As the year winds down and the trade deadline has passed in many leagues, now’s a great time to remind gamers in keeper leagues who are out of contention that it’s not time to check out. The temptation might be there, but don’t do it. This isn’t some kind of plea for league integrity, it’s a reminder that keepers can be found at this time of the year and later. The obvious potential keepers who could pop up going forward are prospects who’re called up and perform well — namely the cut below the elite guys who are likely already being stashed. They’re not alone, though. Rich Hill’s unlikely return to MLB as a fantastic starting pitcher came on September 13, 2015. Depending on the number of keepers and the keeper rules in your league, it’s possible you missed out on a strong addition in the form of Hill. However, this brings up another point. In one of the keeper leagues I compete in, there’s a rule that prevents anyone added on or after September 1 from being kept. The rule was put in place to allow owners who are in the mix the opportunity to go for it without the stress of dumping an injured or under performing fringe keeper on their roster into the lap of team that’s out of it. Anyway, in keeper leagues, it’s important to stay on top of things as a seemingly small addition now can pay big dividends in future seasons. Now, let’s move on to the week ahead.
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Notable Matchups
Diamondbacks @ Mets (4), vs. Giants (3)
The Diamondbacks play a full slate of games next week, but their first four games are on the road. They’re one of the worst road offenses in baseball. The pitching matchups are mostly favorable, though, four of those matchups will be against southpaws, per ESPN’s probable starters for next week. The Diamondbacks have been dreadful against southpaws this year.
Red Sox @ Indians (4), vs. Orioles (3)
Four road tilts in Cleveland to start next week will provide Boston’s bats these favorable park factors. They close next week with three home games against the Orioles and their fourth highest team ERA in MLB this season.
Cubs @ Reds (3), @ Phillies (3)
The Cubs are the first of the clubs featured that play fewer than seven games, but six games is solid. Furthermore, the outlook is favorable for the offense next week with road series in homer-friendly venues Great American Ball Park and Citizens Bank Park against the team with the worst team ERA in MLB and Philadelphia’s below average team ERA.
White Sox vs. Twins (5), vs. Tigers (3)
Nope, that’s not a typo above. The White Sox open next week with a doubleheader on Monday. The Pale Hose’s offense is bad, but the outlook is about as good as it can get next week with eight games and matchups against the Tigers (29th in team ERA) and Twins (tied for 25th in team ERA).
Rockies @ Royals (3), @ Braves (3)
All six of Colorado’s games are on the road next week, and that’s a huge downgrade for their hitters. Looking ahead, though, it’s worth noting they play nine home games after that, so if you’re streaming fringe hitters from the Rockies, you might not want to cut bait.
Dodgers @ Pirates (4), vs. Brewers (3)
The juggernaut Dodgers play a full seven-game week next week, and they are slated to face right-handed starters in each contest. The righty-heavy matchups are good news for Joc Pederson, Yasmani Grandal, and Yasiel Puig, and bad news for Kiké Hernandez, Logan Forsythe, and Austin Barnes.
Brewers @ Giants (3), @ Dodgers (3)
Major park factor downgrade for the Brewers in a six-game week next week. Their first three games are at super pitcher-friendly AT&T Park and the last three are at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium.
Twins @ White Sox (5), @ Blue Jays (3)
The Twins join their American League Central rival White Sox in the eight-game week category thanks to the doubleheader against those White Sox on Monday.
Mets vs. Diamondbacks (4), @ Nationals (4)
Next week is a weird week. The Mets, too, play eight games concluding the week with a doubleheader against the Nationals.
Rangers @ Angels (4), @ Athletics (3)
The Rangers have been one of the worst road offenses this year ranking dead last in road batting average (.219) by 15 points! They’re hitting just .215/.291/.402 on the road with a gaudy 26.3% K%, according to FanGraphs.
Hitter Notes
Bryce Harper (WAS)
First, Mike Trout went down for an extended period of time. Now, Harper is on the disabled list with a significant bone bruise that will sideline him indefinitely. It’s possible he returns sometime in September, but that’s far from a given.
Adam Lind (WAS)
Lind has seen regular time in the outfield for the Nationals due to injuries, and he should continue to get regular playing time. In 207 plate appearances this year, the veteran has hit .307/.353/.503 with nine homers, a 7.2% BB%, and 15.5% K%. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter is unlikely to see much playing time against southpaws, but he can help gamers in deep leagues against righties. Since 2015, he’s hit .268/.333/.458 with 49 homers in 1,205 plate appearances against righties.
Trea Turner (WAS)
This edition of the Hitter Notes is brought to you by the Washington Nationals. Seriously, though, in more Nationals’ news, Turner took batting practice for the first time since suffering the fractured wrist. MASN’s Dan Kolko tweeted out video of Turner’s batting practice session from Tuesday. The speedster remains without a timetable for his return, but this is a step in the right direction. Turner is an absolute monster in stolen bases, and even if his power is sapped upon his return, he can be a game-changer in the final month of the fantasy baseball season.
Carlos Correa (HOU)
There’s more positive news for the shortstop position. Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports Correa feels he’s ahead of schedule in his rehab. The initial timetable called for Correa to miss six to eight weeks, and he’s at the four-week mark. If the uber-talented young shortstop is correct about being ahead of schedule, then we could see him back by the end of the month. Regardless, it appears he should be back early in September at the latest.
Pitcher Notes
James Paxton (SEA)
Paxton just can’t seem to avoid the injury bug. He’s on the disabled list with a pectoral strain, and he’s expected to miss at least three weeks. He’ll be reevaluated today. The southpaw has pitched like an ace this year, but good health continues to elude him. Last year’s 171.2 innings pitched between Triple-A and the Majors is his single-season high and only time north of 170 innings since his pro career began in 2011.
Stephen Strasburg (WAS)
Not all of the news for top-flight arms is bad. Strasburg threw five innings of one-run ball in a rehab start at the High-A level on Monday. He’s not officially listed as the starter for Saturday’s game in San Diego, but it appears likely Strasburg will start that contest. Such a cushy matchup makes him a great dice roll despite it being his first start back from the DL.
Andrew Heaney (LAA)
Heaney’s the probable pitcher for tonight’s game, and it will be his first start in the Majors after making six rehab starts in the minors while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In three starts at the Triple-A level spanning 17.1 innings, the southpaw spun a 3.12 ERA (4.51 FIP and 4.80 xFIP), 1.21 WHIP, 5.7% BB%, 20.0% K%, and 11.1% SwStr%, per FanGraphs, in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The 26-year-old pitcher was a highly touted prospect who’d pitched respectably (4.09 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 4.29 xFIP, 4.18 SIERA, 1.23 WHIP, 5.9% BB%, and 17.8% K%) in 26 appearances (24 starts) in The Show before going under the knife. I wouldn’t immediately trust him in standard leagues, but he could quickly play himself into relevance in all but the shallowest of leagues. He also remains an intriguing option in dynasty leagues.
Aroldis Chapman (NYY)
Chapman’s been shaky lately and allowed at least one run in three straight appearances and surrendered five runs in 3.1 innings pitched in that three-appearance stretch. He was unavailable Wednesday night, but manager Joe Girardi voiced the opinion that the lefty flamethrower is healthy and provided a vote of confidence saying, “he will continue to be my closer,” per Mark Simon of ESPN.com. With Chapman unavailable Wednesday night, it was David Robertson who nailed down the save to preserve a 5-3 win. Don’t read too much into that, though, as Dellin Betances had pitched three days in a row and wasn’t used in that contest. If Chapman continues to struggle, Betances is likely the next man up followed by Robertson.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
