Nick Franklin -- With Tampa Bay's Triple-A affiliate Durham Bulls now out of the International League playoffs, the Rays plan on recalling Nick Franklin, presumably with the intention of giving him plenty of at-bats the rest of the way. Though Franklin has struggled each time he's been given a look at the major league level, he comes with a good pedigree and is a must add in AL-only leagues. Franklin has a good hit tool with a little power and speed, and if he can prove himself over the next couple weeks he'll thrust himself into consideration for a role, potentially a starting one, with the club next year.
Jordan Schafer -- Schafer had himself a day on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two steals, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. After an abysmal start to the season with Atlanta, likely driven in no small part by a small sample, Schafer has been a beast with Minnesota, batting over .300 with 12 steals. What Minnesota does this offseason will surely play a role in their 2015 plans, but Schafer is certainly making his case for a starting role. If he manages to secure one, he would be a huge sleeper in deep mixed and AL-only leagues as a source of cheap steals. He's always been a huge threat even in a part time role, having stolen 20 or more bases for four straight seasons now, and with full-time play would profile as one of the league leaders in the category.
T.J. House -- The Cleveland Indians have decided to push back T.J. House's next start, which was set to come in Houston against the Astros, into the following series in Minnesota. House has come essentially out of nowhere this year to post a 7.1 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 60% GB%, 3.42 ERA, and 3.15 xFIP. He throws from a low arm slot and primarily features a sinker/slider combo (with a change-up thrown in), which makes the southpaw much more effective against lefties than righties. This rotation alteration will allow House to avoid the righty-heavy Astros in favor of a weaker Minnesota team that has more lefties for him to face (most notably Joe Mauer and Oswaldo Arcia) in a better park. Lefties with big platoon splits tend to do much better in the bullpen than the rotation in the long-term (see: Zach Britton), but as long as he's managing to find success, House will continue to be given an opportunity to start. He's certainly intriguing enough given the quality of his stuff and his numbers for me to take a risk on in deep leagues next year.
Jake McGee -- McGee blew his fourth save of the season on Sunday, allowing a run in the ninth to tie the game before the Rays came back the next inning to give him the win. One bad outing doesn't diminish what McGee has done this year--11.2 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 1.71 ERA, 2.58 xFIP--and he's likely to continue receiving save opportunities through the end of the season. Whether that continues into 2015 is another story. Though he's developed into an elite relief pitcher, the Rays have always been a little reluctant to use him as their closer, Grant Balfour essentially forcing their hand this year. They usually tend to go to the free agent well to find an underappreciated (but good) veteran to pitch the ninth each winter, but we'll have to see if McGee has done enough to convince them to change their pattern. If he has, he could be one of the most valuable in relievers in fantasy next year.
Shoot me your fantasy questions on Twitter (@DerekCarty).
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