Devon Travis
Travis has been back just about a month now, and his average is yet to fall. Despite posting a somewhat lofty .343 BABIP, Travis has actually risen his batting average since returning from injury, as he is now hitting .299. He got his average to that point with a 2-for-4 game on Saturday, with a double, a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. The only thing missing from Travis since his return has been the home runs. Travis hit seven home runs in his first 24 games, but hasn't hit one in the 36 games since. Travis' power numbers were screaming regression so it shouldn't be too surprising, and his HR/FB rate is only just now normalizing at 14.0 percent before Saturday. Travis is a solid line drive hitter with speed, so it's not too much of a reach to expect his current .299/.357/.481 slash line to look quite similar at the end of the season, with a slight drop in slugging percentage possible. The Blue Jay rookie second baseman is still a valuable commodity to have, however, as he gets on base regularly in a meaty Blue Jay lineup.
Chris Davis
Davis hit his 22nd home run of the season on Saturday, and has bounced back nicely in 2015. The home run was Davis' third in the last four games, and his 1-for-4 day (the one was a grand slam though) extends his hitting streak to eight games. This Chris Davis is likely the "Baby Bear in Goldilocks" version of Chris Davis, as 2013 was too good, 2014 was too bad, and 2015 is just right. Davis has a BABIP of .300, which although it is slightly below his career BABIP of .318, is right in line with what a slugger like Davis would expect. His HR/FB rate before his big fly Saturday was 22.6 percent compared to a career rate of 22.5 percent, and if his end-of-season slash line were to perfectly mirror his current .242/.321/.487 line - it would not at all be surprising. The only area Davis could potentially see regression (either positive or negative) would be some positive regression in his batting average. Davis is a solid fantasy first baseman, and shouldn't be thought of as a sell-high candidate.
Glen Perkins
After converting his first 28 saves of the season, Perkins has now blown two of his last three save opportunities. Saturday was an especially rough outing for Perkins, who in his first save was beaten by an infield single, a bloop single and a passed ball. Saturday was different, as he allowed four runs on five hits including two home runs, and couldn't even get out of the top of the ninth inning against the Yankees. The outing saw Perkins ERA balloon from 1.37 to 2.25, and although I think Perkins will bounce back sooner than later, it should be noted that he was getting a bit lucky in the first half. Of course, any pitcher who is posting an ERA of 1.21 (Perkins' first half ERA) is bound to be getting a bit lucky, but his FIP (2.89) and xFIP (3.44) say there's still a bit more regression to the mean coming. Perkins still owns a glorious 37:5 strikeout to walk ratio, and there really aren't any other viable options at the closer spot in Minnesota, but don't be surprised if Perkins has another two or three blown saves down the stretch here.
Chris Bassit
Leave it to the A's to discover an unknown pitcher and have him start his time with the club with four consecutive strong starts. Bassit went six innings on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks, while striking out four. Bassit has not allowed more than two runs in a start for the A's all season, and since making the transition to starter, has put up solid numbers. He has allowed seven runs in 23 innings as a starter, and his FIP hasn't been much higher. Bassit isn't a big strikeout guy, but he limits his free passes, and trusts the Oakland defense to get outs for him. Bassit has had the advantage of pitching two games in spacious O.co and another in the equally spacious AT&T Park, but he's worth a streaming start his next time out, and worthy of an AL-only roster spot given that he should remain in the A's rotation a little bit longer this time. Bassit is taking the rotation spot of Jesse Hahn, who is out at least another three weeks.
Daily Fantasy Leagues
Danny Salazar
Salazar and his 10.66 K/9 rate (not to mention 2.98 xFIP) get to go up against the ice-cold Chicago White Sox on Sunday in what should be a point bonanza for Salazar. With strikeouts counting so heavily in Daily Fantasy Leagues, Salazar is almost always a good option, but against the whifftastic White Sox, that more true than ever. The White Sox are only 13th in MLB for strikeouts on the season as a whole, but in the last two weeks have been swinging and missing with the best of them. Their 24.2 percent strikeout rate and 84 wRC+ over the past two weeks (before Sunday's action) make them a dream opponent for Salazar on Sunday. Salazar won't come cheap, but he's in the second tier of pitchers price-wise, and you don't want to be the guy that skimps out on Salazar and sees him put up 40 points for your competition.
FanDuels: $8,800
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