National League Watchlist
Who to be following for the week of June 1st
NL Watchlist
Atlanta Braves
I found myself adding Jorge Mateo where I needed a middle infielder (which was most places.. Thanks Elly/Konner). Mateo has started the last five games, offering a decent blend of power and speed. In the last 14 days Mateo has 7 R - 2 HR - 5 RBI - 2 SB batting .333.
Hurston Waldrop made his first rehab start this week. Add where available. That makes Didier Fuentes a drop, unfortunately. With Waldrop coming back and Schwellenbach not far behind, Fuentes will stick in the pen.
Miami Marlins
Owen Caissie started the year great, then got found out, subsequently dropped in most leagues, and now he’s starting to hit again. Last 14 day, 4 R- 2 HR- 10 RBI- 1 SB batting .333. While that’s encouraging, Caissie is still striking out at an alarming rate (47% last 14 days) and finds himself in a strict platoon. Add him to a platoon bat list and play him in favorable RHP matchups or 6+ RHP weeks.
Eury Perez has landed on the shelf for the next 6-8 weeks dealing with a bum hamstring, leaving the Fish in a tight spot for rotation depth. However, Tyler Phillips has really stepped up of late. Over the last month, he has put up a 1.77 ERA - 1.18 WHIP - 14 K across 20.0 IP. Phillips may be a 15 team league option in the right matchup. Ryan Gusto will get two starts next week (vs Arizona, at Pitt). Let’s watch the 2026 version of Gusto, Tuesday against the Nats.
New York Mets
Jorge Polonco and Kodai Senga are nearing a return. Both are readily available in most fantasy leagues and are worth speculating on. Polonco can provide some power which has been harder to find off the wire this year. The Mets have been platooning Jared Young and Eric Wagaman at DH and Mark Vientos at first base so Polonco shouldn’t have to work too hard to get back into the middle of that order. Senga could return next week and has the ability to put together a stretch of elite starts. Of course, he has shown he can kill your ratios. He’s worth an add to find out. Senda was pitching in the upper 90’s in the spring which lead to a rise in ADP and if he shows he is healthy then maybe we get the results we were expecting coming into the season
Washington Nationals
Curtis Mead was the most added free agent hitter this week and rightfully so. Mead has become an everyday player batting third in an offense that leads the majors in runs. That alone is worthy of a pickup and why I owned Brady House for a period. But Mead brings some pedigree as a former top prospect with the Rays and he finally seems to be realizing that potential. Over the last two weeks Mead is 11/40 - 8 R - 4 HR - 10 RBI. He’s an add for me in even the most shallow leagues.
I found myself adding Zach Littell this past week. His last six starts, Littell has a 2.35 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 19 K’s and five wins. The matchups have been favorable, expected stats hate him, but he’s proven to be a helper to the ratios over his career (career 3.98 ERA 1.22 WHIP). I’m also tracking Andrew Alvarez. He has had success as a “follower” but then got a full start last week with results that weren’t as good. Let’s add him to the watch list
Philadelphia Phillies have nothing actionable
Milwaukee Brewers
Three players have played every game in the last six for the Brewers: Yelich, David Hamilton and Jake Bauers. There was concern that the returns of Yelich and Vaughn would eat into Bauers’ playing time but that’s proven not to be the case. Andrew Vaughn is swinging the bat well and still can’t crack the lineup consistently. Jake Bauers has potential to be a true breakout.
Big bat speed (fastest Max Bat Speed recorded this season 87.9 mph), loud contact and decent enough plate skills. Bauers is 11/40 with three home runs and 10 RBI over the last 14 days. David Hamilton is another potential addition in leagues where you need stolen bases (five SB last 14 days).
Shane Drohan has had some good results in his spot starts. Over the last 14 days 10.2 IP 1.69 ERA .938 WHIP and 13 K’s. Drohan has a deep mix and if given the opportunity to pitch real innings for the Brewers pitching factory, we should take notice.
St Louis Cardinals
Jimmy Crooks was recalled to catch for the Redbirds. It remains to be seen how much time he will get but over his first 39 games in AAA, Crooks hit 13 home runs. One thing to monitor would be the K-rate at 29%. In two catcher leagues it’s dire out there. Crooks may provide something more than Luis Torrens or Carlos Narvaez
Dustin May has righted the ship and deserves to be owned in 12-15 team leagues. He’s still matchup dependent but over the last 30 days he’s pitched 30.1 innings with a 3.86 ERA 1.05 WHIP and 29 K’s. Anyone else in that rotation is a streamer
Chicago Cubs
A tale of two months for the Cubs, and their players. Michael Busch batted .300 with four homers and 24 RBI in May. Nico Hoerner had a really rough May batting .207 with eight runs and four SB. Pete Crow-Armstrong made a mechanical change and is crushing for the last week (9/26 5 R- 1 HR- 3 RBI) while batting in the leadoff spot. Not much actionable here but it’s time to consider dropping Dansby Swanson. He’s been consistent in putting up similar number year after year but it’s a real struggle right now for Dansby. I’m giving him one or two more weeks. Conversely, if Dansby has been dropped in your league (even 12 teamers) consider adding him soon.. It’s not like you are eating the first two months stats.
I added Matthew Boyd in my 12 team OC. He’s making rehab starts and should be back next week. It’s time to consider selling Imanaga high if possible. That window is shutting and I think his slight body frame wears down as the season grows long.
Cincinnati Reds
Elly De La Cruz hit the IL with a hamstring strain. Edwin Arroyo has got the call up with Matt McLain shifting over to shortstop. McLain continues to bat under .200 and the team has explored using Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer at second base. Arroyo is having his best minor league season this year at AAA batting .323 with 11 home runs and nine SB through his first 53 games.
I’m on the fence about Arroyo so it will be nice to have the full week to see how he acclimates to the level before having to make a bid
The Reds bullpen is a mess. Pagan will be out for another few weeks, Connor Phillips was sent down, Graham Ashcraft has an arm injury, and Tony Santillan is going through a terrible stretch. I think they try and piece it together with a few guys and it’s a situation to avoid. Luis Mey is a guy that has big velo but he hasn’t been anywhere near leverage. Brock Burke, a LHP, has had some success and may inherit the role based simply on results, if Santillan continues to struggle. Frankly, stashing Emilio Pagan seems the most prudent
Pittsburgh Pirates
Spencer Horwitz was cooking in May. Horwitz batted .326 four homers and 29 R/RBI combined while walking more than striking out. We’ve known Horwitz offers a nice batting average floor but if he’s going to pop 20 homers, he needs to be rostered everywhere. He’s not a popular guy because of his low barrel rates (33rd percentile) but some of that is because of his 10th percentile bat speed. Predictive stats sometimes miss on guys that consistently square the ball up (30% squared up rate).
Deep league managers should take note of Endy Rodriguez’s playing time tick up. They had high expectations for Rodriguez before injuries derailed his career. Maybe we see a bit of a resurgence
Jared Jones coming back has been a bit of a mess for the team. I thought the bids on Jones were ridiculous. I know he offers some strikeout upside but man this is a guy that struggles a bit with command coming off a surgery where command of secondaries comes back last. He was okay in his only season healthy in the big leagues but no way did he deserve $300+ bids. I dropped Bubba Chandler in a 15 team league with this in mind… his control is a trainwreck and my WHIP is awful (mostly because of him … and Trevor Rogers). It was time to try a different path because this isn’t a case of luck, this is mechanical.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The DBacks have some interesting roster decisions incoming with Pavin Smith, Lourdes Gurriel and Jordan Lawlar returning. Tim Tawa was sent down when Pavin Smith returned. Does Gurriel become a full-time DH with Lawlar playing left field? That would mean Tommy Troy and Jose Fernandez are candidates for demotion. The time would be now to stash Lawlar but remember, he is coming back from a wrist injury and those tend to impact performance
Los Angeles Dodgers
Teoscar Hernandez hit the IL with a hamstring strain that will keep him out for a month. People have suggested Alex Call will inherit those at-bats but I think Ryan Ward is one to watch. Call provides a right handed bat for the club but doesn’t deserve full-time at-bats. Ward has been a AAA demon for a full years, earning PCL MVP last season by popping 36 homers, batting .290. He has 70 homers the last two seasons. It’s worth them finding out what they have in Ward at the big league level
Kyle Hurt is thriving in the bullpen. He’s given up two runs in his 18 innings while striking out 21 hitters. I think he’s the top right handed option in the pen and could snag a few saves along the way. He received one last week and then Tanner Scott blew the next save. Hurt is worth a shot is you’re desperate
San Francisco Giants
Jung Hoo Lee returned last week while the team was in Colorado and promptly ripped of 11 hits, raising his average from .268 to .304. Lee should get every day at-bats, offer a stable batting average floor and contribute runs and some power/speed. The Giants have been awful but they will go on a run like most other teams. Now could be the time. Bryce Eldridge is getting the opportunity to play most days, starting each of the last five games including against a lefty. He has lowered his K% to 25% and is starting to drive the ball.
57% Hard Hit
13.3% barrel
93 mph average EV
Power has been hard to come by off the waiver wire so it’s worth taking a chance on Eldridge now.
This bullpen is a mess and one to avoid for now. Killian seemed safe because at least he was offering good ratios but that has quickly changed. I think Killian gets the next opportunity but Erik Miller is lurking and frankly Keaton Winn has been fantastic. Winn just seems to be so valuable as the leverage fireman earlier in the game
San Diego Padres
Jase Bowen is making his MLB debut for the Padres Tuesday, taking the place of Ramon Laureano, who heads to the IL with a hip injury. Bowen has been a source of power and speed over the course of his career but the knock on him is his K% (27% in AAA). Right handed hitters with contact issues have had a hard time in their debuts this season so best to see how Bowen does this week before deciding anything.
Randy Vasquez and Michael King are the only arms I’d start on the road (Vasquez in the right matchup), but I’d be more interested in Canning, Giolito and Buehler at home. It’s a messy group and the best analysis I can offer is that the Padres tend to overperform on the mound and for the most part, their starters avoid the blow up starts.
Colorado Rockies
Jake McCarthy, Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman are all getting the opportunity to play nearly every day. I like McCarthy the most because I think he offers a little more power/speed but all three need to be owned while the team is at home. The batting average boost you can get in Colorado for a week of games is worth the roster spot for stream hitters.
