With the rash of MLB injuries we are currently witnessing, we are seeing massive swings in the fantasy baseball stock market. Players are rising and falling in value every day which makes it even more important for you to stay on top of all the latest MLB news and keep your fantasy baseball waiver wire work at the forefront of your mind.

We continue to see teams calling up top MLB prospects and with service time no longer being a concern for teams in two weeks, we are going to see a lot more movement. Not every prospect is going to pan out for fantasy purposes, so stay tuned to Fantasy Alarm – both the website and the radio show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio – to see where the best value will be.

So, let’s get to it with some ‘3 Up, 3 Down’!

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Risers

Slade Cecconi, SP Arizona Diamondbacks

Cecconi is a big righthander who was recently called up by the Diamondbacks and just earned his first career win, tossing six innings against the Giants and allowing just two runs on two hits, no walks and three strikeouts. Obviously, in the fantasy realm, we are always looking for bigger strikeout numbers, but don’t be surprised to see his total increase as he’s averaged a little more than a strikeout per inning throughout his time in the minor leagues. 

He’s got a mid-90s fastball and mixes in both a split-finger and a slider to keep hitters off-balance. He also slides in a change-up, but that pitch is still very much a work in progress. With Merrill Kelly recently landing on the IL with a shoulder strain and Ryne Nelson already out with an elbow issue, Cecconi is likely to stay in the rotations for a few turns and offer some decent fantasy upside.

 His next outing is expected to be against the Seattle Mariners, a team that is striking out 28.2% of the time against righthanded pitching.

Heston Kjerstad, OF Baltimore Orioles

This Orioles farm system sure is packed with outstanding talent and Kjerstad is the next youngster to get called up this season. He already has 10 home runs through 21 games for Triple-A Norfolk and has posted a robust .349/.431/.744 slash-line. 

The Orioles recently placed Austin Hays on the 190-day IL and Ryan Mountcastle is considered day-to-day with a sore knee. That should push Ryan O’Hearn over to first base while opening up the DH spot for Kjerstad or even Anthony Santander in order to give Kjerstad time in the outfield. The 25-year-old gives the Orioles another solid lefty bat who offers 20-home run power and a decent batting average. 

We aren’t sure just how long the Orioles will keep him up, so don’t get crazy with the FAAB dollars or waiver priority. Considering how deep this Baltimore roster is, we could see a lot of players shuttling back and forth this season.

Dylan Carlson, OF St. Louis Cardinals

Over the past few seasons, Carlson has been a bit of a disappointment for fantasy owners. He looked good banging 21 homers for the Cardinals in 2021, but injuries have limited both his playing time and upside. But he’s here among the risers because he is nearing his latest rehab assignment and could be a permanent fixture in this St. Louis outfield very soon.

 The Cardinals have already pulled the plug on the Victor Scott experiment, sending him back down to Triple-A following a .085 average over 20 big-league games and Jordan Walker, with his .164 average, could be next. Carlson should start his rehab assignment this week which could mean a call-up over the weekend. It all depends on how many minor-league games they want to see from him. If all goes well, he should be a waiver target this weekend.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Fallers 

Jonathan India, 2B Cincinnati Reds

To say that I am disappointed in India would be a massive understatement. The opportunity for him to break out was presented to him when Matt McLain went down with a shoulder injury, but he just hasn’t taken to it the way we thought he would. 

Despite a full-time position at the keystone, India has disappointed with a .174 average and has no home runs with just four RBI. To make matters worse, he’s been dealing with an illness that has kept him out of the Reds lineup for the past few games. The absence is not expected to be a long one and India should be back in the lineup soon, but unless he can get his overall production up, he’s not going to have much in the way of fantasy value. 

Great American Ballpark offers him a fantastic opportunity to put some power numbers up, so there is some hope. But if he doesn’t kick into any gear soon, he could be losing playing time to a slick-fielding Santiago Espinal. 

Triston Casas, 1B Boston Red Sox

We don’t usually like to focus on injured players here in the Stock Watch, but sometimes an exception needs to be made. Casas is dealing with a rib injury right now and an MRI confirmed early speculation that his time spent on the IL could be lengthy. He was off to a decent start, hitting six home runs and nine extra-base hits through the first 22 games, but it seems like the Sox are preparing for the worst. 

Right now, they are looking at a committee approach to first base with Bobby Dalbec, Pablo Reyes and Rob Refsnyder, but we are also hearing that they are looking for additional help outside the organization as May 1 marks the time when most veterans around MLB have an opt-out clause should they not receive a spot on a major-league roster. If Boston does go outside the organization, it probably means that Casas is worse off than we thought. 

Nolan Jones, OF Colorado Rockies

Jones is another prime example of the impatience of fantasy baseball owners. With a .143 average, a 38% strikeout rate and a dismal .107 ISO, fantasy owners are ready to turn away from Jones, someone they spent a fifth or sixth-round pick on in their drafts. Obviously, the expectations for any Colorado hitter run high, so consider this a classic buy-low opportunity on a potentially fast-rising star. 

Again, this Stock Watch focuses on public perception. If the community is down on him, understanding that the losing culture in Colorado is likely contributing to the slow start and that he has the talent to bounce back in a big way should be your way of thinking. He has the upside of being a 20-30 player as early as this season, so if he was dropped, add him. If he is sitting on your opponents’ bench, float a low-ball offer.