Discussing 5 Non-Starting Recent Recalls

Yesterday, I discussed seven recent hitter callups that have all been given starting job. Obviously, these names are going to be the priorities, particularly in deeper leagues where a recall fills a positional need. Today, let’s flip over to five more players who have recently been called up, but are currently serving in a bench role.

Unless I have to replace an injured player, I typically ignore these types of players in AL Tout Wars, because my thinking is that the newly recalled guy who might only get two starts in a week and is unlikely to be better than the guy I already own getting just two starts a week. That’s not always the correct thinking though, especially in mono or deep mixed leagues. If a recently promoted player owns pretty strong fantasy skills, he’s probably worth stashing in the hopes that he eventually finds regular at-bats. Of course, not every fantasy owner can afford to be patient or has the bench space, and Tout Wars leagues require free agent adds to be started for the week, so similar league owners might be taking a hit by adding depth while benching a starter (you’ll see soon that this is exactly what I did this week).

Let’s now take a look at these names and decide whether any are worth stashing.

Joey Meneses | 1B ATH

Remember when Meneses seemingly came out of nowhere in 2022 to post a 158 wRC+ over 240 PA with the Nationals? The team rewarded him with a full-time job the next year, but he regressed to just a 96 wRC+, hitting the same number of home runs in 400+ additional PA. He then performed even worse in 2024, as he suffered a full-blown power outage, and he ended up spending all of the 2025 season in the minors.

Now, suddenly he’s back, this time with the Athletics! He posted a sterling .415 wOBA at Triple-A this year, though the 123 wRC+ was far less impressive. His batted ball profile was elite, resulting in a .364 BABIP and he made excellent contact, striking out just 12% of the time. His power was underwhelming, as he managed just a 4.8% Barrel%, but somehow that was enough to deliver a 17.2% HR/FB rate and .195 ISO.

Since his recall on Jun 21, he has started three of four games against left-handed starters and one game against a righty. Clearly, the below .500 Athletics aren’t counting on the 34-year-old to be a part of their future.

What I do like here is the opportunity to play his home games in a hitter friendly environment and the much improved strikeout rate. The contact could help him contribute in batting average and increase his home run potential. What I don’t like here is the low FB% and the weak Barrel%, plus an xwOBA significantly below his actual mark at Triple-A, suggesting he lucked into the strong performance.

If the Athletics are facing a left-handed heavy schedule, he might be worth a start for a week, but he’s probably nothing more than an injury replacement for a desperate owner.

Sean Keys | 1B TOR

Keys was recalled on Saturday with no obvious place to play, started the first game at first base, and has been on the bench since. The left-hander was always likely to sit against lefties, but I was personally curious if the Blue Jays would get creative and find room for him against righties. So far, no dice.

Keys entered the season as the team’s 14th best prospect, with 60/60 Raw Power being his best skill. However, he was on a hitting rampage in the minors this year, suggesting that the 23-year-old might be better than thought. He has walked at a double digit clip everywhere he has played and doesn’t swing and miss or strikeout too often.

Though his BABIP has been up and down, he has recorded above average LD% marks, along with a FB% over 40%. Unfortunately, his IFFB% was over 30% at both Double-A and Triple-A this year, which equates to about half that mark at the MLB level. That’s high and essentially offsets the LD% and can explain the up and down BABIP since he’s a flyball hitter.

His power is exciting. He posted a 29.6% HR/FB rate this year, backed by strong Statcast metrics, including an elite 16.3% Barrel% at Triple-A. That’s over a small sample though and we don’t know his metrics at Double-A where he recorded the most PA this year. But with a .335 ISO at the two stops, he could suffer meaningful regression and still deliver plus power.

Oh, and he also stole seven bases! He swiped just one base at Triple-A after six at Double-A, so it’s anyone’s guess whether double digit steals could actually be in his future or he’s more of a handful type of guy.

This is the guy I took a flyer on in AL Tout Wars. I am totally unsure of his playing time, but the skills intrigue me and I wanted to take the risk of losing a week of Isaac Collins to ensure I own him if the Blue Jays sell and Keys becomes a full-timer. This is especially true in leagues that use OBP instead of batting average like Tout Wars, where his high walk rate really boosts his value.

Ronny Mauricio | Infield NYM

Guess who’s back, back again? It’s Mauricio, who is back from the IL and also the minors. After being recalled last Thursday, he started two straight games, but hasn’t started since. The former top prospect owns 70/70 Raw Power, but that has yet to translate to the Majors over about a half season’s worth of PAs, as he sports just a .122 career ISO.

So far, he hasn’t hit in the Majors. But he has shown lots of power in the minors, with a .270 ISO at Triple-A this year and 13.3% Barrel%. He also significantly improved his strikeout rate, bringing it down to just 18.5%. However, that was over a small sample and looks like a complete fluke, as it came along with a 16.2% SwStr%. It would seem impossible to swing and miss that often, while keeping a strikeout rate below 20%.

He even stole seven bases in the minors this year, maintaining his power/speed mix that continues to entice fantasy owners. As usual, the Mets have disappointed this year, so it’s very possible they sell some pieces that vault him into a starting job. He has serious 20/20 potential over a full season, so he’s another name deep leaguers should monitor and potentially stash if possible.

John Rave | OF KCR

Rave was recalled back on Jun 14. At the time, I assumed it was to serve as a starting outfielder after the team was hit with a rash of injuries. That hasn’t been the case though. He has started just five times since his recall as the team has really spread out the starts and Lane Thomas has gone from short-side platoon outfielder to full-timer.

A 28-year-old non-prospect, he keeps hitting well at Triple-A and then not really getting an extended look in the Majors. He posted identical .390 wOBAs at Triple-A this year and last, with a double digit walk rate, a single digit SwStr%, some power, and stolen bases. It’s the type of profile I usually love to acquire in deep leagues.

However, his xwOBA both years has been significantly below his actual marks, perhaps warning us early that this skill set wasn’t going to hit at the MLB level. While he posted an 18.2% HR/FB rate this year, it came with a below average HardHit% and Barrel%, suggesting he’s more of a league average power guy.

Then again, the steals should stick and he should get a boost in OBP formats given his walk rate. He hits too many pop-ups to post a strong BABIP, which means he probably won’t contribute in batting average.

The Royals also have Kameron Misner and Starling Marte competing for playing time, and eventually both Vinnie Pasquantino and Kyle Isbel are going to return complicating the playing time situation even further. So as much as I would have liked to speculate here, I prefer the other options.

Ben Malgeri | OF DET

Malgeri failed to get any sort of mention on the Tigers top prospect list, but was recalled on June 23 and seems to be on the small side of a platoon, starting against left-handed starters. The 26-year-old posted a 141 wRC+ at Triple-A this year, with a .200 ISO and double digit walk rate. He knocked nine home runs in about a half season, and stole eight bases. That’s a near 20/20 pace over a full season’s worth of PA, which is always worth paying attention to.

As has been the case with other names, his xwOBA was well below his actual mark, but still enough above league average to think he could produce in the Majors. His Statcast metrics were pretty solid, with an above average HardHit% and double digit Barrel%. Hampering his power upside is a sub-30% FB%, but it certainly helped him post an inflated .385 BABIP, which of course isn’t sustainable.

Malgeri looks like a little of this and a little of that, which is typically an undervalued combination in fantasy leagues. Most prefer a 30-homer guy with 0 steals to a 15/15 guy, which he might be if given a full-season of PA in the Majors.

The Tigers are another team that might be sellers, opening up a starting job here, though Max Clark might get that opportunity first, despite just a 100 wRC+ at Triple-A. I would definitely prefer Keys and Mauricio, but Malgeri might rank above Rave for rest of season potential.