Dylan Cease SP SAN
Never an easy watch, Cease was in Pittsburgh on Friday but as usual, it took 91 pitches for him to get through 4 innings. He walked in a run in the 4th inning on his 90th pitch. More and more takes from hitters means his walk rate has climbed to 9% and the Hard Hit Rate is 39%. Does he still have the wipeout stuff? The profile was tasty coming into 2025, striking out 224 in 190 IP in 2024 made him so draftable...but right now is WHIP is steady north of 1.50 and each outing is a struggle to get to 5 IP. Maybe it was the mustache. But Dylan won't cease to strike batters out, so don't give up yet, there's still his track record...don't sell low, but also don't watch his starts live if you have a weak stomach.
Ryan Jeffers C MIN
Jeffers jumped on the ball Friday night, sending a laser at 107 MPH exited Fenway over the Green Monster for a solo dinger in the 2nd Inning. Jeffers is smacking the ball at a .270 BA clip over the last two weeks and the 47% Hard Hit Rate coupled with his torpedo-bat smacking Square up Rate of 32% means this could be a Catcher to keep your eye on if your missing production at the backstop position. He's keeping the K Rate below 20% and BB Rate above 10%, so his floor feels secure at this point. You may want to be trying Ryan if you're scouring the waiver wire for catcher. As my esteemed colleague mentioned early this week, Jeffers is a solid buy right about now.
Joe Ryan SP MIN
After a rough go in Atlanta, Ryan has settled in with just 1 ER in 13 IP with 19 Ks over his last two starts. Only 1 BB allowed on Friday versus the Red Sox at Fenway and Ryan is looking like an ace for the moment. His whiff rate is climbing toward 30% and the Walk Rate is a miniscule 3%, so as long as balls stay in play, Ryan is a strong SP to target in trades if you have a surplus at hitting. He's one of those "boring" pitchers that managers seem willing to part with (I scored him for an early still-hot Otto Lopez in a MI-desperate league), so eye up Joe Ryan in your league.
Sonny Gray SP STL
Though he was chased early on Friday, The 35-year-old is striking out just under 1 per 1 IP in 2025, leaning on his ample 30% Chase Rate and clean 5% BB Rate to suppress runs and minimize damage. If you're like me and traded him for Brandon Nimmo in your NL-Only League, it was a fun moment when Nimmo singled off Gray and the Mets chased him after 4.1 IP. Regardless of this rough outing, Gray should be held onto for the consistent performances likely to come and the solid floor. If you must have a higher ceiling, shop him after his next clean performance, which will likely be soon.
Luis Robert, Jr. OF CHW
What do you get when elite bat speed (75 MPH average), solid Barrel Rate (13%) and a nice 14% BB Rate go up against underlying numbers like a microscopic 3rd Percentile Square Rate and a 31st Percentile Hard Hit Rate? You get 5 HR by May 2 and a guy who literally cannot his his weight (.189 BA vs 225 lbs). Robert has all the past talent you can hope for and the injury history to make you cry. What do you do with this guy? If you have Robert in a 5 OF league, you ride it out. If he's on your AL-Only team, you take what you can get. If you have him in a mixed league, you shop him as soon as he gets hot.
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