Last week we discussed three hitters to which their managers should be giving more playing time; Jose Martinez, Jake Marisnick and Ezequiel Carrera. That was by no means a complete list. Today we’ll take a look at a few more guys who could see a big bump in fantasy value, if they just start getting to the dish more regularly.
C.J. Cron – Los Angeles Angels
Mike Scioscia is one of our least favorite managers in the fantasy baseball world. LA’s closer situation has been a mess for the better part of two seasons now, and he’s an old school guy who prefers defensive-minded catchers and small ball. And, at the moment, he’s not giving C.J. Cron enough playing time.
Since the All-Star Break, 232 hitters have 70 plate appearances or more. Among them, Cron ranks 10th in wOBA since the Break but 220nd in PA. Cron has seven homers in 75 PA since the Break and Scioscia isn’t coming close to playing him every day.
When players are producing at the plate but not getting regular work, defensive concerns or a platoon are often the reason behind it. But Cron plays an unimportant position at first base, if he plays the field at all, and splits have not been a problem for him in his young career. Cron has been a bit below average against same-handed pitching this year, but for his career he’s been better without the platoon advantage than with it.
Cron has an ownership rate in single digits in ESPN leagues, so he’s probably available if you’re trying to find some power on the wire. Even in a part time role the pop is there, but if Scioscia starts putting him the lineup more against righties, Cron could really be a boost for you down the stretch.
Wilmer Flores – New York Mets
This isn’t the first time that Wilmer Flores has come up in the Managerial Tendencies series this season, but Terry Collins continues to underutilize a very good hitter. When you look at wOBAs in the second half (min. 70 PA), you’ll find a bunch of guys with at least 100 PA except for an injured player or two as well as Cron and Flores. Flores sits 17th in wOBA since the Break but ranks 226th in PA. Good job, Terry. Some of my Twitter friends feel the same way.
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You could maaaaybe say that splits and fielding concerns are reasons for Collins not to play Flores every day. Flores has been much better with the platoon advantage in his career, but this season he has produced almost identically with and without it and has better plate discipline numbers without the advantage. He also grades out below average defensively, but that shouldn’t be keeping him out of the lineup when you compare him to who he is being kept out of the lineup for.
Both Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes have more PA in the second half so far, despite Flores easily outproducing them in WAR both in the second half and for the season. Of course, it would be difficult not to outproduce them as both Cabrera and Reyes are in the negative when it comes to WAR this season.
With Neil Walker and Lucas Duda now on different teams, there’s almost no excuse for Flores not to play every day. He has appeared in each of New York’s last eight games and started in seven of them, so Collins appears to be out of options to leave Flores on the bench. Flores is also owned in less than 10 percent of ESPN leagues, so he’s another guy to target who could see an increase in value in the last six weeks of the season.
Adam Lind – Washington Nationals
We should preface this section by saying that Dusty Baker has already made the change in behavior of which we would otherwise be complaining. Despite still being a righty-masher, the left-handed Adam Lind has not been able to crack the lineup consistently against right-handers this year, at least not until recently.
Baker has started using Lind in left field regularly, which allows him to get Lind in the lineup regularly with the platoon advantage. Lind appeared in the outfield only five times before the Break but has appeared in left 11 times since then. Lind has started in left the last five times Washington has faced a right-handed starter. Lind was commonly hitting sixth or seventh in the order, but he was bumped up to fifth with Bryce Harper out of the lineup on Sunday.
Lind is even lesser owned than Cron and Flores, and his fantasy value increases greatly with Dusty willing to put him in left to get him in the lineup against righties. Lind has an excellent 125 wRC+ vs. RHP this season and an equally healthy .220 ISO. Give him a look if you need pop for the stretch run.
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Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.