Jo Adell, OF, LAA
Adell homered yet again against the Yankees on Thursday, giving him 9 home runs in his last 18 games. When he's going well, Adell possesses an enticing power/speed combination, but he has been held back by his high strikeout rate, which has led to low batting averages and extended slumps. So far this season though, his K% is down to an a bit more acceptable 24.8%, which is a big difference from his career 30.9% mark. He's still hitting just .221 for the season, but he's been hitting the ball hard and entered Thursday with a .266 xBA. If he can hit somewhere close to that mark, he could be a huge fantasy asset. There's still a risk that he falls back into another slump, but Adell is worth an add if you're looking for someone with upside.
Jac Caglianone, 1B, KC
Caglianone hit two home runs against the Royals on Thursday, the first two HR's of his major-league career. The rookie entered Thursday with a .196/.212/.235 slash line through his first 52 big league PA's, but that could certainly change in a hurry. Caglianone hit 15 HR's in 50 minor-league games this season, and he has a 51.3% HardHit% in his brief stint with the Royals. His xBA of .302 and xSLG of .475 paint a completely different picture of how he has been doing, and while it remains to be seen how good he will become, it's fairly clear that Caglianone is a lot better than his results from his first few weeks.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, CHC
Crow-Armstrong went 1-3 with his 20th HR of the season against the Brewers on Thursday, and became the first player this season to reach the 20/20 club. If it isn't obvious already, PCA is one of the best players in fantasy baseball right now and we shouldn't anticipate that changing anytime soon. He has upped his HardHit% to 43.5% and his FB% has jumped by 10% this season, giving him extra home run potential. He hits in the heart of one of the strongest lineups in the league and is on pace to cross the century mark in both runs and RBI. Few players can contribute in all categories like PCA is right now, as he makes a case to be the MVP of the fantasy baseball season considering where he was drafted.
Wilmer Flores, 1B, SF
Flores was out of the Giants' lineup for the second time in three games since the team acquired Rafael Devers, but he still came off the bench to pinch hit and hit a 2-run double. Flores has primarily played DH for the Giants this season, so until Devers is ready to take the field, Flores may see limitations to his playing time. After a hot start to the season, Flores hasn't done much offensively over the past month or so. Since hitting three HR's in a game on May 16, he's hitting .240 with 1 HR over his last 28 games. Flores has only reached 20 HR's once in his career (23 HR's in 2023) and he doesn't hit the ball particularly hard, so cooling off was inevitable. Especially now that his playing time appears to be taking a hit, Flores isn't a reliable fantasy option.
Orion Kerkering, RP, PHI
Kerkering picked up his second save of the season against the Mariners on Thursday, with both of his saves coming within the last 4 days. The Phillies seem to have lost faith in Jordan Romano again, and Kerkering and Matt Strahm have both received a couple of save opportunities in recent days. Kerkering has been great recently, having gone 18 straight appearances without allowing a run. Strahm on the other hand has allowed 7 ER's over his last 9.2 IP, so perhaps Kerkering has the advantage here. Kerkering has a nice 2.37 ERA for the season, but his 28:17 K:BB across 30.1 IP is not nearly as promising. That doesn't mean he can't hold on to a closing job, but he's far from an elite option if he's walking that many batters.
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