Let’s keep making these weekly adds and drops, folks. We can’t get complacent. Ignore the standings — none of you has won anything just yet. When you signed up for fantasy baseball, you committed to six months of hardcore roster maintenance. It’s time to get to work…
Ben Rice, 1B, New York Yankees (42% rostered)
Rice has hit either first or second in the Yankees’ lineup in each of his last six starts, with a hit in each game. He has three homers, two steals and nine runs scored so far this season, and the man is hitting rockets. Rice’s Statcast page is blazing red. Breakouts don’t get much more breakout-ier than this. Add him wherever you can use a power and run-scoring boost. Rice reached base at a .399 clip in the minors, so he can definitely stick at the top of the order.
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Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics (38%)
Hey, Fred Zinkie tried to tell us, but, unfortunately, not everyone listened. Wilson simply does not swing and miss, ever. He’s struck out only twice in 48 plate appearances to date and he’s batting .396. His contact-rate is an absurd 96.3%. Wilson isn’t much of a walker, which is unfortunate in reality but certainly plays well in standard 5X5 fantasy leagues — in our game, we love a .300-plus hitter who piles up at-bats.
We aren’t likely to see significant power numbers from Wilson, but he has the profile of a future batting champ.
Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota Twins (24%)
Wallner just cleared the fence for the first time this season Wednesday, and, notably, the homer came against a left-hander. That’s an unambiguously great sign. There’s plenty of swing-and-miss in Wallner’s game, but he showcased serious power in the high minors. He launched 19 bombs and slugged .544 at Triple-A last season over 67 games. Wallner is basically the antithesis of Wilson as a hitter, but both can clearly help us in fantasy.
Sal Frelick, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (20%)
It may not be accurate to say that Frelick was a best-shape-of-his-life guy in the spring, but he was definitely in the biggest shape of his life. He added 25 pounds of mostly muscle in the offseason, and, so far, he’s showing modest gains in terms of bat-speed while retaining his sprint speed. Frelick was an absolute terror during exhibition play, slashing .390/.457/.561 with two homers and four steals. He seems to have carried that level of production into the regular season, having gone 10-for-23 over his last seven starts with six runs scored and three steals. Frelick was a .314 career hitter in the minors with double-digit power and 20-steal speed, so he can assist fantasy managers across the board.
Francisco Alvarez, C, New York Mets (31%)
If you currently have an unfilled IL slot and a struggling catcher, Alvarez should be of great interest. He just began a rehab assignment, returning from a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. Alvarez has banged out 37 homers over 228 career MLB games, so his power credentials are well-established. He’s still only 23 years old, so this is very much still an ascending player. We should expect him back within a week or two, at which time he should immediately be considered a top-10 fantasy catcher, rest of season.
Max Meyer, SP, Miami Marlins (34%)
When a former top prospect finally begins to produce consistently in the majors, we need to jump. It’s really that simple. Meyer has opened his season by striking out 19 batters over 18 innings and three starts, allowing just four earned runs while delivering a WHIP of 1.11. He’ll get the Diamondbacks in his next turn, then likely a two-start week that includes a visit to Seattle. Meyer’s slider has been pretty much untouchable to this point (.125 BAA, 47.4 whiff%). If he remains healthy — a necessary caveat with all pitchers, but especially this one — he has top-25ish upside.
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Chase Burns, SP, Cincinnati Reds (3%)
Burns is a pure what-if fantasy stash, unlikely to help you anytime soon. But if you happen to have an open NA spot on your roster, he should be a priority. Few minor league pitchers are more interesting than this 22-year-old right-hander with scorching triple-digit heat.
Burns was the second overall selection in last year’s draft following a monster year at Wake Forest (0.92 WHIP, 191 Ks in 100.0 IP). He was simply too much for High-A hitters in his first start at Dayton this year, allowing just one hit and striking out six over four scoreless innings. Burns will jump a level or two before long. Whenever he finds his way to Cincinnati, he’s probably going to be a drop-everything-and-go-get-him sort of prospect. If you have the space, consider beating the rush and stashing Burns today.
