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Closing Time: Steven Souza surging for Rays

Closing Time: Steven Souza surging for Rays

When the Rays acquired Steven Souza back in December, in that complicated three-team, zillion-player deal with the Padres and Nationals, the 25-year-old outfielder immediately became a buzzy fantasy sleeper. He was coming off a tremendous season at Triple-A (.350/.432/.590), and he'd landed in a spot that offered guaranteed playing time.

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And then the spring stats rolled in. Souza slashed just .130/.203/.259 over 58 spring plate appearances, striking out 17 times and delivering only three extra-base hits. Not great. He was relatively quiet in the first week of the real season, too, going 2-for-16 over Tampa Bay's first six games.

But a trip to the Rogers Centre in Toronto seems to have fixed Souza's issues, whatever they were. He's 6-for-13 in the series, he's homered in back-to-back games — check the moonshot from Tuesday — and he's lifted his season slash to a respectable .276/.382/.517.

Here's hoping you were patient with Souza, because it's easy to see the 20/20 potential. He went 18/26 last season at Syracuse in just 96 games. It's hard to imagine Souza hitting for average considering the high K-rate (13 in 34 PAs), but he can still assist in multiple categories. Assuming good health, put me down for 80-25-85-20-.264. Wish I owned an additional share or two.

Brandon Morrow's season is off to a pretty fair start in San Diego, and he delivered a useful no-decision on Wednesday: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 K. After two turns, Morrow's ERA is 1.29 and he's up to 12 Ks in 14.0 IP. It's tough not to like the team/league context, as well as the home park. Health will always be a worry with Morrow, but the stuff is legit. He should draw two starts next week, but both have a high degree of difficulty (at Col, LAD).

Trevor Bauer, good again. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Trevor Bauer, good again. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Trevor Bauer took another quality turn, earning a win over the White Sox while striking out eight batters in 6.0 innings. You'll recall that he gave us six no-hit frames in his season debut last week versus Houston. With two starts in the books, Bauer is now 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 19 Ks in 12.0 innings. Walks are an issue (9), but he'll continue to deliver punch-outs. Bauer will draw the Sox again next week.

Michael Morse homered for the first time this season, in Miami's 6-2 win at Atlanta. Morse seems oddly under-owned (39 percent), considering his favorable lineup position and well-established power. Add as needed, if you're in search of pop.

Speaking of widely available power: O's second baseman Jonathan Schoop (11 percent) hit his third homer of the season on Wednesday, a solo shot in a win over the Yanks. Schoop is hardly a perfect fantasy commodity — he doesn't steal, doesn't walk, hits at the bottom of the order — but he offers 20-homer potential at a middle-infield spot. He clearly has some value in mixers with MI slots.

Adam Ottavino earned his second save in as many days, striking out two in another perfect inning. He's a major early season victory for save-chasers. For those looking for a deep dive into Ottavino's arsenal, click this terrific piece by Eno Sarris, over at FanGraphs.

My only regret in dropping Taijuan Walker this morning is that I could only do it once. He's been lousy, after a stellar spring. The future is bright; the present, less so. Hopefully he'll be allowed to face Houston's K-prone lineup next week.

Friendly reminder: Thursday might just be Kris Bryant eve, as baseball's top prospect should be clear of the pesky service-time hurdle in time for the weekend series against the Pads. The Cubs have a pile of broken third basemen on their hands at the moment, so they can certainly use the power boost. If you own Bryant in a PCL-only league, I'd advise you to sell. He's off to a .333/.379/.625 start at Iowa.