In The Field
OF Joshua Baez was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday with a left oblique strain, which ends his rookie season. He ended up hitting .230 with 7 HR, 18 R, 8 RBI, and 2 SB. The underlying skills point to the power being legit (54% FB, 12% Barrels, and 47% Hardhit), but contact is going to be an issue (31% K and 42% O-swing). 1B Spencer Steer has been ramping up activities by taking dry swings with the hopes of hitting off a machine next week. He is unlikely to make it back this season. He finishes 2026 hitting .238 with 16 HR, 54 R, 40 RBI, and 3 SB in 384 PA. C Hunter Goodman (thumb) was out of the Rockies lineup Tuesday through Thursday but returned on Friday. He has been one of the best returns on draft price this season (.245 AVG with 38 HR, 80 R, 81 RBI, and 5 SB). OF Willi Castro (heel/knee) told reporters on Wednesday that he is not going to make it back this season. DH Shohei Ohtani (bicep/knee) has been able to hit off coaches' throwing BP. He is eligible to return from the 15-day IL on September 23. The goal would be to get him some live reps before the playoffs. OF Andy Pages (hand) is likely to be activated during the Dodgers' homestand September 18-24. Pages' return is going to shift around the Dodgers lineup, with OF Tommy Edman moving back to second base and pushing Alex Freeland back into a bench role. The real question is what role rookie OF Jose De Paula will have when both Pages and Ohtani return. 3B Nolan Arenado (thumb) left Tuesday's game early due to a thumb injury, but he was back in the lineup the rest of the week. Arenado has had a nice bounce-back season (.243 AVG with 26 HR, 71 R, 74 RBI, and 4 SB in 560 PA). SS C.J. Abrams was not in the Nationals lineup on Tuesday due to neck tightness. He returned to the lineup on Wednesday. Abrams is having a monster fantasy season (.264 AVG with 30 HR, 88 R, 96 RBI, and 29 SB). The Pirates are finding ways to get C Rafael Flores Jr. into the regular lineup even if he is not playing catcher. His bat has been a valuable asset to the team down the stretch. He is hitting .268 with 9 HR, 15 R, 20 RBI, and 0 SB in 139 PA. The Pirates are going to have an interesting time sorting out their catching situation in 2027. C Endy Rodriguez showed offensive upside alongside Flores Jr. (.267 AVG with 7 HR, 20 R, 20 RBI, and 6 SB in 159 PA). They also have C Henry Davis, who has struggled offensively but is well regarded defensively and among the pitching staff. The most beneficial move for fantasy would be to split time between Flores Jr. and Rodriguez, giving both occasional reps at 1B as well. 1B Bryce Eldridge was not in the Giants lineup on Friday due to a head laceration. Eldridge has played well in his rookie season. He is hitting .269 with 17 HR, 50 R, 57 RBI, and 1 SB in 448 PA. He hits the ball extremely hard (12% Barrels and 52% Hardhit) and makes enough contact (27% K) to have a respectable batting average. 2B Matt McLain was out of the Reds lineup on Monday after landing hard on his surgically repaired shoulder on Sunday. He was back in the Reds lineup the rest of the week. McLain is hitting .185 with 15 HR, 56 R, 39 RBI, and 18 SB in 469 PA. The HR/SB has allowed him to have some fantasy value, but the .185 AVG is going to put his playing time into question for 2027 if they decide to upgrade the position. The underlying skills point towards a lower average but not a sub .200 AVG. He is striking out 28% of the time, but a .228 BABIP has led to the .185 AVG, and a return to .220-.230 with regression is what to expect for 2027. J.J. Wetherholt (wrist) was able to hit off a pitching machine on Monday and do a full workout on Tuesday before being activated on Wednesday. Wetherholt is hitting .240 with 17 HR, 88 R, 48 RBI, and 14 SB in 589 PA. He has the core skills to be a five-category contributor (11% BB, 16% K, 8% Barrels, and 45% Hardhit). Wetherholt has definitely hit the rookie wall in the second half (.197 AVG with 4 HR, 30 R, 12 RBI, and 5 SB). The good news is that there has not been a change in his core skills, and the main difference has been a .283 BAIBP compared to a .223 BABIP in the second half. OF Jackson Merrill is swinging a hot bat to end the season. He is hitting .429 with 3 HR/2 SB over the past two weeks. SS Christian Koss is playing every day for the Giants and has been swinging a hot bat of late. He is hitting .378 with 3 HR, 8 R, 7 RBI, and 3 SB in 11 GP. OF Mookie Betts has turned it on at just the right time for the Dodgers. He has hit .267 with 9 HR, 29 R, 31 RBI, and 1 SB in 229 PA in the second half.
On The Mound
Braxton Ashcraft (arm) was able to play catch on Friday, but he is not expected to return this season. Ashcraft had a true breakout season (3.65 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 26% K, 5% BB, and 3.31 SIERA). Blake Snell (groin) left Wednesday's start after one inning due to groin tightness. He believes he will be able to make one more start before the end of the regular season. Snell has been awesome when on the mound this year (1.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 33% K, 10% BB, and 3.18 SIERA through 38.2 IP). Roki Sasaki (finger) was able to throw a live BP session on Wednesday (48 pitches). The team is still trying to figure out if he is going to be used as a starter or reliever to end the year. Sasaki has a 4.60 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 14% K:BB through 119.1 IP. The Giants placed right-hander Logan Webb on the 15-day IL on Friday with a right middle finger blister. This likely ends his season. He really struggled in his last three starts (16 ER in 13 IP). Webb finishes with a 4.31 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 20% K, 6% BB, and 3.91 SIERA. The concern heading into 2027 is that his stuff dropped dramatically this year, which led to fewer strikeouts. This is what led to the ERA over 4. Jesus Luzardo (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with shoulder stiffness and inflammation. Luzardo is technically eligible to return for the last game of the season, but that is not guaranteed. Luzardo has been very good for the Phillies (2.87 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 30% K, 7% BB, and 3.05 SIERA). Max Meyer (neck) is not going to return this season as he has been shut down from throwing. He ends his 2026 season with a 2.68 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 26% K, 9% BB, and 3.76 SIERA. Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) has been throwing out to 105 feet and hopes to get back on the mound before the end of September. When he initially went on the IL, he was expected to have surgery and be out for the season. Reynaldo Lopez was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with right shoulder inflammation. Lopez has largely struggled this year (4.54 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 4.40 SIERA). Paul Skenes gave up 5 ER on Friday night to the Royals. He now has a 3.78 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 28% K, 7% BB, and 3.37 SIERA across 162 IP. The velocity had been trending up after the Pirates gave him a few days off recently, but that hasn't held. The hope is that an offseason of fixing his mechanics will lead to the velocity returning, but if it does not, our expectations of Skenes are going to have to be lowered. His current skill set is that of a very good pitcher, just not the generational pitcher that he was looking like through his first two seasons. Andrew Alvarez has quietly posted a 3.35 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across 102 IP, with a 23% K rate and 12% K-BB% providing a decent foundation despite a 4.12 SIERA. Over the last 30 days, Alvarez has improved his ERA to 2.33 while maintaining a 27% K rate, though his 14% K-BB% and 4.11 SIERA suggest the results may be somewhat better than the underlying skills. He's worth considering in deeper leagues, particularly while the recent run prevention remains strong. Jonah Tong has a 3.43 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 21 IP, with a 22% K rate, 10% BB rate, and 12% K-BB% in his limited MLB sample. He's shown more strikeout ability over the last 30 days, posting a 3.27 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 30% K rate, and 25% K-BB% across 11 IP. The small sample makes him difficult to fully evaluate, but the recent swing-and-miss gives him intriguing upside for deeper leagues, which is hard to find this time of the year.
In The Bullpen
Devin Williams (shoulder) threw live BP on Thursday. The plan is to ease him into action and not necessarily as the closer. He has struggled this year (4.66 ERA and 1.66 WHIP). Kodai Senga did blow a save on Tuesday but has been good as a reliever since the beginning of August (2.35 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 32% K, and 10% BB). Edwin Diaz (neck) was activated on Friday off the 15-day IL. However, he is going to start out in lower-leverage situations to prove himself before getting high-leverage work. The Marlins placed Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with right median nerve irritation. He is scheduled to have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery. The Marlins' closer situation will likely be a committee of Calvin Faucher and Michael Peterson. Anthony Bender is also going to have surgery. He has a stress reaction in his right shin. Jacob Webb is in danger of losing save opportunities after blowing the save on Tuesday. He now has a 10.80 ERA in five appearances in September. Daniel Palencia would appear to be the next guy up given that he has done the job before. Trevor Megill (28) and Raisel Iglesias (33) each got a save this week and continue to plug along as highly dependable options. Jhoan Duran got two saves, bringing his season total to 32 SV to go along with elite ratios (1.76 ERA and 1.01 WHIP). Mason Montgomery has been excellent as the Pirates' closer. He got two saves this week and now has 6 W, 14 SV, 2.67 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 38% K, and 10% BB through 64 IP. Mason Miller secured his 37th save on Monday. He has been lights out all year (1.12 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 48% K, and 9% BB). Miller has a ridiculous 119 K in 64.1 IP. Riley O'Brien blew a took the loss on Wednesday. This is concerning because he has struggled in the second half (5.56 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 22% K, and 15% BB). It may not matter with the season nearly over, but it is something to keep in mind heading into 2027 drafts because it is likely that they will look to upgrade their options. Erik Tolman (2.38 ERA, 24% K, 11% BB, and 121 Stuff+) and Jack Sinclair (2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 19% K, and 15% BB) picked up saves for the Nationals.
Players to add this week:
C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. (PIT)- Rafael Flores Jr. has been extremely productive in limited playing time, hitting .268 with nine homers in just 139 PA, and he's showing even more with the bat lately. The .405 average over the last two weeks comes with two homers and a 54% HardHit rate, making him a strong add considering they are giving him reps at first base as well to keep his bat in the lineup.
1B Ty France (SDP)-Ty France has quietly been one of the better batting-average options available if he's sitting on your waiver wire, hitting .301 with 21 homers and 69 RBI this season. The recent numbers are even better, with a .359 average and 50% HardHit rate over the last two weeks, so there's little reason to treat this as a fluky batting-average run.
2B Adael Amador (COL)-Adael Amador is hitting .270 with just a 13.9% strikeout rate, giving him a strong contact foundation despite modest overall production of four homers, 15 runs and 13 RBI. The power has picked up recently, with two of his four homers coming over the last 14 days along with seven runs and five RBI. The downside is that he's hitting only .214 during that stretch, so the recent power hasn't translated into better overall production. Still, the combination of a .270 season average, elite strikeout rate, and emerging power makes Amador an intriguing middle-infield option if the playing time remains consistent.
3B Joey Ortiz (MIL)- Joey Ortiz has quietly put together a pretty useful season, hitting .269 with nine homers and nine steals, but the recent surge is what makes him worth checking on the waiver wire. He's hitting .378 over the last two weeks, and while the .481 BABIP tells us some regression is coming, this is still a player who has shown enough contact ability to ride while he's locked in.
OF A.J. Ewing (NYM)- A.J. Ewing has been one of the more interesting recent risers, hitting .383 over the last two weeks while adding three steals and showing enough power to keep pitchers honest. The 26% strikeout rate on the season is still a concern, but with 24 steals already, there's enough speed here to make him worth a speculative add while the bat is hot.
OF Jakob Marsee (MIA)- Jakob Marsee is the kind of player I would be particularly interested in if steals are a need because he's already swiped 23 bases while adding 11 homers and a 13% walk rate. The recent .409 average is obviously going to come down, but he's also added two homers and two steals over the last two weeks, making this more than just a speed-only profile.
Justin Wrobleski-Dodgers-SP- Justin Wrobleski has a 3.70 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 136.1 IP, with a 20% K rate, 5% BB rate, and 15% K-BB%, but his 4.06 SIERA suggests the ERA is a little better than the underlying skills. Over the last 30 days, Wrobleski has posted a 5.40 ERA and 1.50 WHIP despite a strong 31% K rate and 24% K-BB%, with a .385 BABIP and 65% LOB rate contributing to the poor results. The strikeout gains are encouraging, but the recent run prevention makes him more of a deeper-league option.
SP Emmet Sheehan (LAD)- The recent injury to Blake Snell could possibly open a rotation spot for Emmet Sheehan. Sheehan has a 4.79 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 107 IP, but his 27% K rate, 7% BB rate, and 20% K-BB% give him a much more appealing skill set than the ERA suggests. He's been excellent over the last 30 days with a 0.77 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 36% K rate, and 31% K-BB%, while his 2.34 SIERA backs up the improvement. The recent strikeout surge makes Sheehan one of the more interesting waiver-wire arms if given the opportunity.
SP Jonah Tong (NYM)-Jonah Tong has a 3.43 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 21 IP, with a 22% K rate, 10% BB rate, and 12% K-BB% in his limited MLB sample. He's shown more strikeout ability over the last 30 days, posting a 3.27 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 30% K rate, and 25% K-BB% across 11 IP. The small sample makes him difficult to fully evaluate, but the recent swing-and-miss gives him intriguing upside for deeper leagues, which is hard to find this time of the year.
SP Andrew Alvarez (WSH)-Andrew Alvarez has quietly posted a 3.35 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across 102 IP, with a 23% K rate and 12% K-BB% providing a decent foundation despite a 4.12 SIERA. Over the last 30 days, Alvarez has improved his ERA to 2.33 while maintaining a 27% K rate, though his 14% K-BB% and 4.11 SIERA suggest the results may be somewhat better than the underlying skills. He's worth considering in deeper leagues, particularly while the recent run prevention remains strong.
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