It’s a great day to improve those fantasy baseball rosters a little bit, people. All players promoted today are available in most Yahoo leagues and are approved for use. Let’s do it…
There aren’t many hitters better than this guy right now. Burleson is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, with multiple hits in five of those eight. He hits home runs, steals bases and scores a run almost every day. In Burleson’s last full minor league season, back in 2022, he surpassed the 20-home run barrier while hitting .331/.372/.532 at Triple-A Memphis. He definitely offers multi-category appeal in fantasy.
As a team, the 2024 Cardinals have clearly been a disappointment, but Burleson has been a notable success story. His breakup at age 25 seems pretty legit. Burleson’s stats page is filled with red.
Ortiz was part of the Brewers’ return package in the Corbin Burnes deal and has definitely been a success story to start the season. He has played an everyday role and has hit 14 extra-base hits (including five home runs) with an OPS over .900. Ortiz hit .321/.378/.507 with 11 steals last year in Triple-A in Baltimore’s system, so it’s not like he just entered the fantasy radar. If he remains disengaged from his league, he deserves a look. Eligibility for multiple positions is a nice plus.
Young is strictly a category specialist, but he can definitely help your team on steals. In 72 major league games over two seasons, he stole 28 bags in 30 attempts. Young’s sprint speed is obviously elite (97th percentile) and he has a 52-steal season under his belt in the minors. He’s hitting .267 in his MLB career, so at least he’s not a liability on average. He adds where he can use a speed boost.
Let’s get Caminero’s name in here one last time before his roster percentage goes up even further and he’s no longer eligible for pickups. Of course, he’s one of the best hitting prospects in the game, recently making starts at second base in Durham and has easy power to all fields.
JUNIOR CAMINERO HAS DONE IT AGAIN
He homers for the second time in Game 2 tonight, giving him a pair of 2-homer games in his last 3 games dating back to Sunday! pic.twitter.com/dlh6WbisRD
– Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) May 2, 2024
Caminero is a career .311/.379/.548 hitter in the minors and is coming off a 31-homer season at two levels. So far this year, he has thrown seven bombs and 13 extra-base hits in 30 games. Whenever he gets to Tampa, his promotion will be a actionable event.
James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals (23%)
As we consider the prospects, we should also keep in mind that Wood is killing it at Triple-A Rochester these days, hitting an absurd .358/.465/.600 with nine home runs, 10 steals and almost as many walks (34) as Ks . (37). Like Caminero, whenever Wood gets the call, he will have immediate fantasy relevance. Here he is launching a home run off a lefty on Wednesday:
If you can use a guy with power, speed, and on-base ability, Wood is worth saving today for later use. He is slightly affected at the moment.but its output is too great to ignore.
Olson was released en masse by the Yahoo fantasy landscape after the early exit in his most recent start, after was drilled in the hip by a line-drive. But there’s no worrisome injury here beyond a bruise, so we have no reason to think Olson’s future performance will be negatively affected. We remind you that the 24-year-old right-hander has produced a 2.16 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in his nine starts this season; He has been a valuable fantasy piece despite a complete lack of run support. Olson has averaged 10.3 Ks per nine innings during his minor league career and 8.6 in the majors, so he shouldn’t be a problem in any starting pitching class.
This season, it looks like we’re either getting six scoreless innings from Soriano, or it’s a two-inning, four-run blowout. There’s not much in between. So, hey, maybe it’s not for everyone. But he is a guy with triple-digit speed and significant strikeout potential who has posted a 3.30 ERA (3.87 xERA) so far. As a Fantasy manager (or Angels fan), you really love seeing quotes like this gem from a catcher:
“Every umpire I talk to thinks they’re the three best in all of baseball,” catcher Matt Thaiss said. “It’s out of this world. As long as he does what he did today and fills the zone, he will be unbeatable.”
At his best, Soriano is overwhelming. Definitely worth a try in our game. His next turn will be Saturday against Cleveland.
Look, he’s a closer with a monster fastball and perfectly acceptable proportions. He also has SP eligibility, allowing him unusual flexibility. We’ve run out of new ways to explain that every MLB team can easily make a 30-save closer. It’s amazing that Kopech is still so available. Even if they split it at some point, all saved games from now on are yours.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow @Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.