Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch 2024: Kevin Ginkel, Colton Cowser, & More
As 2024 MLB Opening Day rapidly approaches, fantasy baseball owners are making quite a few roster adjustments before the regular season begins.
Whether you are pulling names off your fantasy baseball waiver wire to account for the late rash of MLB injuries, looking to stash some potential breakout candidates or just filling out some workable bench depth, there are plenty of names rising and falling in our fantasy baseball ADP reports and player rankings.
While we know these are actual people, players on your fantasy baseball team should be viewed as commodities whose value ebbs and flows like the stock market. Here are a few names to consider while rounding out your rosters.
Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Risers
Kevin Ginkel, RP Arizona Diamondbacks
With news breaking that Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald will open the season on the IL with an oblique injury, Ginkel jumps into the fray as the most likely candidate to get saves. The 30-year-old righthander posted a strong 2.48 ERA with a 9.64 K/9 over 65.1 innings as the team’s primary set-up man last season and did some fill-in work in the ninth, notching four saves of his own.
Reports are coming in that Sewald’s injury is actually a Grade-2 strain and manager Torey Lovullo believes he will miss “an extended period of time.” Ginkel’s value will spike even more should Sewald miss as much as the first month. For more closer questions, check out Joe Gallina’s Fantasy Baseball Closer Grid.
Colton Cowser, OF Baltimore Orioles
In what some consider a bit of a surprise move, the Orioles have announced that Cowser has made the team out of Spring Training and there will be a bit of a rotation around first base, left field and the DH spot. Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle are in the fray at first base and DH, Cowser and Austin Hays will work primarily out of left field and Adley Rutschman will get some days off behind the plate and serve as the designated hitter.
Orioles GM Mike Elias cited the rotation, but I am always a fan of cream rising to the top. Should Cowser, one of the team’s top prospects, get off to a hot start, it’s only a matter of time before he pushes Hays aside and owns left field to himself.
It won’t be immediate, so drafting or adding Cowser will require some patience, but in the end, he could become a leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year. Tune in to Tuesday’s Fantasy Alarm Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio as Jim Bowden and I make our futures picks for the MLB awards.
Sal Frelick, OF Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers manager Pat Murphy has been using Frelick at third base a lot this spring and the plan heading into the regular season was to have the 23-year-old spend the majority of his time at the hot corner. That would be a tremendous thing for fantasy baseball as it would only be a short matter of time before Frelick gained third base eligibility.
That plan may be on hold for a bit though as a recent hand injury puts outfielder Garrett Mitchell on the IL to open the season which may result in Frelick returning to the outfield full-time. A final decision has not been made, but we are hearing that Joey Wiemer or Blake Perkins could fill in at right field which would keep Frelick, a strong OBP guy with above-average speed, at third. Either way, the value is rising with full-time at-bats.
Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Fallers
Jarred Kelenic, OF Atlanta Braves
There was so much excitement after Kelenic was dealt to the Braves and we were told he would be given the full-time opportunity in left field. Unfortunately, batting just .127 with a 22-percent strikeout rate this spring has pushed Kelenic into an immediate platoon role as the Braves added the right-handed bat of Adam Duvall.
The two will likely sit in a straight lefty/righty platoon, at least until one of them outshines the other. It could happen as Kelenic did improve against left-handed pitching last season, however, it’s likely a shared role for some time based on what we are currently witnessing.
Eury Perez, SP Miami Marlins
Obviously, the elbow issue is concerning. Perez will open the season on the IL, and he is expected to miss at least the first month of the season. We knew this was coming. But I have also recently pressed some Marlins beat writers for their take, not just on the injury, but the general feelings around the clubhouse and management.
When asked if I should just stash Pere on my IL and get him active in May, one beat writer told me that if I could sell any shares, that I should consider it. That’s not exactly a glowing recommendation for a 20-year-old hurler who had routinely been clocked in triple-digits when he was throwing this spring.
Stash if you can, but if negotiating trades, maybe consider him as a potential sweetener as all public reports say Perez doesn’t need surgery, has been playing catch and that he will return.
DJ LeMahieu, 3B New York Yankees
The bone bruise in his foot is going to land LeMahieu on the IL to open the season. Well, not officially as the team is still holding out hope for their April 5 home opener, but considering how many Yankees are banged-up, the team may exercise some caution here.
He was a sneaky late draft pick this season as he was expected to hit leadoff for the Yankees and be a runs-scored machine with Juan Soto and Aaron Judge hitting behind him, but now we’re going to have to pump the brakes a little. The guy is 35 years old and healing, even from just a bone bruise, takes some time.
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.