Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles
Henderson went 0-4 with a K and one hard hit ball. He's slashing a putrid .195/.272/.329 in June. His 24.8% Pull Air rate is by far the highest in his career, and I wonder if it's because of an approach change that has vastly changed who he is as a hitter. He's still continuing to chase at a career high rate, and his swing rate still remains a career high. I genuinely believe his down 2026 is due to approach, and that his present approach doesn't fit his skillset well. His zone contact and LA are both at career highs, but those aren't enough to offset the bad contact from expanding the zone. With no sign that this is changing, I'm entertaining other options.
Troy Melton, SP, Detroit Tigers
Melton went 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K on 7 hard hit balls in a strong outing. Melton has a 1.75 ERA through 11 starts on the year, so a nice surprise from the mediumly-heralded prospect. A 23/8 K/BB ratio is right in line with big league average. He's a decent groundball getter (43%) and has limited quality contact thus far (.318 xwOBACON against). Melton now has a 2.16 ERA across 112.2 IP in his career, so the sample size of him being a usable fantasy asset is growing. I actually really like Melton as a stabilizing piece for your fantasy staff, as his 3.21 xERA is plenty trustable.
Pedro Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs
Ramirez went 3-5 with R, 2B, RBI, K on two hard hit balls. The Cubs No. 2 prospect is slashing .322/.362/.471 across 95 PA to start his career, but I need to pump the brakes. A .269 xBA and .364 xSLG have me much less excited. A 45.7% GB rate and 14.3% Pull Air are also very pedestrian, especially for fantasy purposes. Ramirez's groundball history is well documented through his minor league career. He never cracked double digit homers in a single minor league season, despite multiple 400+ and 500+ PA campaigns. He has demonstrated good K/BB rates however. I just don't see an offensive profile with enough juice in 2026 to get me excited.
Brice Turang, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
Turang went 3-5 with 2 RBI and K. The youngster is quietly putting together the best season of his career. He is setting career highs in xwOBACON (.416), Barrel % (8.5), LASS (37.8%), and xSLG (.444). His 24/11 K/BB ratio should further help out in points leagues as well. Turang stole 50 bases in 2024, and he's on pace to steal about 25-30 this year, but he's also on pace to hit 25-30 homeruns. This is impressive for someone with a 7% Pull Air rate. Turang actually has more oppo power, as he has only one, lone homer to the pullside. No complaining here, I'll take a 25-25 guy who walks any day of the week.
Manny Machado, 3B, San Diego Padres
Machado went 3-4 with R, RBI, BB on four hard hit balls. He started off the season real slow, and was batting as low as .166 thru mid June. July has been much nice to him, as he's slashing .301/.392/.590 with 7 homers. I think father time is beginning to catch up with the 34 year old. His 43.7% HH rate is his lowest since 2020, and his .376 xwOABCON is the third lowest in his career. A strong 20% Pull Air rate has allowed him to continue to hit homers. He has 23 this season, which is surprising given the performance. He's actually on a full season pace for 35-36 homers, which would come close to his career high of 37. Some of the down season is age-based decline, but I still believe there is a semblance of a productive hitter here. If you lack convincing options, Machado should be trustworthy the rest of season.
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