Every day, we will be taking a quick look at the best and worst fantasy baseball performers from yesterday's games. It was a full slate - more, in fact, since there was a doubleheader - so there were plenty of performances to spotlight.
Here's a quick look at those who impressed on Wednesday, and those who want to pretend the day never happened.
Editor’s Note: To read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple Store.
Fantasy Baseball Studs
Rajai Davis (OF, CLE): Fantasy owners have long known Davis as a cheap, frequently available source of speed. While he did steal his ninth base of the year last night, he also homered twice and totaled six R+RBI. His second dinger of the night tied the game in the ninth, setting the stage for…
Francisco Lindor (SS, CLE): …Lindor to win it for the Indians with a homer of his own in the 12th inning. He also singled twice, giving him his third consecutive three-hit game. The barrage has raised his average on the season to a cool .325.
Jay Bruce (OF, CIN): On the other side of that game, Bruce also homered twice for the Reds. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk, and is 10-for-14 in his last four games.
Mike Trout (OF, LAA): Trout went 3-for-4 with a homer and scored three runs as the Angels took down their cross-town (?) rivals (?), the Dodgers.
Ian Kinsler (2B, DET): Kinsler collected three hits, including a homer, driving in and scoring a pair of runs each to help the Tigers beat the Twins. He’s batting an impressive .319/.367/.554 from the leadoff spot and needs only one more home run to match his total from all of last season (11).
Adam Wainwright (SP, STL): Wainwright’s season could be charitably described as terrawful, but he had easily his best game of the year last night. He shut out the Rockies over 6 2/3 innings, striking out five while scattering six hits and a walk.
Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF, BOS): Bradley continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-7 with a homer and walk as the Red Sox split a twin-bill with the Royals.
Jacoby Ellsbury (OF, NYY): Ellsbury reached base on all five of his opportunities, going 3-for-3 with a pair of walks. He scored two runs and drove in another as the Yankees beat the Diamondbacks.
Johnny Cueto (SP, SFO): Cueto tossed a complete game four-hitter against the Padres, striking out eight and allowing just one run. He’s given up only three runs in 24 innings over his last three turns.
Danny Valencia (3B/OF, OAK): Valencia went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI as the Athletics completed a sweep of the Rangers. It was his fourth multi-hit game in the last week, which included two multi-homer games.
Khris Davis (OF, OAK): Davis reached base all four time he went up to bat, hitting a homer and scoring twice. Like his teammate Valencia, he’s enjoyed a power surge this month, with a whopping nine bombs in 15 May contests.
Rich Hill (SP, OAK): Valencia and Davis didn’t even really need to do much, though, with Hill toeing the rubber. He struck out six and allowed only four baserunners in picking up his sixth victory of the season. Hill’s nightmarish spring training is a distant memory; he’s carrying a 2.54 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through nine starts.
Matt Wieters (C, BAL): Wieters homered and doubled twice, tallying two runs and two RBI, as the Orioles took down the Mariners.
Jose Altuve (2B, HOU): In a shocking twist that absolutely no one saw coming, Altuve was terrific last night, going 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBI. That the Astros are seven games under .500 despite Altuve being the best player in baseball so far speaks to how badly everything else has gone for them.
Fantasy Baseball Duds
Giancarlo Stanton (OF, MIA): Stanton took a Golden Sombrero last night, striking out on all four trips to the plate. That gave him nine whiffs in 10 at-bats during the Marlins’ series with the Phillies. He’s hitting just .221 on the year, albeit with 11 homers.
Miguel Sano (3B/OF, MIN): Sano went hitless his four at-bats, striking out twice and stranding four runners. He’s been better of late, but these kinds of nights are going to be a fairly regular occurrence for him.
Travis Shaw (1B/3B, BOS): Shaw mustered only a single in eight at-bats during the Red Sox-Royals doubleheader, striking out four times and leaving six runners on base in the process.
Chris Carter (1B, MIL): Carter made six trips to the plate in a 13-inning loss to the Cubs. He struck out four times and left four runners stranded. He’s just 4-for-35 in his last 10, and three of those hits came in one game.
Carlos Gonzalez (OF, COL): Gonzalez left five runners on base as he went hitless in four at-bats. It was the fifth time in his last six games that he didn’t reach base.
Wil Myers (1B/OF, SDP): Nobody on the Pads could do much against Cueto last night, but Myers was his most frequent punching bag, striking out three times in four plate appearances.
Mark Teixeira (1B, NYY): Another rough night for Teixeira, who went 0-for-5 with three punchouts and stranded five runners. He’s batting just .203/.307/.301 this season. Last year’s renaissance seems a distant memory…
Shelby Miller (SP, ARI): …Even more so because this is the guy he couldn’t hit. Miller’s awful 2016 continued as he allowed a whopping 12 baserunners in 5 2/3 innings. Somehow only three of them came around to score, so his ERA actually dropped…to 6.64. If you still have this guy on your roster, you’ve already lost.
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