It is vital to look at important fantasy baseball storylines and aspects this week to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates. We have 20 such storylines for you to monitor. This guide will help you navigate the waiver wire, pinpoint potential streamers and more.
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20 Fantasy Baseball Things to Watch
1. Schedule Notes
- Zero teams play just five games this week.
- The following teams play seven games this week:
- Tampa Bay Rays vs. MIN, at HOU
- Toronto Blue Jays at TEX, vs. ATH
2. Weather
While certain parts of the country are starting to heat up, there is expected to be a big rain system moving through the Midwest this week. There is rain scheduled in cities like Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City. This may mean games are postponed, pitchers could lose starts and hitters could lose games this week.
Marcelo Mayer is a top prospect who has been called up to the Majors to fill in for Alex Bregman, who is expected to miss significant time on the injured list (IL). Mayer has been great in AAA this season, hitting .271/.347/.471 with nine home runs and two stolen bases.
Mayer has some power and some speed, but doesn’t have massive pop or speed, so he will need to make above-average contact to compile stats to make himself fantasy worthy.
4. The Rest of the Red Sox Infield
On top of the Red Sox losing Alex Bregman, the Red Sox are struggling in the infield. Trevor Story has a 60 wRC+ and top prospect Kristian Campbell is hitting .104 in May. This may open up more playing time for David Hamilton, who hasn’t been great in his own right. Boston could also move Ceddanne Rafaela back to the infield and bring top prospect Roman Anthony.
5. George Kirby (SP – SEA)
George Kirby made his season debut last week and struggled, throwing 3.2 innings and allowing five earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four. The stuff and the velocity were good, so that is a great sign, but his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and command were a bit spotty. We need to see if he bounces back in his start versus the Nationals this week.
6. Denzel Clarke (OF – ATH)
Denzel Clarke has been called up to the A’s to man centerfield. He is a fantastic defender with a ton of speed and great raw power, but he has struggled to make consistent contact in the Minors. Clarke should play regularly because his defense is superb, but he may not be able to hit a high enough average to be useful in fantasy.
7. Jac Caglianone (1B – KC)
Jac Caglianone has been fantastic in the Minors this season, hitting .318/.384/.572 with 12 home runs and two stolen bases between AA and AAA. It is only a matter of time before he gets called up to the Majors. Caglianone could have a massive impact in Kansas City this summer.
8. Kyle Finnegan (RP – WSH)
Kyle Finnegan is dealing with some shoulder fatigue and will miss some time while he rests. He has been great this season, registering 15 saves in 18.2 innings. If Finnegan hits the IL, Jorge Lopez is likely the next man up.
9. Marlins Closer Chaos
The Marlins are once again jumping on the closer carousel and trying out a new arm in the ninth inning. Ronny Henriquez got his first career save after Jesus Tinoco blew a save earlier this week. They also have Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher. We need to see how this plays out.
10. Cubs Closer Chaos
Porter Hodge is hurt and Ryan Pressly is terrible, so the Cubs have moved on to Daniel Palencia, Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz. Palencia got the most recent save, but we need to see if this is a committee or if he is the actual guy.
11. Rangers Closer Chaos
Luke Jackson has struggled, and it appears the Rangers may be moving to a different option. With Chris Martin on the IL, Robert Garcia would seem to be the next man up, but Shawn Armstrong could factor in as well.
12-14. Streaming Options
Dean Kremer (SP – BAL) vs. CWS
Dean Kremer has been fantastic at home this season, throwing 18 innings with a 2.50 ERA. He faces a terrible White Sox team at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Cade Horton (SP – CHC) vs. COL
Cade Horton has been up and down since arriving in the Majors, but he has an amazing matchup versus the worst team in baseball, who struggle when away from Colorado.
Colton Gordon (SP, HOU) vs. TB
Colton Gordon is filling in the Astros’ rotation. He has some good strikeout stuff. Gordon faces a Rays offense that struggles versus lefties and on the road, which makes him an interesting streaming option for the week.
15-20. Two-Start Options
Nick Martinez (SP, RP – CIN) at KC, at CHC
Nick Martinez has been great this season, throwing 57.2 innings with a 3.43 ERA and 43 strikeouts. While he has been worse on the road this season, he has a great matchup at Kansas City before a tougher one in Chicago, which makes him playable in deeper formats.
Erick Fedde (SP – STL) at BAL, at TEX
Erick Fedde has been up and down this season, but where he has been excellent is on the road. Through 29.2 road innings, Fedde has a 2.43 ERA and 17 strikeouts. Fedde allows a lot of contact, but he has a decent set of matchups here against a good, but not great Orioles offense and a terrible Rangers offense.
JP Sears (SP – ATH) at HOU, at TOR
JP Sears has struggled as of late, but he has been great on the road, throwing 35 innings with a 3.09 ERA and 22 strikeouts when he is not in the Minor League ballpark the A’s play in when in Sacramento. He has a tough matchup to start the week, but a good one in Toronto to end it, making him an interesting deep league streamer.
Jameson Taillon (SP – CHC) vs. COL, vs. CIN
Jameson Taillon has been up and down this season, but you can’t pass on these matchups. The Rockies have been the worst team in baseball and are terrible when on the road and the Reds have struggled offensively over the last month. You are firing him up in most formats.
Randy Vasquez (SP – SD) vs. MIA, vs. PIT
Randy Vasquez has been pretty good, throwing 49 innings with a 3.49 ERA this season despite a ton of luck and a lack of strikeouts. This is a good week to hope the luck continues versus two of the worst teams in baseball in the Marlins and the Pirates.
Hayden Birdsong (SP, RP – SF) at DET, at MIA
Hayden Birdsong has now joined the Giants’ rotation and looked good in his first start versus the Royals. He has really good stuff, but can struggle with command and control. Birdsong has a great matchup at the end of the week, which makes him a pretty strong start, even with a tough Tigers team at the start of the two-step.
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