Garrett Crochet (SP-CHW) bounced back against the Twins on Monday as he allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk while recording 7 punchouts over 5 IP. The lone blemish was a 2-run dinger by Carlos Santana as Crochet fired 53 of his 77 offerings for strikes in the contest. The 24 year-old southpaw might have an ugly 5.97 ERA in the early going of the season, but his numbers are otherwise encouraging as he boasts a 2.93 xFIP, 12.2 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 through 7 starts (34.2 IP). Crochet only pitched a total of 79.1 innings in the majors and minors combined in 2022-2023, so the White Sox will carefully manage his workload, hence his getting pulled after only 77 pitches on Monday. But Crochet should nevertheless be a fantasy asset as his control has been good, his swinging-strike rate is a healthy 14.5%, and his contact rate is low (71%). Hard contact has been a bit of an issue (45% per Statcast), but neither his opposition's barrel rate (4%) nor their average exit velocity (88 mph) are concerning. He should be started in St. Louis this coming weekend.
Luis Severino (SP-NYM) took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Cubs on Monday before finishing with a solid stat line (8 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 5 K). The 30 year-old righty fired 68 of his 101 offerings for strikes in the contest. While a far cry from his excellence of 2017-2018, Severino has bounced back in the early going of the 2024 season from his torrid 2023 campaign in which he logged a 6.65 ERA, 8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 4.83 xFIP in 89.1 IP. Through his first 6 starts of the season, he claims a 2.31 ERA, 8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 3.73 xFIP. The gap between the ERA and xFIP does warn fantasy owners that regression is coming as his .247 BABIP and 7% HR/FB correct, but Severino's control has improved while the opposition's Statcast metrics - namely a 37.5% hard-hit rate, 4% barrel rate, and 89 mph average exit velocity - are down across the board. He does face a test against the Rays in Tampa this coming weekend.
Jesse Winker (OF-WSH) was productive against the Marlins on Monday despite going hitless as he went 0-3 with a walk, a run scored, 2 RBI, and a steal. The 30 year-old has surprisingly rebounded a bit after a pair of lousy seasons in 2022 and, especially 2023. Now with his 4th team in as many seasons, Winker is hitting .277 with 3 homers, 15 RBI, 15 runs scored, and 3 steals (in 3 tries) through his first 14 PA of the campaign, with a healthy wRC+ of 137. As always, he's showing patience and a keen batting eye as he's drawing walks at a robust 13% rate and, encouragingly, he's tempered his strikeout rate to 20% after it came in at 26% last season. After two subpar years, his Statcast profile has improved, with a 38.5% hard-hit rate, 8.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 89 mph; those aren't amazing, but they are much improved. Winker is playing regularly and has seemingly rediscovered his 2019-2021 form, so consider him if you need OF help.
Joey Loperfido (1B-HOU) is getting the call to make his MLB debut against Cleveland on Tuesday. The 24 year-old was off to a strong start in Triple-A this season, batting .287 with 13 homers, 27 RBI, 31 runs scored, and 5 steals (in 5 attempts) across 122 PA, with a wRC+ of 152. While he's walked at a 13% clip, it's worth noting that Loperfido has also fanned at a 30.5% rate. It's also worth noting his 12.5% liner rate and his 46% groundball rate; Loperfido has always been pretty groundball-oriented since he made his minor-league debut back in 2021. Despite his average speed, he's posted solid steals totals throughout his professional career. All that said, there is intriguing fantasy potential in his ability to hit for power and swipe some bags, but don't be surprised if the combination of strikeouts and grounders proves problematic in the majors.
Simeon Woods Richardson (SP-MIN) is a strong option for DFS and as a streamer for standard fantasy leagues on Tuesday. The 23 year-old righty was stellar in his first two starts of the season in the majors, logging a 2.45 ERA, 9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 3.65 xFIP across 11 IP. Woods Richardson doesn't have overpowering stuff (93-mph average heater) and hasn't missed lots of bats (9% swinging-strike rate and 83% contact rate), but his control has been very good and he's surrendered hard contact to the tune of a minimal 19.5% clip. He possesses a solid four-pitch mix and has plus command, so there is potential here, especially when he has favorable matchups. And that's the case on Tuesday, when he's slated to take on the White Sox at home. Woods Richardson is available in roughly 83% of ESPN leagues.
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