Dillon Dingler (C-DET) continued his breakout campaign as he went 4-5 with 2 HR, a 2B, 4 RBI, and 4 R as he was a hitting machine at the Rays on Monday. The 27 year-old backstop is enjoying a breakout campaign as he's now batting .241 with 13 homers, 38 RBI, and 27 R through 221 PA. The average might not be great, but Dingler's .250 BABIP seems low, especially given his penchant for making loud contact (47.5% hard-hit rate, 12.5% barrel, and average exit velo of 90 mph per Statcast) and balanced profile that features a 20% liner rate, 39% groundball rate, and 41% flyball rate. With a 21% strikeout rate against a 9% walk rate, Dingler is controlling the dish reasonably well, and his 80% overall and 90.5% in-zone contact rates further illustrate his growth at the plate (77% and 87%, respectively, in 2025). A .250ish average with another 12-15 bombs the rest of the way seems likely.
JJ Bleday (OF-CIN) stayed hot as he went 1-4 with a solo homer and walk as the Reds fell to the Royals, although he did also strike out 3 times. The 28 year-old is capitalizing on a new start after his run with the Athletics fizzled as he's now batting .301 with 10 big flies, 27 RBI, and 19 runs scored across 133 PA. The former #4 overall draft pick has slashed his strikeout rate to 19% after it came in at 26.5% a year ago while he's drawing walks at a career-best 14.5% clip. Bleday's 73.5% overall and 82% in-zone contact rates are down a touch from his career averages of 74.5% and 83.5%, respectively, but he's really excelled at making loud contact, with his 50% hard-hit rate, 15% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 91 mph all dwarfing his career averages of 37.5%, 8.5%, and 88.5, respectively. With an average launch angle of 21.2, Bleday is ripping lots of liners (24%) and lofting lots of flyballs (46.5%), which bodes well for continued power output while casting doubt on his ability to continue to hit for average.
Bryce Eldridge (DH-SF) went 1-4 with a 2B and 3 punchouts against the Brewers on Monday. It's a small sample size, but the 21 year-old comes with a strong pedigree (#16 overall pick in 2023 out of high school) and seems to be figuring things out in his second taste of big-league action. He's now batting .242 with 2 HR, 4 RBI, and 8 R through 71 PA with a 25.5% strikeout rate against an 11.5% walk rate. As his much improved strikeout rate indicates (35% in a cup of coffee last season), Eldridge is making a lot more contact than last year, with a 79% overall and 88% in-zone contact rate (66% and 76%, respectively, in just 37 PA in 2025) while he's obliterating the baseball to the tune of a 57% hard-hit rate, 13.5% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 93 mph per Statcast. An average launch angle of 17.7 has translated to a 29.5% liner rate, 41% flyball rate, and 29.5% groundball rate, which in tandem with his ability to hit the ball hard has enabled him to display his monstrous raw power. It will be interesting to see what happens with his contact rates, strikeout rate, etc. as he logs more PA, but the talent is clear and the potential for him to be a fantasy juggernaut makes him a must-add in fantasy leagues. Now.
Curtis Mead (1B/3B-WSH) went 2-4 with an RBI as he stayed hot during a loss to the Marlins on Monday. The 25 year-old is enjoying a fresh start in the nation's capital as he now claims a .250 average to go with 8 dingers, 26 RBI, 26 R, and 3 steals (albeit in 5 attempts) across 160 PA. He's controlled the zone well with a 14% walk rate against a 17% strikeout rate while making a lot of contact (84% overall, 91% in zone). He's showing patience with a 41.5% swing rate and 24.5% chase rate, and often squaring up on the ball when he does swing, with Statcast showing a healthy 46% hard-hit rate, 11.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 89.5 mph. His average is suffering a bit as he's registered a 47% flyball rate against just a 13% liner rate (and 40% groundball rate), but Mead is showing new life with the Nationals.
Chase Burns (SP-CIN) was a scratch ahead of his scheduled start against the Royals on Monday as he's dealing with an illness. It is apparently a mild illness as he's now slated to start against the Royals on Wednesday. The 23 year-old righty is in the midst of a stellar campaign in which he's recorded a 1.96 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 3.16 xFIP across 64.1 IP (11 starts). A .228 BABIP and 94.5% strand rate both seem due for some regression, so expect his ERA to rise a bit going forward. But there is no denying that Burns is a gifted hurler given his 15% swinging-strike rate, 79% in-zone contact rate, improved control (3.3 BB/9 in 2025), and improved Statcast metrics, which include a 37.5% hard-hit rate (45.5% in 2025), 8.5% barrel rate (9.5%), and average exit velo of 89 mph (90).
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