Jose Berrios
The third time truly has been the charm for Berrios, who struggled mighty in both his first (four starts, 10.20 ERA) and second (10 starts, 7.27 ERA) stints in the majors, but has thrived in 2017. Berrios has now made seven starts since his 2017 debut on May 13, and he has a 2.74 ERA with five quality starts out of those seven. Berrios is sporting an 8.80 K/9 rate, with a nearly 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio. He is 6-1 and considering his prospect pedigree, is about as hot a commodity in fantasy baseball as one can find right now. With that in mind, it should be noted that both his FIP (3.60) and xFIP (4.50) suggest he's in for a bit of regression, as his BABIP (.230), left on base rate (81.1 percent) and HR/FB rate (7.5 percent) all paint the picture of a pitcher getting a bit fortunate. It is mighty tough to sell high on a pitcher with the insanely high ceiling of a Berrios, especially in a keeper league (I certainly wouldn't have the stones to do it), but if you're ice cold and calculating enough to do so, his value may never be higher. It would be a massive risk/reward play.
Welington Castillo
Castillo hit his second home run in as many nights, and his second since coming off the DL on June 10. Castillo was out around two weeks with a groin injury, and has been largely a disappointment in what some thought could be a breakout season for the O's backstop. Castillo could be a nice add right now, however, as Camden Yards is due for some serious heating up in the next few months, and Castillo's home run total could heat up with those degrees. Baltimore is one of the home parks that shows the biggest temperature differences in the summer, and Castillo's fantasy value is convincingly tied to his home run total. Catcher is a position that has been as shallow as ever in 2017, so if you're hanging on to a Yasmani Grandal or someone of his like, if Castillo starts to heat up, that could be a nice add/drop to make.
Tommy Kahnle
Kahnle is stuck behind a solid closer in David Robertson, but his numbers are good enough to demand a roster spot even before considering the likelihood that Robertson may be traded and Kahnle would be the likely closer replacement. Kahnle has a 1.35/1.33/1.47 ERA/FIP/xFIP slash line and a 15.53 K/9 rate this season. His FIP is fifth-best among pitchers with as many innings, and his xFIP trails only Craig Kimbrel. Only Kimbrel and Corey Knebel have higher K/9 rates among pitchers with as many innings, and it's only Kimbrel and Jansen in terms of K-BB rate. If it's not clear by now, Kahnle is one of the truly elite bullpen arms in baseball, and with the White Sox fading slowly out of the picture, they should be in full sell mode sooner than later. David Robertson is one of the most interesting trade pieces (why hello, Washington) and it would not at all be shocking to see Kahnle closing for Chicago by the time August comes around. He's available in 94 percent of ESPN leagues right now.
Sonny Gray
Gray had his third straight solid start, this time limiting the potent Yankee offense to three runs over five and a third innings, while striking out six. It was Gray's third straight no decision, but those starts have come against three of the four offenses in baseball (by wRC+). First, Gray held the Nationals to three runs over seven innings (6 Ks). Then he held Tampa Bay to two runs over six innings (10 Ks), and finally he had last night's outing. Gray had a nice FIP and xFIP in each of those outings as well, and there's a lot to like with what Gray has done since his early-season DL stint. Gray's swinging strike rate (11.2 percent before last night) is by far a career high, having never reached double-digits before. His veolicty is as strong as ever, and he is getting batters to go out of the one more frequently. He's mixing his pitches as evenly as he ever has, and his changeup has been especially strong. If the owner in your league is still thinking of Gray as the pitcher who had the 5.69 ERA last season, try to pounce.
Daily Fantasy
Ben Gamel ($13)
Gamel has thrived all season, but he has been particularly strong since his move to the leadoff spot for the Mariners. Gamel has collected at least two hits in each of his past four games, all of which have come from the leadoff spot, and he has scored seven runs (and knocked in a pair) during that stretch. There's no doubt that Gamel is riding a bit of good luck, as his .463 BABIP simply won't be able to last, but he gets a nice matchup with Tyson Ross coming off the 60-day DL for his first start since April 4, 2016. Ross gave up seven runs in that, his lone start of 2016, and he shouldn't last long in this one, even if he is pitching well, considering how long it has been since he has been on an MLB mound. The Rangers bullpen is a nice one to get to face, as they own the sixth-highest reliever ERA (and fourth-highest FIP) in all of baseball this season.
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