Chris Shaw (OF-SF) - Shaw had a pinch-hit home run against the Rockies on Monday in what was his first big league hit after striking out five times in his previous six at-bats. Shaw, long one of the team's top prospects (albeit in a poor farm system), could be in line for playing time down the stretch. Shaw will likely play against most RHP down the stretch, and considering he hit 24 home runs in 101 games at Triple-A this year, and is a former #31 overall pick of the Giants, he's at least worth monitoring. Maybe something eventually clicks, and I give a lot of leeway to former first-round picks, but Shaw at Triple-A this year put up some pretty ugly ratios: 5% BB%, 34.1% K%. Still, the power potential is tough to ignore in deeper formats.
Francisco Mejia (C-SD) - If you're looking for a catcher stash this month, Mejia could be your guy. He went 2-for-4 for Triple-A El Paso on Monday after having four hits on Sunday. El Paso is in the playoffs, so Mejia likely will be there for the duration of their run, but he could see some time in San Diego is short order. Mejia doesn't turn 23 until next month, but he has already shown top-five offensive catcher upside, and the Padres seem committed to developing him as a catcher with Austin Hedges looking like more of a backup option at the big league level. Mejia was a huge get by the Padres in the Brad Hand deal and I'd guess he gets at least 50 MLB at-bats this month.
Victor Robles (OF-WAS) - Robles is back in the big leagues and he's obviously an elite prospect, but what can we expect in September? It's tough to say. It does seem safe to say that Bryce Harper and Juan Soto are going to get plenty of playing time, so that leaves Eaton and Robles fighting it out for CF at-bats. Eaton is controllable through 2021 and has a .376 OBP, so it's not like he's an obvious guy to push to the bench. It would seem that the Nats would want to give him playing time in preparation for a potential post-Harper era beginning in 2019, so perhaps we'll see slightly less of Soto, Eaton, and even Harper the rest of the way to accommodate Robles.
Franmil Reyes (OF-SD) - The Padres' outfield situation has been rather crowded all season, but Reyes has elevated himself above the rest in recent weeks. Reyes homered in his first two at-bats Monday against Zack Godley and Arizona, driving in four runs and lifting him to .263/.316/.547. Obviously a .284 ISO is elite, and the 23-year-old outfielder has put up some interesting numbers this year. Coming into Monday's action, Reyes had 13 homers in just 191 PA, but also just 19 RBI with a 32% K%. Reyes is competing with guys like Manuel Margot and Franchy Cordero for 2019 playing time, and given that he's hit 44 homers over the last two seasons, Reyes should continue to get plenty of playing time as the Padres look to 2019.
Wade Davis (RP-COL) - It's been a rough year for the $52 million closer, but Davis did record the save Monday against the Giants, striking out the side in the process. Davis recorded save #38 in the process while lowering his ERA to 4.63. In his last nine innings, Davis has allowed no runs, two hits, a walk, and 13 strikeouts in lowering his ERA from 5.51 to 4.63. Maybe he's an elite closer again, but it's still to look past his overall body of work and conclude that Davis is elite again. Davis' fastball is down two full mph from where it was in 2015 (93.7 mph on average this year), but he still came into Sunday with a 10.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9. Perhaps Davis will turn his control around this month and be a top-five closer the rest of the way, but he's still got quite a bit of work to do.
Victor Robles (OF-WAS) - Robles is back in the big leagues and he's obviously an elite prospect, but what can we expect in September? It's tough to say. It does seem safe to say that Bryce Harper and Juan Soto are going to get plenty of playing time, so that leaves Eaton and Robles fighting it out for CF at-bats. Eaton is controllable through 2021 and has a .376 OBP, so it's not like he's an obvious guy to push to the bench. It would seem that the Nats would want to give him playing time in preparation for a potential post-Harper era beginning in 2019, so perhaps we'll see slightly less of Soto, Eaton, and even Harper the rest of the way to accommodate Robles.
Franmil Reyes (OF-SD) - The Padres' outfield situation has been rather crowded all season, but Reyes has elevated himself above the rest in recent weeks. Reyes homered in his first two at-bats Monday against Zack Godley and Arizona, driving in four runs and lifting him to .263/.316/.547. Obviously a .284 ISO is elite, and the 23-year-old outfielder has put up some interesting numbers this year. Coming into Monday's action, Reyes had 13 homers in just 191 PA, but also just 19 RBI with a 32% K%. Reyes is competing with guys like Manuel Margot and Franchy Cordero for 2019 playing time, and given that he's hit 44 homers over the last two seasons, Reyes should continue to get plenty of playing time as the Padres look to 2019.
Wade Davis (RP-COL) - It's been a rough year for the $52 million closer, but Davis did record the save Monday against the Giants, striking out the side in the process. Davis recorded save #38 in the process while lowering his ERA to 4.63. In his last nine innings, Davis has allowed no runs, two hits, a walk, and 13 strikeouts in lowering his ERA from 5.51 to 4.63. Maybe he's an elite closer again, but it's still to look past his overall body of work and conclude that Davis is elite again. Davis' fastball is down two full mph from where it was in 2015 (93.7 mph on average this year), but he still came into Sunday with a 10.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9. Perhaps Davis will turn his control around this month and be a top-five closer the rest of the way, but he's still got quite a bit of work to do.
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