Cesar Hernandez has hit quite well in Chase Utley’s absense

Hope everyone had a good Fourth of July weekend! Does anyone else get disgusted watching the hot dog eating contest? Hopefully, you don’t get that same queasy feeling when clicking on your fantasy baseball team page. This is the last week before the All-Star Game. There’s plenty of baseball left to play, but you must be diligent and active. Every strikeout, home run and stolen base counts.

In this weekly column, I will highlight the players who performed the best/worst over the past week. I won’t mention the high draft picks. Instead, I will focus on those players who could possibly be acquired.

RISERS

• Cesar Hernandez (OF/2B/SS-Philadelphia Phillies) – 16 hits last week, with at least one in each game. He also scored six runs, drove in four, and stole six bases. The switch-hitter has been receiving consistent playing time due to Chase Utley’s injury. Even when Utley returns, I would think that the Phillies would find a place to play Hernandez. He is versatile and can play multiple positions, so that makes him a valuable asset in both real-life and fantasy. We are talking about the Phillies, though, so you never know.

• Adam Lind (1B/DH-Milwaukee Brewers) – Eight hits, seven runs scored, three home runs and 11 RBI. The Masher of right-handed pitching is having a great 2015: .295 AVG, 34 R, 13 HR and 48 RBI. He still sits against left-handed pitching, as he’s hitting .227 in 44 at-bats against them. Lind also has extreme home/away splits: .343 at home vs. .244 away. There have been rumors that the Los Angeles Angels are looking to trade for Lind, so keep that in mind. Changing leagues could be a detriment for Lind as he would not be familiar with the pitchers, but hitting behind Mike Trout and Albert Pujols could provide plenty of opportunities.

• Neil Walker (2B-Pittsburgh Pirates) – 13 hits with two four-hit games. Walker also scored four runs, hit two home runs, drove in eight runs, and stole one base. He is currently riding a nine-game hit streak. There are some quirks to Walker’s season so far. His righty/lefty splits are skewed toward right-handed pitching and his home/away splits are skewed toward away games. Walker’s career numbers are evenly balanced in those regards.

• Aramis Ramirez (3B-Milwaukee Brewers) – 11 hits, four runs scored, one home run, 10 RBI and one stolen base. Even with this latest streak, Ramirez has only been able to raise his average to .239. This is probably the last season for the 37-year-old. The Brewers could be sellers at the deadline with Ramirez being a possible trade chip.

• Justin Bour (1B-Miami Marlins) – Seven hits, four runs scored, four home runs and eight RBI. Bour clubbed a home run in four consecutive games. The power is legit, but will he receive consistent playing time to be a fantasy asset? He does sit against left-handed pitching, and Michael Morse is returning from the DL, but Giancarlo Stanton is down for a while. He has good plate discipline, doesn’t strike out often and will take a walk. I would think Bour would be a mainstay in the heart of the Marlins order.

• Clay Buchholz (SP-Boston Red Sox) – Two great starts last week. In Toronto, he went eight innings and allowed one earned run on five hits while striking out five. Five days later, he went the distance against the Astros by allowing six hits for one earned run and striking out eight. Buchholz has turned it on of late as he’s pitched four consecutive games allowing one or fewer earned runs. He has always had the arsenal. The question has always been about his mental fortitude. Buchholz has a 3.27 ERA with a 2.55 FIP. He’s struck out 104 batters in 110 innings. He’s only allowing 0.4 home runs-per-nine innings. As much as he scares me, the proof is in the pudding.

• Erick Aybar (SS-Los Angeles Angels) – 11 hits, six runs scored, one home run, five RBI, and one stolen base. He had a career-high five-hit game against the Rangers. He is the No. 9 shortstop on ESPN’s Player Rater for the year. I was shocked when I saw that too. That just shows how tough the shortstop position has been this year.

• Gerardo Parra (OF-Milwaukee Brewers) – 12 hits, seven runs scored, one home run, four RBI and one stolen base. Parra has been great for the Brewers, especially with the injuries to Khris Davis and Carlos Gomez. On the season, he has a .306 AVG, 36 R, 6 HR, 24 RBI and 6 SB. Batting leadoff in front of Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun has been a productive spot for Parra. There have been rumblings of a trade to the Angels. Changing leagues could be rough, but hitting in front of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols may be a prosperous situation.

• Mitch Moreland (1B/DH-Texas Rangers) – Six hits, four runs scored, four home runs and seven RBI. The hot hitting continued for Moreland as he had consecutive games with two home runs. I can’t wait to see what happens when the weather really heats up in Arlington. With that said, he’s currently sporting a .327 BABIP. His career mark is .290. He currently has career marks in average, slugging and OPS. Are you putting your chip on PASS or DON’T PASS?

• Cameron Maybin (OF-Atlanta Braves) – Nine hits, five runs scored, one home run, three RBI, and two stolen bases. Maybe this post-hype sleeper thing is for real. Maybin had two games with three hits. He has maintained his spot in the two-hole and has remained productive even with the injury to Freddie Freeman. He’s sporting a BABIP of .342 and is batting an insane .347 at home. I think we can expect some regression in the second half as his career BABIP is .315.

FALLERS

• Matt Wieters (C-Baltimore Orioles) – One hit and sat two games. Wieters is coming off Tommy John surgery so that could be contributing to his struggles. If you are in a two-catcher league, then he has some value. In the standard game, there are better options out there. I think a return to the 20-homer days is a long shot. His Soft% (percentage of balls hit softly) is at a career high 20%. His Contact% is at an all-time low 71.7%. I’d keep an eye on him and see if there is any progression over the summer. I wouldn’t pin my hopes on him though.

• Marcell Ozuna (OF-Miami Marlins) – One hit. He’s currently mired in a 1-for-32 stretch. To make matters worse, the Marlins designated him for assignment to Triple-A New Orleans. Ozuna has been a disappointment as he is hitting for very little power. He had an ADP of 116 so many had some hopes for him. It’s looking like a lost season for Ozuna.

• Chris Young (OF-New York Yankees) – Two hits last week. Had two home runs the week before. Young has always been a streaky hitter so this is common when you sign up for the Chris Young experience. He will probably get platooned when Jacoby Ellsbury returns to the lineup. He could be a source of cheap power. Good luck with trying to figure out when.

• Addison Russell (SS/2B-Chicago Cubs) – One hit with one run scored. The rookie has really struggled as of late. His defense is very good, so there is little risk of Russell getting benched. With that said, he hits ninth in the order and hasn’t shown much at the plate. Even with the lack of productivity at the shortstop position, Russell probably doesn’t warrant a look. He may be a fringe option at middle infield.

• Mark Trumbo (1B/OF/DH-Seattle Mariners) – One hit. Sat two games. Since coming to the Mariners, Trumbo is hitting .146 with one home run and five RBI. He’s never been a high average hitter, but I would think he would pick it up at some point. Kind of reminds me a Mike Napoli earlier in the year. If he starts losing playing time, though, then all bets are off.

Good luck this week!

Stan Son is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.