Tuesday began with a bit of a downer as word came out that Jazz Chisholm will miss 4-6 weeks with a case of turf toe. It may not be the most devastating injury news we've received in recent weeks, but it does present a long-term absence for a player started in virtually every league, whether in the outfield or at second base.
Outfield recommendations are fairly common in this space, which makes sense given the sheer number of players who play the position, and rest assured, I'll have several more for you today. But before we get to Tuesday's performers and headliners, I figured I should offer a few bonus second base recommendations, just in case that's where you need to replace Chisholm.
Here's one for three different league depths: less than 75 percent rostered, less than 50 percent rostered and less than 25 percent rostered
Shallow
Morel's reentry into the Fantasy conversation makes for amazing timing because he's a rare example of a player who could actually replicate Chisholm's production. He has the impact power, the stolen base aptitude and also the shortcoming of striking out too much, which, as with Chisholm, will limit his batting average. He's even eligible in the outfield in addition to second base. He's not the lock that Chisholm is to deliver on these attributes, but if all goes right for him, you won't miss a beat.
Medium
I'm cautiously optimistic about Arcia, who's eligible at shortstop in addition to second base. He has an uninspiring track record, but most of it came in his early 20s. This is his first shot at everyday duty since entering his prime, and the quality of contact has been higher, albeit over a small sample. An everyday spot in the Braves lineup can't be a bad thing either.
Deep
I considered Enmanuel Valdez and Michael Massey here as well, but if you play in a league so deep that you have to resort to a second baseman in this range, then you can't afford to stretch for upside, in all likelihood. Farmer is the Twins' everyday third baseman right now (while retaining eligibility at second base) and is doing fine, both in terms of actual stats (.293 batting average and .483 slugging percentage) and expected stats (.256 xBA and .463 xSLG). He'll do for now.
And with that, we're on to the good stuff.
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Gurriel went from hitting 21 home runs in 2021 to hitting five in only 47 fewer at-bats in 2022, and that sharp decline was widely presumed to be a product of the changing hitter environment. Only after the season did we find out he was playing through a wrist injury that required surgical intervention, and lo and behold, his power is back this year. He homered for the second time in as many games Tuesday and the sixth time in May. Hitting for average has never been a problem for him either, so don't be so quick to dismiss his .312 mark. His roster rate has already risen to a level that suggests you're too late in five-outfielder leagues, but at this rate, he should probably be rostered in three-outfielder leagues as well.
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Tuesday's outing makes it three consecutive quality starts for Ober, and this one was arguably the most impressive since it came against the Dodgers. He had gone six-plus innings only five times in 33 starts prior to this run, so if nothing else, it's clear the Twins are giving him more leeway this time around. Of course, his ERA has to decline from its current 1.78 mark, and given how much he puts the ball in the air, home runs will be the likely culprit. But those fly balls are also what give Ober such a low batting average against, and between that and his career 1.9 BB/9 rate, he should be a WHIP standout, if not another Tony Gonsolin in the making.
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At this point, it's kind of ridiculous Smith is still so available. He's clearly the Rangers closer, you guys, having secured each of their past six saves, and the Rangers are clearly contenders, which has made for ample opportunities for the left-hander. Maybe it's because he's 33 years old and washed out in his previous closing opportunity with the Braves, but the man had 37 saves in 2021 and 34 saves in 2019. He's averaging 11.2 K/9. Literally no one else is pushing for the job. If saves are at all important in your league, then Will Smith should be as well.
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If you want me to explain how Dunning has been this good, then I'm sorry to disappoint, but I can't. What I can say is that anyone still boasting a 1.69 ERA and 0.88 WHIP after nearly 40 innings must be doing something right, even if the stuff is marginal and the strikeouts (5.5 K/9) are lacking. It's not a profile I would normally bet on, but Statcast isn't in total disbelief, putting his expected ERA at 3.50. Maybe that's ultimately what Dunning regresses to, but even so, with a top offense backing him, it's possible he could be something like this year's Miles Mikolas. He just held the mighty Braves to one run in six innings Tuesday, so why not hop aboard and see where this ride takes you? You can always hop off.
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After watching him go 2 for 3 with a walk Tuesday, once again batting leadoff for the Giants, it's getting hard to dismiss Wade as a Fantasy asset. He now has more walks (28) than strikeouts (27) on the year and is reaching base at a .435 clip, so really, why wouldn't he hit leadoff? There is the matter of him batting left-handed for a team that's crazy about platoons, but would you believe he's started against three of the last four lefties the Giants have faced? And it's not like walking is all he does. He has seven home runs already and had 18 in 381 plate appearances two years ago (his 2022 was marred by injury). Time to take Wade more seriously than his 45 percent roster rate suggests we are.
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Thomas' latest home run Tuesday gives him five already in May, during which he has also stolen two bases while batting .317 (19 for 60). We've seen stretches like this from him each of the past two years, but they came so late that the ship had already sailed for most people. I think it's likely we haven't seen Thomas' career season yet, and maybe this one is shaping up to be it. So what would it look like? Well, he's on pace for roughly 20 homers and 15 steals now, which seems about right. If he can keep the batting average in the .260-.270 range, which seem plausible given his middling strikeout rate, that would certainly play in a five-outfielder Rotisserie league. His current roster rate suggests he's available in some of them, even.
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Liberatore flopped in his first taste of the big leagues last year, delivering a 5.97 ERA in nine appearances, seven of them starts. But reports of his return Wednesday shouldn't necessarily meet with a yawn. He's been a different pitcher at Triple-A Memphis this year, his velocity up a couple ticks to help him transform into more of a bat-misser. He's averaged 11.0 K/9 there this year compared to 9.1 last year, his swinging-strike rate jumping from 11.1 to 14.0 percent. It doesn't guarantee he'll have success in the majors, of course, but it's silly to write him off at age 23. If you're debating between Liberatore and Bailey Ober, you should obviously go with Ober, but if things go well for Liberatore this time, maybe the Cardinals figure out a way to keep him around.
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When it became clear that Holmes was on the outs as Yankees closer, many gravitated toward Michael King as the likely candidate to replace him, with Ian Hamilton emerging as a fringe alternative. So naturally, it's left-hander Wandy Peralta who has recorded three of the Yankees' past four saves, the latest coming Tuesday with a scoreless inning at the Blue Jays. King did get the other one of the four and perhaps remains the preferred choice to roster in Fantasy, but he's already at 53 percent while Peralta is at 14 percent. Whatever manager Aaron Boone is doing here, it isn't simply a matter of certain guys being unavailable on certain days. Hamilton, King and Holmes all preceded Peralta when he notched his first save Friday.
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