Fantasy baseball: Cleveland's Bradley will provide power at first base

Jun. 16—In early June, the Cleveland Indians' offense was sputtering as the team struggled to keep its overall batting average around .220, which was in the bottom five in Major League Baseball.

A lot of that had to do with Cleveland's first basemen, primarily Jake Bauers and Yu Chang. Bauers, the left-handed hitter in the platoon, was hitting .190 with two home runs and six RBIs, while Chang was hitting .172 with one homer and 10 RBIs.

Something had to give.

After Carlos Santana left as a free agent in the offseason, the Indians made the strange decision to start the season with Bauers and Chang while farming out power hitter Bobby Bradley. Two months into 2021, they finally righted that wrong.

Bradley was summoned to the majors last Saturday after hitting .196 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs with Triple-A Columbus, including a two-homer game against Toledo at Fifth Third Field last month.

Bauers was designated for assignment and eventually was traded to Seattle.

Bradley has started off hot, helping Cleveland to a 6-3 record through Tuesday, while hitting .440 with three home runs and 10 RBIs, more than Bauers had in 100 at-bats. Sure, Bradley's batting average will settle in around .250, but his power will remain.

If you're looking for a corner infielder for your fantasy team, Bradley is the guy. He will strike out a ton, but his power numbers will make up for that. He should be available in your league, so put in a claim for him.

—Los Angeles Angels' catcher Max Stassi had great numbers last season, but he has been plagued by injuries (sprained thumb, concussion) this year. Well, he's back, and he's back to hitting.

Since his return after a month on the Injured List, Stassi has hit four homers and driven in 10 runs. He has also raised his batting average from .241 to .323 through Tuesday. If your league uses two catchers on the active roster, pluck Stassi from the waiver wire and make him one of them.

—Infielder Christian Arroyo was drafted in the first round by San Francisco in 2013, and made his debut as a top prospect in 2017, hitting .192 with three homers in 34 games. He was traded to Tampa Bay in the Evan Longoria deal, but had two nondescript seasons with the Rays.

He was traded to Cleveland, where he played in one game before being designated for assignment and getting claimed by Boston. He has finally begun to produce with the Red Sox, finding his power stroke recently while hitting a steady .260.

He will be getting regular playing time, so take a flyer on him if you need a utility player. His next homer will set his single-season high, and he'll occasionally steal a base.

—Jake Fraley has taken advantage of playing time in the Seattle outfield to make a strong pickup for your team. Going into this week, he was rostered in only 5 percent of leagues.

The left-handed hitter has been batting second for the Mariners, and has a .273 average with four home runs and 16 RBIs through Tuesday. He also has stolen four bases in five attempts. If he stays in the lineup, he is a high-reward pickup who will help you with speed.

—Another player getting more at-bats is Colorado infielder Brendan Rodgers, who has teased us before as a top prospect. Because of right shoulder issues, the 24-year-old never seems to get enough playing time to show what he can do.

With star shortstop Trevor Story injured, Rodgers is hitting .254 with three home runs (the first three of his major league career) and 12 RBIs. Even though Story recently returned, the Rockies are finding at-bats for Rodgers.

With Story most likely getting traded within the month, grab Rodgers and stash him if you need to. He won't disappoint this time.

—A surprise player this season is Patrick Wisdom, who has played outfield, first base, and third base for the Chicago Cubs. He has come out of the blue to hit nine homers with 13 RBIs with a .333 batting average in 21 games.

It doesn't look like he has a regular slot as a starter, but the Cubs are getting at-bats for the 29-year-old. He entered Tuesday's game after Kris Bryant was injured, going 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Put in a bid for Wisdom, who could see regular playing time if Bryant or another one of Chicago's potential free agents are traded before July 31.