If you’re looking for the top “buy low, sell high” candidates, you need to check in with the Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch, only on Fantasy Alarm.

 

 

 

If you’re following the latest MLB news and catching up on the most recent MLB injuries, then you know many fantasy owners dodged a bullet with regard to Juan Soto. Losing him would not only affect those who roster him, but taking his bat and his presence out of the lineup affects all the New York Yankees. You always need to be conscious of the potential trickle-down, not that we have to worry about that here thankfully.

We also see a pretty barren fantasy baseball waiver wire as players like Royce Lewis and Matt Chapman have returned while others such as Nolan Jones, Max Scherzer and Bobby Miller are due back sooner than later. Yes, we still have a few costly injuries like Kyle Tucker, but the replacement value on waivers is, well, not great. That’s why we trade, people!

So, let’s get to some ‘3 Up, 3 Down’.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Risers

Heliot Ramos, OF San Francisco Giants

He’s been an incredibly popular waiver add and I just had him in this past week’s waiver article, yet he is still owned in less than 25-percent of leagues on ESPN and Yahoo. If he is available, add him right now if you can. If you have to wait for FAAB bidding, set yourself a reminder to add him. If he isn’t available, maybe see if you can acquire him as part of a trade package, though his price tag is pretty high right now.

Since being called up in the wake of a number of injuries, Ramos is batting .309 with six home runs, 23 RBI, 13 runs scored and one stolen base over 30 games. He’s also providing a .397 OBP, so he is clearly making the most of his opportunities. He’s also hit safely in seven of his last nine games and has five multi-hit performances in that span. 

Even with the return of Michael Conforto and Austin Slater, Ramos has maintained his starting spot in the Giants outfield and while yes, the .433 BABIP won’t last forever, his minor league totals indicate that he’s still someone who routinely puts the ball in-play.

Jurickson Profar, OF San Diego Padres

Why is no one talking about Profar these days? I will admit that I drafted him strictly as a placeholder for when the Padres brought in Jackson Merrill, but so far, both have remained staples in the lineup while the likes of David Peralta, Jose Azocar and Tyler Wade continue to fight with each other for playing time. 

His current stat line – .322 average with 10 HR, 43 RBI, 39 runs scored and four stolen bases – has been one of the biggest surprises in MLB this season. Once considered a top prospect, Profar is delivering in even better fashion than when he posted a career-best .257 average with 20 homers and 77 RBI back in 2018. 

He is definitely playing over his head for what we normally expect from him, but the focus should be on his improved plate discipline, hard-hit rate and barrels. Last year, we saw Yandy Diaz make adjustments heading into his age-31 season, so why can’t we expect adjustments from Profar? The batting average will take a tumble, but if the counting stats are there, I’m in.

Tyler Kinley, RP Colorado Rockies

Yes, even Rockies closers have value. We may not like it or fully trust it, but the team is still going to win games and many of those will require a closer. The tentative plan for now is to continue playing the lefty/righty matchups between Kinley and southpaw Jalen Beeks, but Kinley should see the advantage as the righthanded arm. 

Since joining the ninth-inning time-share in late-May, Kinley has picked up three saves and a win. Yes, there were two non-save situations in which he gave up some runs, but our focus should be on the one category we need him for most. 

You’re not going to get a typical closer’s ERA, but if he is in the mix and you’re desperate for saves, you could do a lot worse. Just think Daniel Bard, who earned 54 saves for the Rockies between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. 

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Fallers

Michael Harris, OF Atlanta Braves

Of course we don’t like seeing Harris here among the fallers, but with a .248/.293/.354 slash line, a .106 ISO and a rising strikeout rate, he’s not being particularly productive, is he? Over his last seven games, Harris is batting .115 (3-for-26) with no extra-base hits, no stolen bases and just two RBI. 

The entire Braves squad has taken a tumble since Ronald Acuna was lost for the season, but Harris was struggling even before that. But, you guessed it: great buy-low opportunity here. Between the BABIP struggles, a terrible 53.7-percent ground-ball rate and an even more horrific 14.3-percent infield fly-ball rate, I expect a turnaround sooner than later. 

At worst, he goes into the All-Star break on a down note and comes back rejuvenated for the second half. See if you can send a decent third-rate starter like Jack Flaherty or Eric Fedde in a deal to try and add Harris.

Anthony Rizzo, 1B New York Yankees

Short and sweet, people – he’s done like dinner. You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger Yankees fan than me, but at some point, you have to cut your losses and look elsewhere. No one is (or should be) using Rizzo as their primary first baseman, but he’s definitely being used as a corner infielder in numerous places. If you are one of them, it’s time to move on.

Rizzo is a great clubhouse veteran which is one of the reasons the Yankees aren’t giving up on him, but the decline is real. Last year, we watched him go from 32 homers to just 12 and now we’re seeing slower bat-speed, diminished power and a .224 batting average that has shown almost no sign of rebounding. It’s tough to let go, but those are the decisions a good fantasy manager makes.

Bailey Ober, SP Minnesota Twins

After what appeared to be a breakout campaign last season, Ober has gone into the tank for many of us who drafted him as a potential innings-eater. He tossed a career-high 167 innings last year with a 9.10 K/9 and a solid 3.43 ERA. 

His peripherals indicated that he was performing at a level we could expect to see throughout the season, so when we were lining up the middle of our rotation candidates, he profiled as a solid possibility. Now we’re sitting on a 5.13 ERA, a diminished strikeout rate, a rising walk rate, more home runs allowed and very limited hope of improvement. 

Depending on what your fantasy team’s ratios look like, it might be time to move on from Ober. He’s pitching to more contact than ever and the hard-hit rate against him continues to climb. You can continue to monitor him as he hasn’t been completely awful at times, but there has to be some better replacement value sitting on your waiver wire right now.