Brandon Woodruff, SP, Brewers
Brandon Woodruff dazzled in his return from the injured list on Monday, allowing only one hit over six shutout innings with ten strikeouts against the Reds. While his velocity looked shaky at first, he ultimately ramped it up in the later innings to the level it was at prior to the injury. He logged a 26% whiff rate and 32% CSW on the night, and he was primarily fastball-heavy, dominating hitters with his four-seamer and sinker. While his health has been very shaky over the past few years, the results have always been there when he takes the mound, and it looks like that still hasn't changed. Woodruff now holds a 3.00 ERA on the season, and should be considered a must-start pitcher down the stretch.
Kazuma Okamoto, 3B, Blue Jays
Kazuma Okamoto went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and a walk on Monday against the Astros. He's now slashing .234/.316/.460 with 39 runs, 17 home runs, and 46 RBI on the season. He has some of the most unique and interesting underlying metrics in the entire league, as his 14.9% barrel rate and 50.6% hard-hit rate both rank in the top 9% of the league, while his 32.4% strikeout rate, 34.3% whiff rate, and .221 xBA all rank towards the very bottom of the league. What's surprising about that is Okamoto rarely ever struck out throughout his career in Japan, as he struck out at just an 11.3% clip last season. Obviously, an increase in strikeouts was to be expected with his move to America, but no one would have expected him to strike out more than almost every other player in the league, while still being somewhat successful due to great quality of contact. I tend to view this as a positive for the third basemen, as it's a lot easier to learn and adjust to pitching to strike out less than it is to learn how to hit the ball harder. If he can figure out how to make some more contact, he could be in line for a big step forward.
Kyle Bradish, SP, Orioles
Kyle Bradish delivered his second elite start in a row, this time firing eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts against the Angels. He allowed six hits and walked one. In his last time out against the Mariners, he struck out 12 and allowed one run over 7.2 innings. His slider was working especially well this time, as he induced nine whiffs on 16 swings (56%) and posted a 34% CSW on the pitch. It's nice to see him finally look like an ace again, especially after many fantasy managers began to give up on him after two straight starts of allowing five earned runs prior to this. This brought his season ERA down to 3.64 while raising his strikeout rate to 24.6%. While it's still far away from the strikeout rates north of 30% he's put up since 2024, this is at least a step in the right direction, and he's looking like a must-start pitcher again.
Brady Singer, SP, Reds
Brady Singer was excellent on Monday against the Brewers, tossing seven shutout innings and striking out seven. He allowed two hits and two walks. He induced 13 whiffs on the night, with a 33% whiff rate and 39% CSW. His slider was working especially well, accounting for a 45% whiff rate. It's been a sneaky good run for the righty, who hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his past five starts. Over that span, he's allowed seven runs over 27 innings with 25 strikeouts and 13 walks. However, the underlying metrics don't paint a pretty picture, as his FIP is 5.75 and his xBA and average exit velocity both rank in the bottom 10 percent of the league. Singer is on a roll right now, but don't expect him to be someone you can trust week in and week out.
Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
Freddie Freeman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run on Monday against the Twins. He's now slashing .273/.363/.476 with 43 runs, 13 home runs, 41 RBI, and two stolen bases on the season. The 36-year-old is actually rebounding slightly compared to last season, as he's posted an excellent 16.2% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate with an 86th percentile xBA of .281 and an 88th percentile xSLG of .498. He won't hit as many home runs as the typical slugging first baseman, and his days of batting over .300 are likely over, but he's still clearly a must-start fantasy option at first base. Hitting in the best offense in baseball also helps, as he'll get plenty of chances to rack up counting stats.
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