Fantasy Baseball September 15 Round Up: Julio Rodriguez Becomes Fastest Player to Join 25/25 Club
Wednesday’s Major League Baseball action was full of notable performances from some of the game’s best players, and a few teams, notably Tampa Bay and Houston, received good news regarding their respective aces. Shane McClanahan returns to the mound today for the first time since the end of August, and Houston will be getting Justin Verlander back on Friday against Oakland. Julio Rodríguez, the likely American League Rookie of the Year, became the first player to join the 25/25 club this season, and by doing so, actually beat a MLB record held by none other than Los Angeles’ Mike Trout. We’ll also highlight another dominant performance from Cincinnati southpaw Nick Lodolo, as well as confirm the notion that JT Realmuto should be the first catcher off the board in 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. While there is likely to be a high-scoring shootout on Thursday Night Football, we’ll look ahead to Thursday’s baseball slate, and I’ll give you my best bet of the day from an AL Central showdown.
Fantasy Baseball MLB News & Notes from Wednesday
Max Scherzer Strikes Out Seven in Rehab Start
It seems like the Mets could be welcoming Scherzer back to the rotation as soon as next week. In last night’s rehab outing, he struck out nearly half of the batters he faced (7-of-15) and he allowed just three hits over 3.2 innings. He worked up to nearly 60 pitches, so if he does make his next start with the Mets, the team would be wise to limit him to the 70-80 range, because his health for the postseason is paramount. Scherzer is 9-4 on the year with a 2.26 ERA, 10.79 K/9, and 1.62 BB/9 across 20 starts for the Mets this season.
Return of the Aces in Houston, Tampa Bay
Shane McClanahan is returning for Tampa Bay today and this start against Toronto will be his first since being scratched back at the end of August. Prior to the injury, McClanahan was dominant for Tampa Bay, posting a 2.20 ERA and 11.12 K/9 across 147.1 innings of work, not to mention an 11-5 record.
In Houston, Justin Verlander is slated to return Friday, and if he can get enough innings, it seems like he just might be the American League Cy Young award winner. Verlander has a 16-3 record with a 1.84 ERA on the season, and is set to return to the mound is gladly welcomed by Houston, because if the Astros are going to make some noise in the postseason, they need its workhorse healthy and ready to roll.
J.T. Realmuto Wants to be the First Catcher Drafted in 2023
A .275 batting average, 18 home runs, and 17 stolen bases will certainly put you in contention, given that the catcher position is notoriously a position where people have settled in with getting their 15-20 home runs and a .220 batting average if things go well. Perhaps what is most impressive about Realmuto is that he hasn’t been caught stealing at all this season! A perfect 17-for-17! Realmuto has a legitimate chance to join the 20/20 club, and he’d be just the second catcher (Ivan Rodriguez, 1999) to do so. Realmuto’s 5.8 WAR is the ninth-best in baseball, and the next closest catcher is Sean Murphy at 4.6.
Nick Lodolo Posts Another [High] Quality Start
After a rocky start to his big league career, where he posted a 5.81 ERA and 4.10 BB/9 mark across his first six starts, the Cincinnati southpaw has turned it on and turned it up of late. Since the calendar flipped to August, Lodolo has a 3.49 ERA with a 10.84 K/9 and 2.57 BB/9. Over his last six starts in particular, he has a 2.72 ERA with an 11.12 K/9 and an even more impressive 1.36 BB/9. He’s varied his pitch mix as the year has gone on, and has opted to use his curveball more of late, and mixing in his fastball and sinker nearly equally.
Has it worked? Hell yes it has, are you kidding me!? Since the calendar flipped to August, Lodolo is one of just 15 qualified pitchers to have a 30 percent strikeout rate or higher, with a FIP below 3.40.
Julio Rodríguez Beats Record Previously Held by Mike Trout
With last night’s stolen base, it gave Rodriguez 25 on the year, which made him the first player to join the 25/25 club in the 2022 season. However, it’s more impressive than that. The likely American League Rookie of the Year became the third rookie (Chris Young, Mike Trout) to join this exclusive club in their first big league season, and Rodriguez actually became the fastest to do so, besting Trout by three games. Consider this just another accolade for the young superstar.
Thursday’s Best Bet
Minnesota Twins -1.5 Run Line (+110 BetMGM)
Trusting Dylan Bundy scares me a bit, but his ERA at home is far better than his mark on the road, and outside of his blowup last start, he had a 2.65 ERA in the seven starts prior. Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch has a 6.11 ERA and 2.04 HR/9 over his last seven starts, not to mention an 0-3 record. Minnesota has a .261 average, .721 OPS, and 108 wRC+ against southpaws over the last two weeks, but when you look at our projected lineups page, you’ll see that there are numerous Minnesota batters that have solid BvP numbers against Lynch.
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Player News
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.