Luis Robert Jr. (OF-CHW) was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday with a mild MCL sprain in his left knee, officially ending his season. He initially suffered the injury on Sunday against the Red Sox, leaving the game in the second inning. That closes the book on 2023 for Robert, who was the only player in MLB this season to record 35-plus doubles (36), 35-plus homers (38), 80-plus RBIs (80), 90-plus runs scored (90) and 20-plus stolen bases (20). Throw in his .264 average, and he was a true five-category contributor. Robert finally stayed healthy for the first time in his career after playing fewer than 100 games in each of his first three seasons, setting a new career high with 145 contests this year. The 26-year-old All-Star showed what he's capable of when fully healthy, which is performing like one of the best players in the game. His 30:172 BB/K ratio was alarming, but he's always been an aggressive hitter and that hasn't stopped him from having success in the past. Be prepared to pay a hefty price for him on draft day.
Kyle Bradish (SP-BAL) turned in a gem on Tuesday against the Nationals, pitching the Orioles to a 1-0 victory with eight shutout innings. He scattered three hits (all singles) and two walks while striking out four, throwing 65 of his 104 pitches for strikes. Bradish enjoyed a quick 1-0 lead thanks to Gunnar Henderson's leadoff homer and took it from there, keeping Washington off the board in his longest start of the season. He improved to 12-7 with a 2.86 ERA as a result and has now thrown 14 scoreless innings over his last two outings. He's clearly showing no signs of slowing down as he nears the finish line of his second season, giving up two earned runs or fewer in seven of his last eight outings. This was likely Bradish's last start of the regular season, although he may be needed on Sunday against the Red Sox if first place in the AL East is up for grabs. If so, Bradish ends the year as one of the best starting pitchers in fantasy baseball after building off his solid rookie season last year (4-7, 4.45 FIP).
Elly De La Cruz (SS-CIN) fueled the Reds' 11-7 win over the Guardians on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with two homers, three runs and four RBIs. Cruz, who has been mired in an absolutely massive slump lately, finally broke out of it with his first career multi-homer game, pounding a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run blast in the ninth. That ended a run of 28 games without a homer for De La Cruz, who had not gone deep since Aug. 23. He was batting and slugging well below .200 during that time as well before notching his first three-hit game since Sept. 2. The 21-year-old rookie quickly tailed off after his hot start as the league adjusted to him, exploiting his huge swing-and-miss tendencies (34.0 K%). He absolutely needs to bring that down if he wants to be a successful big leaguer going forward, but at least he got to show off his impressive tools this year (13 homers, 33 steals). The future is bright for him if he can make the necessary adjustments, but his power and speed alone make him an attractive fantasy option.
Brandon Marsh (OF-PHI) went 1-for-4 with a solo homer against the Pirates on Tuesday. After striking out in his first three at-bats, Marsh was the hero with his walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th, sealing a 3-2 win for Philly and clinching a playoff berth in the process. The dinger -- his 11th of the season -- snapped Marsh out of a brutal 0-for-18 skid with 12 strikeouts, hopefully ending a miserable two-week stretch for the third-year outfielder. Despite the recent funk, he's still batting a healthy .275 with an .817 OPS. While his counting stats are fairly pedestrian, his decent power and speed (11 homers, 10 steals -- both the same as last year) combined with his strong rate stats make him a useful fantasy option. His numbers have improved dramatically since he arrived in Philadelphia last season after improving his walk rate and cutting down on his strikeouts, so there's possibly still a bit of growth potential for the 25-year-old. Overall, this year has been a big step in the right direction for him.
Michael King (SP-NYY) took a no-decision on Tuesday despite firing six innings of one-hit ball against the Blue Jays. He did issue five walks, however, as he struggled with his command, throwing only 52 of his 98 pitches for strikes. He picked up five strikeouts as well and didn't allow a run, but unfortunately for him the Yankees didn't score any runs until the ninth. King has been absolutely sensational since shifting from the bullpen to the rotation in late August, yielding only four earned runs in 34 1/3 innings over seven starts. His peripherals back it up, too, as he has an incredible 47:9 K/BB ratio and hasn't allowed a homer. King has emerged as an unlikely fantasy hero down the stretch while making a strong case to be in New York's starting rotation next year. He was tremendous in relief as well, but it goes without saying that he'll have much more value as a starter if the Yankees decide to keep him there. Make sure to monitor his status during Spring Training next year to get a sense of which way they are leaning.
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