Luis Campusano, C, SDP (CBS: 8% rostered): In a bit of a surprise move, especially with the Padres adding Austin Nola and Jason Castro at the trade deadline, the Padres called up their “catcher-of-the-future” Luis Campusano and he promptly goes deep in his first game. Will Campusano get the playing time down the stretch? Not likely, but for those in Keeper/Dynasty Leagues this should serve as a reminder that his time isn’t far off.
Aledmys Diaz, 1B/2B/3B, HOU (CBS: 6% rostered): The sprained right knee suffered by Jose Altuve has sent him to the 10-day IL. What an incredibly disappointing year it has been for Altuve. Diaz should see the bulk of the at-bats until the return of the diminutive one.
Alex Dickerson, OF, SFG (CBS: 25% rostered): Dickerson did have the one monster game last week where he went 5-for-6 with three homers and five RBI, but he has hit seven bombs on the year with 21 RBI and a solid .351 OBP. Why is he rostered in only 25% of the Leagues using CBS?
Kevin Ginkel, RP, ARZ (CBS: 6% rostered): Ginkel blew his first save chance following the trade of Archie Bradley to the Reds, but Arizona stuck with him and that 7+ ERA, giving him a second shot Saturday that he converted. It appears that the DBacks are running auditions for 2021 and could give Ginkel a fairly long leash as he acclimates himself to the new role.
Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, PIT (CBS: 18% rostered): In what seemed like an eternity, the long awaited callup of Hayes finally occurred this past week. “He’s never posted a K/9 over 20% and has posted a walk rate usually over 10% (in 2019, it was 9.0%).” In the four games since getting the call, he has gone 5-for-14 with a homer and four runs scored.
Jason Heyward, OF, CHC (CBS: 28% rostered): On the year, Heyward has five homers, 17 RBI, scored 16 runs and has posted a stellar .417 OBP. He has played consistently good ball since the last week of August and is worthy of a roster spot in all deeper formats.
Dylan Moore, 2B/SS/3B/OF, SEA (CBS: 48% rostered): Moore was activated off of the 10-day IL on Friday after missing two weeks with a sprained right wrist, and promptly resumed where he left off. He stole a base in that first game and with five homers in his first 83 at-bats provides some power to go along with the obvious speed. Hitting in the two-hole has also allowed him to score 16 runs. This “super-utility” player is a must own for the stretch run.
Tyler Naquin, OF, CLE (CBS: 7% rostered): The Indians have tried any and everybody in the outfield this year and it is apparently Tyler Naquin’s kick-at-the-can. In his past seven games he’s 6-for-26 with three homers and nine RBI. If he continues hitting in that fashion he won’t have any concerns about full-time employment.
David Phelps, RP, PHI (CBS: 4% rostered): Mr. Phelps. Your mission should you decide to accept it is to help the Phillies bullpen hold a lead, something they didn’t do very well for the first six weeks of the season. Should you be detected, Joe Girardi will disavow any knowledge of your actions.
Yohan Ramirez, RP, SEA (CBS: 1% rostered): The Rule 5 pickup from the Astros has never had problems throwing strikes, as evident by the 158 strikeouts in 106 IP at High and Double-A last year in the Astros system. The problem was finding the strike zone, as he allowed 74 walks and hit 15 batters. With the Mariners thinning their bullpen at the trade deadline it’s time for the M’s to be auditioning a closer-of-the-future and with two saves in the past week the future appears to be commencing.
Victor Reyes, OF, DET (CBS: 26% rostered): We mentioned Victor Reyes back in Week Six. At that time he was near the top of the leader board in stolen bases with five and was rostered in 13% of the Leagues using CBS. Since our mention, he is hitting .346 with ten runs scored and has moved into the leadoff spot for the Tigers. It’s time to give your Leagues free agent pool another look and find a home for Reyes should he be available.
Five Under Five%
Logan Webb, SP, SFG (CBS: 15% rostered): In deeper Leagues, it’s getting tough to find starting pitching options. The 23-year-old has experienced an up-and-down season, but the strikeout-per-inning potential is intriguing. Webb is also facing off against the Mariners and Padres next week, which isn’t half bad.
J.T. Brubaker, SP, PIT (CBS: 3% rostered): The start against the White Sox next week is tough, but then Brubaker rolls into a two-start week against the Reds and Cardinals before finishing the year against the Cubs. In his past two starts against Milwaukee and the Cubs he has gone five innings in both allowing a total of only three earned runs. That two-start week has its charms.
Kyle Cody, SP, TEX (CBS: 1% rostered): The Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017, saw the promising start fade quickly as he went under the knife for Tommy John Surgery the following year. Now back and finally healthy, the 6’7” Cody and that 96 mph fastball are looking at the balance of 2020 as an audition for the 2021 rotation.
Derek Fisher, OF, TOR (CBS: 4% rostered): The injury suffered by Teoscar Hernandez is a tough pill for both the Jays and his Fantasy team owners to swallow and even tougher to fill. Fisher looks to be the principal beneficiary of this unfortunate injury and should get a steady diet of at-bats in an attempt to fill the void.
Dean Kremer, SP, BAL (CBS: 1% rostered): The Orioles have decided that it’s high time to give the future an audition and have called up Kremer to start today against the Yankees. 2019 was a very good year for the now 24-year-old righty, acquired from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado trade. We wrote when he was in the minor leagues that “Kremer has a good arsenal but it’s more back-of-the-rotation. His fastball sits at 92-to-94 mph and will scrape higher with an average curveball. He’s still trying to find a feel for the change-up. The delivery has some crossfire, and while that provides some deception it could leave him vulnerable to arm-side bats.”
Yairo Munoz, SS/3B/OF, BOS (CBS: 1% rostered): Andrew Benintendi’s disappointing 2020 season looks to be concluded, with the rib injury suffered August 11. Munoz is looking to fill the void in the Boston outfield and is off to a great start going 9-for-20 with a homer and four RBI in his first five games. The former Cards utility player should see a steady diet of at-bats down the stretch.
