| | | | Monday, September 4, 2023 | | This weekend saw two of the biggest September call-ups pay immediate dividends. Jasson Dominguez had two home runs, and Ronny Mauricio had two stolen bases. Both started all three games, which certainly improves their chances of being viable contributors in Fantasy. | | Meanwhile, a pre-September call-up who dominated initially took a tumble Saturday. | | | | Hold on Harrison | | Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison, who struck out 11 in his previous start against the Reds, served up four home runs in his latest start at the Padres, surrendering six earned runs in all. Notably, he lasted 5 2/3 innings, though, which was still longer than any of his minor-league outings this year, and manager Gabe Kapler gave a strong vote of confidence after the game. | | "Not trying to discount the outcome -- it wasn't a great outcome for the Giants and Kyle's disappointed about that -- but I'm very confident in him going forward," Kapler said. "I'm very confident that this, what he did tonight, if he does it over and over, it will work and it will beat a lot of good major-league hitters." | | Best to hold onto Harrison, but James Paxton might be a drop at this point. The Royals, of all teams, knocked him for six earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings Friday, giving him a 6.98 ERA in his past nine starts and a 14.90 ERA in his past three. The Red Sox were building in more rest for him earlier this season, and he hasn't been the same since that ended. | | Let's look at some of the weekend standouts who might be worth adding in Paxton's place. | | | | Waiver wire players to scoop | | Jasson Dominguez, OF, Yankees | Neither of his home runs was a tape-measure shot. The first (which came Friday) traveled 360 feet, making it out only because he hit it toward the Crawford Boxes in Houston. The second (which came Sunday) traveled just 358 feet and wasn't even hit 100 mph. But we learned two important things about 20-year-old Jasson Dominguez over the weekend. The first is that the Yankees are making him a top priority down the stretch, not only starting him all three games but batting him third for the final two. The second is that he's not intimidated up there. That first home run came in his first ever at-bat and against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. That confidence at least gives Dominguez a chance of being a big contributor right away, though it's still possible big-league pitchers get the better of him.
Rostered: 57% | | J.P. Crawford, SS, Marines | J.P. Crawford ended the weekend on a sour note, going 0 for 4 Sunday, but in the two games prior, he went 4 for 8 with two home runs. And in 12 games since returning from a two-week absence for a concussion, he's 14 for 45 (.311) with four home runs. Really, the light bulb came on for him at the start of July, his batting average having climbed 32 points since then, and in Head-to-Head points leagues, it's made for a higher point-per-game average than Bo Bichette this year. The 59-walk edge has a little something to do with it, and it's that superlative plate discipline that makes Crawford particularly appealing in that format. If you recently lost Bichette or Matt McLain and have already been scooped on Royce Lewis, Crawford makes for another fine replacement.
Rostered: 56% | | Mitch Garver, C, Rangers | It's true that Mitch Garver has burned us more often than not in the years since he homered 31 times for the Twins, but the work he's done beginning with Jonah Heim's injury in late July has already made 2023 his best season since then. The clincher was his 4-for-4 two-homer performance Sunday, giving him a .316 (30 for 95) batting average, 10 homers and 1.083 OPS since the start of August. Of course, Heim is back now and has been for a couple weeks, but Garver's performance in his absence has earned him the right to DH most days. Between that and catcher, he has started 17 of the Rangers' past 18 games. Naturally, it's his catcher eligibility that makes him most valuable in Fantasy. Most players at that position aren't playing as much as he now is, which is to say nothing for the productivity. Unless you have a true stud catcher, Garver probably represents an upgrade.
Rostered: 48% | | | | Javier Assad, RP, Cubs | Instead of coming back down to earth as expected, Javier Assad seems to keep getting better. His last outing Saturday at the Reds saw him throw eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He has a combined 14 strikeouts in his past two starts compared to 10 strikeouts in the three starts prior, but for the entire five-start stretch, he has a 1.62 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He's reminiscent of Cristopher Sanchez in that he didn't seem like much at first, but the longer Assad's success continues the more apparent his strengths become. He doesn't have the outlier ground-ball rate Sanchez does, but his 48 percent rate is nonetheless good, and he ranks in the 83rd percentile for average exit velocity. The overall profile remains volatile enough that he could still implode spectacularly, but if you're hurting for pitching, Assad should at least have pretty good matchups down the stretch.
Rostered: 49% | | | | | | | | Fantasy Baseball Today | | 24/7 Sports News | It's the most comprehensive Fantasy Baseball Podcast you'll find. We're dedicated to helping you win your league while keeping you entertained at the same time. Find out who to add, drop, start and sit while getting the best advice every day.
Listen Now
| | ✔Scores & Highlights
✔Fantasy and Betting Advice
✔Interviews with Top Athletes
CBS Sports HQ has you covered. Stream anywhere, anytime, on any device.
Watch Now
|
| | | | |
|
|
