Roto Riteup: June 19, 2026
Papa Clemens would never have been able to do this!
On the Agenda:
- Closer Chaos
- Quick Hits
- Various News and Notes
- Streaming Pitchers
Archive for Hitters
In Search of Some Luck
by Jack Martin
June 18, 2026
Moving on from looking at players who potentially might run out of luck in the previous piece, we now look to the other end of the chart, and some hitters who may be due some good fortune.
While identifying the hitters I thought had potential regression was easy, with plenty of highly-rostered bats in the top region of the chart with interesting data as to why they were outperforming their xwOBA in terms of BABIP, finding who to highlight at the other end was more challenging.
Roto Riteup: June 18, 2026
Rookie catcher Joe Mack is getting hot!
On the Agenda:
- Closer Chaos
- Quick Hits
- Various News and Notes
- Streaming Pitchers
Position Player Playing Time Changes: June 16, 2026
Welcome back once again to Position Player Playing Time Changes. As a refresher, the table now includes new columns to better detail the percent changes. League-wide, the 30 teams average 90 remaining games, so the remaining plate appearances are right-sized to that number.
Significant Projected Remaining Playing Time Changes, 6/9 to 6/16
| Name | Team | Positions | Old PT | New PT | PT Change | Old PA | New PA | PA Change | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braden Montgomery | CHW | RF | 13% | 76% | 63% | 51 | 296 | 245 | Making a big impact since his call up and looking like he’ll stick around |
| Cooper Pratt | MIL | SS | 7% | 70% | 63% | 27 | 272 | 245 | Getting the call to the majors a couple months after big extension |
| Blaze Jordan | STL | 3B, 1B | 1% | 47% | 46% | 4 | 183 | 179 | Starting 3B with Gorman demoted in first taste of the majors |
| Gabriel Rincones Jr. | PHI | RF | 5% | 51% | 46% | 19 | 198 | 179 | Will get plenty of run against RHP unless and until the Phillies trade for someone |
| Cole Carrigg | COL | CF, SS | 6% | 46% | 40% | 23 | 179 | 156 | Three homers already, versatility could keep him around even when injured OFs come back |
| Kameron Misner | KCR | CF | 2% | 33% | 31% | 8 | 128 | 121 | Starting CF against RHP with Isbel out |
| Samad Taylor | SDP | LF, CF, RF, 2B | 26% | 54% | 28% | 101 | 210 | 109 | One of the very, very few Padres actually producing |
| Will Wagner | SDP | 2B, 3B, DH, LF | 5% | 32% | 27% | 19 | 124 | 105 | Ditto the Taylor note |
| Tyler Callihan | PIT | RF, LF, 3B, 2B | 23% | 47% | 24% | 89 | 183 | 93 | Filling in for Cruz in OF and hitting like he belongs |
| Jordan Lawlar | ARI | CF, LF, DH | 48% | 72% | 24% | 187 | 280 | 93 | Back from the IL |
| James Outman | DET | CF, RF | 5% | 26% | 21% | 19 | 101 | 82 | From waiver wire to semi-starting CF in Detroit, for now |
| Miguel Andujar | SDP | DH, 3B, LF | 71% | 51% | -20% | 276 | 198 | -78 | Strained hamstring |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | KCR | 1B, DH | 92% | 68% | -24% | 358 | 264 | -93 | Fractured hamate |
| José Ramírez | CLE | 3B, DH | 97% | 71% | -26% | 377 | 276 | -101 | Fractured hamate |
| Oneil Cruz | PIT | CF, DH | 85% | 59% | -26% | 331 | 229 | -101 | Multiple finger fractures |
| Joey Ortiz | MIL | SS, 3B | 76% | 45% | -31% | 296 | 175 | -121 | Playing time is uncertain with Pratt coming up |
| Bryce Johnson | SDP | LF, RF, CF | 33% | 1% | -32% | 128 | 4 | -124 | DFA’d + outrighted |
| Nolan Gorman | STL | 3B, DH, 1B | 75% | 43% | -32% | 292 | 167 | -124 | Demoted to minors |
| Ryan Waldschmidt | ARI | CF, LF | 64% | 29% | -35% | 249 | 113 | -136 | Demoted to minors |
| Kyle Isbel | KCR | CF | 74% | 38% | -36% | 288 | 148 | -140 | Grade 3 plantar fascia tear, out a while |
| Adolis García | PHI | RF | 86% | 21% | -65% | 334 | 82 | -253 | Torn lat, return this season uncertain |
FAAB Frenzy and Waivers Wild: Week 13
Every Monday, this column will break down the most popular waiver wire and free agent acquisitions of the weekend.
Fantasy baseball managers know that our game is the ultimate test of grit, grind, tenacity, and patience. Unlike fantasy football, where league titles can be won with minimal in-season activity, fantasy baseball leagues require incessant attention and activity. Particularly when it comes to free agent adds and drops. Real-life baseball managers are constantly adjusting batting orders, players are frequently optioned to and promoted from the Minor Leagues, and injuries occur almost daily. There’s no resting on our laurels. We must always stay vigilant with league news and notes and remain active on the waiver wire if we want to win our leagues.
Every week, I’ll dig into the top adds on the ever-popular Fantrax and in the NFBC Online Championship (OC), a national mid-stakes contest with 240 total leagues of 12 and a six-figure grand prize. Reviewing player adds between the two should provide us with a well-rounded perspective and barometer of the fantasy baseball marketplace.
Hitters Pushing Their Luck
by Jack Martin
June 15, 2026
At this stage of the season, the impact of luck, or lack thereof, starts to take form and become a meaningful predictor for the rest of the year.
But BABIP can be a noisy stat in isolation. I wanted to identify which hitters were getting lucky when putting balls in play, but also wanted to add a layer that allows us to assess that luck relative to fantasy value and overall offensive production.
The idea for this piece actually came from a curiosity around one specific hitter, which I will come to later, but it is a useful exercise to get a broader sense of the BABIP landscape as we enter the summer months.
So which hitters are potentially providing an unsustainable output, and which could be worth buying low on or holding onto?
Rookie Check In: Five Hitters With Name Value to Buy, Sell, or Hold
It’s been a few weeks since we covered several rookie hitters. Rookies have been making a significant impact on the fantasy baseball landscape from a pitching and hitting standpoint. Several rookie hitters and pitchers have been starting in fantasy lineups instead of simply being stash candidates. These rookie hitters have name value, so they could be possible candidates to buy, sell, or hold based on their underlying metrics, skills, playing time, and peak projections. Read the rest of this entry »
Go Make Your Own Luck
With all of the preparation that goes into draft season, it’s easy to throw that all out of the window when you come into June and a guy is hitting .180 and has fallen far outside of the top-ranked players in the majors.
This is especially true for managers in 10- and 12-team leagues. In these formats, the quality and depth of the waiver wire is never better than it is in April and into early May.
Contrast that with the struggles and small sample size bloated ERAs and miniscule counting stats, and it is easy to see why so many of us contemplate dropping players we considered ourselves excited to draft just a few weeks before the season.
In this article, I’ll look back at some of the hitters the industry liked heading into this season, noting their current roster rates and player rater values, and why you should consider buying back in while you still can. I’ll start with players who have already demonstrated some value of late and wrap up with blurbs on some names who could be next.
Roto Riteup: June 12, 2026
Only Crooks in the Building!
Congrats to Jimmy on his first home run of 2026.
On the Agenda:
- Closer Chaos
- Quick Hits
- Various News and Notes
- Streaming Pitchers
Week 12 Weekend Streamer Hitter Matrix
You must be able to see it, Mr. Manager. You must know it by now. You can’t win. It’s pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Manager? Why? Why do you persist?
Because you choose to. Because sifting through recently discarded hitters is your jam. Because the occasionally interesting platoon bat may just be set up for an interesting occasion.
So, why do we persist? Because we all do. Why play fantasy baseball if not to savor the constant oneupsmanship. Oh yeah, pal o’ mine, you’re going to burn your FAAB on the hot young prospect? So what, I’ve got the entire Rockies lineup in Bing Bong Ballpark in Vegas this weekend.
Beat that.
In this article, I’ll use the Fangraphs Lab Baseball Sim tool to highlight some potential hitters to stream in this weekend’s juiciest matchups. And I’ll show you just how deep the rabbit hole goes and the extent of how you can use the Sim tool yourself.