Matt Marton-Imagn Images

• Clay Davenport examined the drop in hitter production from AAA to the majors. From 2021 to 2025, he found the following adjustments.

Stat: Adjustment
AVG: -.040
OBP: -.046
SLG: -.099

Additionally, he found:

There is a small tendency for young players to do a little better than older players.

A good read on what has and hasn’t changed for hitters making that last transition to the majors.

American League

Guardians

• The team is going with a six-man rotation.

Cleveland will deploy a six-man rotation for the foreseeable future, manager Stephen Vogt said on Tuesday ahead of the Guardians’ 11-7 loss to the Red Sox. Joey Cantillo will start in Wednesday’s series finale at Fenway Park, joining Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Cecconi, Logan Allen로건 and Parker Messick in the rotation.

“We’re going to go with the six-man rotation for a little while,” Vogt said. “Just with the starting pitching, where they are innings wise and where they are in their career. And we have 24 games in 24 days, so we thought it was a good opportunity for us to get them … they’ll all be on five days’ rest throughout this long process.”

Rangers

• Jacob Latz will stay in the rotation.

Bochy said Latz will remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future, a relatively new development considering he has just six career starts in 78 appearances.

The last few weeks have been an adjustment for Latz, who didn’t even find out he was starting against the Diamondbacks until Monday. Even so, he said he was ready to go regardless of when his number was called, whether it was as a starter or out of the bullpen.

In five starts (23 relief appearances) this summer, the 29-year-old lefty has a 3.38 ERA (4.32 xFIP), 1.17 WHIP, and 7.5 K/9 in 24 IP.

White Sox

• Brooks Baldwin adjusted his approach during the season.

But the switch-hitter also has executed something offensively that’s tough to do in-season – make meaningful changes to approach and technique and have them work immediately. Baldwin showed off those changes yet again with three hits against the Twins, as the White Sox (51-88) won for a third straight time and won a third straight game at Target Field (dating back to April 24) for the first time since 2021.

…

“It’s hard to adjust in season, but sometimes you have to do it when things aren’t going the right way,” Baldwin told MLB.com. “I made the choice to change and stick with it and go with it the rest of the year, and it’s done well.

“Just like the approach wise and kind of stance at the plate, spread out and get a little wider and shorten everything up a little bit and stay to the opposite field. It’s not really like I’m trying to hit everything to left field or left-center, but mentally I’m trying to stay on the ball that way. And then if it presents itself to pull it, you can still pull it.”

All his stats are showing 1H to 2H improvements

Stat: 1H, 2H
BB%: 5%, 8%
K%: 28%, 22%
OPS: .628, .802
Contact%: 77%, 80%,
avgEV: 90.4, 90.7

National League

Braves

• Ha-Seong Kim 김하성 believes his struggles stem from coming back too early from his back surgery.

Kim believes coming back quickly from that surgery contributed to his back issues this season, but said he’s fine now.

• Bryce Elder reworked his slider.

Elder noted the work on his slider as a reason for his stronger efforts.

He said he’d always thrown one that was “kind of nose-down gyro,” but that over time, he began to throw it differently. Elder “really looked into the nose being up, and the ball was just spinning right in the heart of the plate and people were hitting it.”

The slider was a pitch he felt was his top swing-and-miss offering, but he wasn’t getting those whiffs at the same level.

However, Elder has noticed progress with the slider since about the end of June. Six of his top seven single-game whiff rates with it this season have come since the calendar flipped to July — including Wednesday’s 38.4 percent — giving that credence.

I couldn’t find any signs of improvement on his end. Additionally, he is not throwing his slider as much. Before August 1st (beginning of Elder’s hot stretch), he threw his slider 38% of the time and 29% after that point.

Cardinals

• Nolan Gorman implemented a change in early June.

Gorman didn’t play in any of the three games against the Royals. Instead, he took a couple of workout days in the batting cages and tried to put his trust in what felt comfortable. He ditched the toe-tap swing he started with at the beginning of the season and reverted to a leg kick while committing to a more selective approach.

Soon after, tangible results followed.

“Knowing where I was with playing time, I knew I couldn’t just go try to fix something every single day,” Gorman said. “I had to trust one thing and run with it. In Kansas City, that’s where I really started feeling good. That’s where I felt things really flipped. I was like, ‘I need to run with this, I need to keep it.’”
…
When evaluating Gorman, the Cardinals’ coaching staff likes to look at chase rate, strikeout percentage and walk rate to ensure Gorman is improving his plate discipline and fine-tuning his approach. Similar to nearly every power hitter in the modern game, with homers come strikeouts. Swing-and-miss will essentially always be a part of Gorman’s game, but it doesn’t have to define it.

Before the change, he was batting .187/.280/.297. Since the adjustment, .231/.329/.446.

• The manager wants Jordan Walker to take the team’s advice and improve several aspects of his game.

Not only would the Cardinals like to see a strong finish to the season from the former top prospect in MLB, but they also want to see [Walker] be more receptive to making the changes needed to potentially make him more consistent at the plate. And, quite frankly, the club’s patience seems to be wearing thin with the 23-year-old outfielder’s receptiveness to the changes they have asked him to make.

“We have not seen the consistency that we would have hoped for by now,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Our hope is that changes. He’s still young, and this could flip at any moment. We’ve seen other players where that’s the case — on this team or another — where they are an offseason away. But there’s real work to be done and there’s a real level of dedication and consistency that needs to come with that.

“I need to see Jordan have a sense of urgency for the things that need to take place to give him consistent results. That goes with his moves toward the ball, his preparation in the cage and his approach in games.”
…
“Real adjustments have to be made, physically and approach-wise,” he said. “[Brown] is doing a really nice job of providing him ways of doing that. Now, he has to take hold of that and put it in play.”

Cubs

• Michael Soroka’s fastball velocity is in the mid-90s.

#Cubs Michael Soroka threw a 34 pitch live BP today. He checked out healthy and his velocity was back up into the mid-90s. It had dipped in the weeks leading up to the injury.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) September 2, 2025

That’s encouraging since Soroka’s velocity dropped 3 mph after joining the Cubs

Dodgers

• Roki Sasaki will remain in the minors to gain some consistency.

Given the results, and that the Dodgers have no immediate need for him at the big league level, it seems likely that Sasaki will remain with Oklahoma City for at least another start.

“Guys here are pitching well,” manager Dave Roberts said before Sasaki’s outing. “I’m not sure what that means for Roki after this one. Let’s just get through this one. Pitch well, [get] healthy, and then we’ll make a decision.”
…
After sitting around 96 mph with his four-seamer in his previous two starts, Sasaki averaged 94.4 mph with the pitch on Tuesday. He maxed out at 96.9 mph.
…
“The velocity needs to be consistent. The strike throwing needs to be consistent. Just having overall command,” Roberts said recently. “The focus certainly is different in the big leagues vs. Triple-A, which is totally fair. But I do think that where he’s at, performing and dominating Triple-A hitting is something we should expect.”

• Teoscar Hernández’s groin and foot aren’t yet healed.

Concerns about Hernández’s focus go away if he’s hitting. This is not a storyline if he is putting up the .840 OPS he put up a year ago, or the .933 OPS he had before landing on the injured list in May with a strained groin. That halted what was set to be a strong encore to last year’s success. So did a bruise he suffered when he fouled a ball off his left foot more than a month after returning. The resulting struggles raised one of two questions: either Hernández was still hurt (or trying to avoid reinjuring himself) or the injuries had disrupted whatever rhythm he’d had to start the season.

Hernández’s groin and his foot are “100 percent,” he said.

“For me, it’s more being on the field,” Hernández said. “For me, being hurt is more frustrating than having a bad year. I’d rather be on the field and having a bad year than not being on the field and just fighting back and forth.”

Pirates

• Nick Yorke will play some outfield.

Nick Yorke, the team’s No. 11 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was recalled as part of the expanded September rosters and got the start at first base on Tuesday.
…
Yorke could also play second base and corner outfield, Kelly said pregame …

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even larger entry fees ($2.5K to $15K). They are named “High Stakes Leagues,” and there are eleven of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more leagues. Read the rest of this entry »

7:30	Jeff Zimmerman:

Read the rest of this entry »

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now, while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference, grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters.
Batters Read the rest of this entry »

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even larger entry fees ($2.5K to $15K). They are named “High Stakes Leagues,” and there are eleven of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more leagues. Read the rest of this entry »

Allan Henry-Imagn Images

American League

Athletics

• Zack Gelof, Jacob Wilson윌슨, Darell Hernaiz, and Brett Harris with “shuffle” positions and starts.

On Monday, Gelof, Hernaiz and Harris were all in the A’s starting lineup, with Hernaiz manning third base and Harris at first base on a rare day of rest for Nick Kurtz. Those three will likely shuffle around the infield over the final month of the season as the A’s seek to get a closer evaluation of the trio of homegrown players.

“Wilson will also need some rest as we go,” Kotsay said. “There will be enough opportunity to utilize a rotation. It’s about performance, and we’ll also look for the best matchups for those opportunities as well.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Every week, I write an article looking over lineups before the weekend FAAB and waiver wire adds. While I find it useful to go through each line and take notes on each team, I wondered how helpful they are to readers. I examine each team, find changes, and note them. I feel the article may be too long, with around 60 total bullet points. I’m thinking of some possible changes. I can’t add much more because the article is already quite time-intensive to write.

• It’s fine, don’t change a thing.
• Should I go with just the top-10 movers (up or down) with more details on the players involved?
• The same top-10 list, but keep the descriptions brief.
• Highlight (i.e., bold) the top movers in the normal article?
• Just one bullet per team?
• Any other suggestions?

Thanks for any of your suggestions.

–Jeff

7:30	Jeff Zimmerman:

Read the rest of this entry »

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now, while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference, grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even larger entry fees ($2.5K to $15K). They are named “High Stakes Leagues,” and there are eleven of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more leagues.

Batters

Dylan Beavers (10): A solid target for any fantasy managers needing help with batting average and/or stolen bases. The 24-year-old outfielder may not have elite power, but it’s non-zero with 15 HR last season and 18 so far this year. He has a great eye and consistently posts a .400 OBP. Being on base that much means he has a chance to steal bases (55-grade speed).

Colby Thomas (10): For fantasy teams needing power, Thomas is the long shot. In the minors, he hit 31 HR in 2024 and 18 HR this season. In the majors, he added 3 HR to the total. He’s even added 2 SB.

His downfall is his 43% K% (21% SwStr%) with a .370 BABIP, maintaining his .241 AVG. Pitchers are getting him to swing-and-miss on four-seam fastballs (17% SwStr%) while secondaries are causing additional issues (slider: 26% SwStr%, change: 35% SwStr%). He’s going to have a short career if he can’t hit fastballs.

Paul DeJong (8) and Adam Frazier (7): You know the options are limited when Frazier and DeJong join the most-added lists.

Yoán Moncada (6): Strong-side platoon bat who is batting .237/.328/.373  in the second half. And not hurt … yet.

Daylen Lile (6): The 22-year-old rookie is playing and seems to be breaking out with a .635 OPS in the first half and .784 OPS in the second half. All the gains are BABIP driven (.258 BABIP to .355 BABIP) with his strikeouts up (14% K% to 20% K%) and walks down (6% to 5%).

Miguel Andujar (5): Starting every day in the cleanup spot for a team that plays in a high school-sized field. Solid add.

Evan Carter (5): Carter gets outfield starts with Adolis Garcia on the IL. While he might not be in a platoon, he should be (.309 OPS vRHP in ’25, .262 OPS for his career). He’s not going to be a positive in power or batting average, but he does have 13 SB.

I’ve been dismissive of Carter, but he’s showing some signs of improvement with a career-low strikeout rate (19% K%) and career-high max exit velocity (111 mph).

Miguel Vargas (5): Off the IL and back on fantasy rosters.

Brett Baty (5): Started in eight of the last nine games with a 109 OPS+. It’s tough to determine who is starting at second and third base since Baty is sharing time with Mark Vientos (88 OPS+) and Ronny Mauricio (95 OPS+).

Victor Robles (5):

Gabriel Moreno (5): On a rehab assignment and should be joining the major league team soon.

Miguel Rojas (5): One of the few available Dodger options for their four games in Colorado.

Starters

Nolan McLean (11): Deserves all the love after his first start with 8 K and 0 ER over 5 IP. There are a couple of issues. The first is the excessive walks (4.0 BB/9 in the minors, 6.8 BB/9 in the majors). The STUPH models picked up on this, with both giving him below-average overall grades (high Stuff, low command).

Cristian Javier (11): During his rehab, he posted just as many walks as strikeouts (15). Over the first two starts, his 3.38 ERA looks great, but his ERA estimators point to a 4.50 ERA talent. His STUPH grades think he’s worse (4.91 bot ERA).

Monitor his groundball rate. An 18% GB% points to a 1.9 HR/9. He’s not even limiting hard contact (50% HardHit%).

With so few options, he’s worth adding, but closely monitor his production.

Taijuan Walker (6): It’s nearing the point that Walker is going to be an anchor for the postseason rotation.

Yoendrys Gómez (6): After 12 relief appearances, he’s started twice with a 3.60 ERA (4.74 xFIP), 1.00 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9. He’s thrown six different pitches this year that all grade out as average. He needs the large pitch mix to navigate a lineup.

Bryce Elder (5): The career 4.78 ERA “talent” faced the White Sox this week and rewarded his fantasy managers with 8 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, and 3 K in 4 IP. Bryce Elder and his career 4.78 ERA and 1.40 WHIP are never the answer.

Luis Morales (5): Let’s start with two stats: 1.86 ERA and 8.4 K/9. Not bad. Even add in a 3.73 FIP. Then there is the 7.5 BB/9, 1.66 WHIP, 4.67 botERA, and 5.93 xFIP. Just the 1.66 WHIP did as much ratio damage as a 6.46 ERA.

Relievers

Victor Vodnik (6): Fantasy managers with a Rockies closer …

… and after a three Save week …

Bryan Abreu (5): Great reliever who is now the closer on a good team. Added for top dollar in leagues where he was not already rostered.