Mike Olt (3B-CHC) - The Cubs really want Olt to take the third base job and make it his alone, but whether he can do so has yet to be determined. Olt took a positive step Thursday in a blowout win over the White Sox, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam. The big night left him at just .184/.259/.434. With a .250 ISO, the power has certainly been there, but the contact ability has not. Olt has fanned in a third of his plate appearances, and will need to turn it around this month to avoid been swept aside by top prospect Kris Bryant. Last year Olt had the whole bad eyesight excuse, but we're not sure what the problem is in 2014. Slump? Just not that good? He'll need to figure things out quickly.
Tony Gwynn Jr. (OF-PHI) - With a .295 OBP, the Phillies have clearly soured on Ben Revere, a guy who with his lack of any sort of power, has no real value if he can't get on base. The Phillies are reportedly considering moving Marlon Byrd to CF, with Darrin Ruf potentially a corner OF option once he's healthy. Gwynn however got the start Thursday and went 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored. Gwynn is a good defender and he's getting on base, but a .227/.346/.273 clip probably isn't something you want to see in an everyday player. I'd be okay with Gwynn in an NL-only league, but don't expect him to last the year as a starter. The track record just isn't there.
Jimmy Rollins (SS-PHI) - Rollins isn't suddenly going to return to MVP form, but he's enjoyed a bit of an uptick this year. Rollins Thursday was 2-for-5 with a double, run, and RBI to lift him to .267/.341/.414. Rollins appears locked in as the team's #2 hitter, so that's obviously preferable to having him in the bottom third. He already has three homers this year versus six a year ago, and he's increased his BB% from 8.9% to a career-best 10.3%. He may just have a bit left in the tank. Rollins is nursing a groin injury that limited him to DH Thursday, so check out his status for this weekend's games, which he would have to take the field for.
Dan Uggla (2B-ATL) - It's not necessarily "official", but Uggla has been benched in favor of the dynamite Ramiro Pena / Tyler Pastornicky duo. Uggla's batting averages the past four years says it all: .233, .220, .179, and .184. This after he batted .287/.369/.508 for the Marlins in 2010. Talk about selling high. Uggla is not only striking out more than 25% (27.7%) of the time but he's also not drawing walks. After a 14.3% BB% last year, Uggla sits at 5.4% in 2014. He's safe to drop in all formats. Look for Tommy La Stella to get the call from Triple-A soon.
Jake Arrieta (SP-CHC) - Just when we started to get excited about Arrieta, he turns back into a pumpkin, allowing three earned runs on a whopping nine hits over four innings while fanning just one against cross-town "rival", the White Sox. Arrieta tossed 5.1 scoreless with seven strikeouts last time out against the tough Cardinals, but Arrieta has a 5.20 career ERA, so this shouldn't be too surprising. He's NL-only worthy, but it seems unlikely he'll develop into a consistent starter any time soon. His 7.0 career K/9 is solid, but the control is spotty (4.0 BB/9) and he can be very hittable at times.
