Fantasy Baseball Pickups: Ryon Healy and others to add
Ryon Healy: He’s batting .333/.358/.725 with six homers over 51 at bats since coming off the disabled list and has recently been moved to fifth in an underrated Mariners lineup that’s tied for second in MLB with a team 109 wRC+. Healy ranks top-35 in Brls/PA (9.2), as he’s both hitting the ball harder than ever as well as cutting way back on his chase percentage (28.0% this year compared to 34.8% career), which is a pretty good combo. Healy sports a .182 BABIP against lefties yet a 125 wRC+ and is owned in just 40 percent of Yahoo leagues, a number that’s been climbing lately and should only continue to do so. Healy is also eligible at third base, so go get him before it’s too late.
Steven Souza Jr.: He’s back after missing the first five weeks of the season dealing with a pectoral strain, so it’s no surprise Souza Jr. is off to a slow start at the plate, which has resulted in him being available in more than 60 percent of leagues. He went 30/16 in fewer than 150 games last season in a tough hitting environment in Tampa Bay, although to be fair, the humidor has greatly reduced exit velocity at Chase Field, which has quickly turned into an extreme pitcher’s park. Still, Souza is walking a lot early, and his bat should improve the further removed from his injury, and expecting something like 20 homers and 10 steals moving forward sounds about right.
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Tyler Clippard: Early indications are Clippard is the favorite for saves in Toronto right now while Roberto Osuna is out, and it’s a situation that could prove long term. Clippard has pitched well this season, posting a 1.33 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP with 24 strikeouts over 20.1 innings, although it marks the first time he’s been any good in a few seasons. He isn’t throwing any harder than usual, but it looks like Clippard has the closer’s job (and he does miss bats with a 14.7 SwStr%), and he’s still available in more than half of leagues.
Dustin Fowler: He’s finally up with the A’s and should get regular at bats, albeit initially at the bottom of the order. Most projections are calling for modest production, but Fowler has good speed and should be added by those in need of stolen bases.
Matt Harvey: It was just one start that lasted only four innings, but Harvey allowed one baserunner and reached 96 mph with his fastball for the first time in a start this season while making his Reds debut Friday. It’s a poor setup in Cincinnati, other than the proverbial fresh start, but if Harvey’s velocity continues to creep back up, he’s certainly worth monitoring in deeper leagues. Meanwhile, teammate Scooter Gennett has homered in four straight games (racking up 10 RBI over that span), but he was likely already owned in most competitive leagues. Gennett continues to be underrated, as he’s up to 28 homers over 453 at bats versus righties since the beginning of last season.
Alex Reyes: He dominated during his latest rehab appearance (striking out six over 3.1 scoreless innings) as he gets closer to returning from Tommy John surgery. Reyes is eligible to come off the DL at the end of the month, and he’s owned in just 30 percent of leagues, so at minimum, make sure you don’t have an open DL spot available. Meanwhile, teammate Jack Flaherty is slated to get recalled and start next week. He has a 2.27 ERA with a 41:7 K:BB ratio over 31.2 innings in Triple-A this season and is also well worth adding.
J.A. Happ: Happ was dropped in one of my leagues following his second straight rough start, as he was pounded for seven runs over just 3.1 innings Thursday and sports a 6:6 K:BB ratio over his last two outings. Maybe owners in your league have remained more patient considering Happ’s strong start to 2018, but he’s up to a 4.80 ERA on the year, so it’s not shocking he’s showing up on drop lists. Happ’s HR/FB% (22.0) is more than double his career mark (10.6), and while surely part of that is him throwing his four-seamer up in the zone more, it’s also resulted in Happ ranking top-10 in K% (29.2) this season even after his recent hiccups, one spot below Luis Severino. Happ should be owned in all fantasy leagues.
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