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS - Pittsburgh Pirates (4% Owned)

Nick Gonzales has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past few days and is slashing a solid .300/.329/.463 in 20 games since returning from an ankle injury. The ailment robbed him of over two months, but he's made up for lost time with a 4-for-10 performance across a doubleheader and a perfect 5-for-5 outing a few days later. Gonzales has six multi-hit efforts in June, and the power is starting to show as he's shaken off the rust with three doubles and two home runs over the last week-plus. For the most part, he's hitting out of the heart of Pittsburgh's order, though it might behoove them to move him up to the leadoff spot due to his excellent bat-to-ball skills.

Andrew Benintendi, OF - Chicago White Sox (2% Owned)

Andrew Benintendi's statcast page is one of the more perplexing ones. I'll admit, this week isn't great for waiver adds, and I may be getting ahead of myself, but something intriguing is going on here. The former first-round pick is hitting just .236 on the year, and his quality of contact metrics -- along with expected batting average -- are mostly what we'd expect. However, Benintendi's LA SwSp% (38.6%), squared-up% (33.0%), barrel rate (14.6%), and xSLG (.508) are all 82nd percentile or better. More so, he's hitting the ball in the air much more, and holds an elite 29.7 Pull AIR%. The hits should start to fall more consistently, and he'll likely be a tempting trade chip come the deadline. Benintendi's newfound power could play nicely in the lineup of a World Series contender.

Two-Start Streamers

Jacob Lopez, LHP - Athletics (22%/56% Yahoo!/CBS)

It's not often we get a priority add in the pitching department, but the A's Jacob Lopez qualifies for just that. "Who," you may be asking? Honestly, Lopez came out of nowhere and has been one of, if not arguably the hottest, pitchers in June. I only stumbled upon him because he got torched by the Toronto Blue Jays for seven runs about a month ago. Upon closer inspection, I immediately snatched him off waivers.

The 27-year-old followed up that poor outing with another at home against the Twins (five hits, five earned) but has been superb since. In his last 23 innings pitched, Lopez has yielded just one earned run and punched out 29 batters to seven free passes. Furthermore, he boasts a sparkling 1.98 ERA and 0.99 WHIP since the calendar turned to June, and his underlying numbers largely support his impressive gains.

I'll admit, his 1st percentile ground ball rate is alarming, and leaves him open to implosions. Still, the College of the Canyons alum has an abnormal shape to his four-seamer and garners two filthy put-away offerings in his changeup and slider. His highlight reel is worth a watch for the changeup alone -- particularly in his most recent outing against the Astros.

Lopez will get two less-than-ideal draws this upcoming week, first against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road, then the San Francisco Gigantes at home. His second start is more appealing, but I'm willing to trust him after he's given up one run or fewer to the Phillies, Tigers, and Astros. Additionally, both of his matchups are in the bottom half of the league in terms of strikeouts per game.

Even if you are hesitant to tap him into your lineups, he's worth an add to see how his next few starts go.

Colton Gordon, LHP - Houston Astros (5%/16% Yahoo!/CBS)

Colton Gordon isn't as enticing an option as his counterpart above. I'll also note he's more of a speculative roster addition at this point. In addition to this week lacking in viable hitting options, the streaming selection hasn't been any more noteworthy. Still, Houston's No. 14 overall prospect could provide some juice over the back stretch of the year if he can build on his results via his last few trips to the mound.

The former eighth-round pick won't light up the radar gun, but he was effective against the Phillies on Wednesday -- blanking them at home (5 IP, 4H, 4K) -- and has allowed more than three earned runs just once across eight starts. He also barely issues walks, doing so a minuscule 2.9% of the time (99th percentile). He mixes a deceptive delivery with good pitch location and has done well to limit hard contact against him. The strikeouts haven't come yet, but he regularly bolstered double-digit K/9 rates in the minors and likely needs more time to adjust.

This is the one instance I'll disclose that I won't be starting him for his second time toeing the rubber this upcoming week -- a meeting with the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers. However, a trip to Colorado to square off with a bottom-of-the-barrel Rockies lineup is undoubtedly an occasion for a stream. He'll be worth holding onto moving forward until pro hitting proves to be too much.

Gordon doesn't project to be a top-end of the rotation arm, but could be intriguing for fantasy long-term if he begins to fan more batters.

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