Nick Castellanos returned from injury and promptly hit his 4th HR of the season. The volume for home runs hasn't been there, but Castellanos has been crushing the ball; his LD% is incredible at 32.4% which has led to a 137 wRC+. His Soft% is just 9.9% this season, suggesting that his .407 BABIP isn't completely nutty. Sure there's regression that I'd anticipate seeing to is average, but he should continue to hit for more power. His 7.9% HR/FB rate is well below his career rate and nearly half of last year. His stock is pointing upwards.
Robinson Cano will not only miss time due to injury, but now an 80-game suspension due to a failed drug test. At age 35, Cano was putting together a great year as evidenced by his 129 wRC+, up from 112 last year. It's a substantial blow to fantasy owners, but Cano is obviously worth hanging on to. Other players (Nelson Cruz comes to mind) have been suspended, only to come back and continue to play at the same level. I don't see why Cano can't do the same thing, albeit towards the end of summer.
For those paying close attention, you've known that Reynaldo Lopez's early season success has been fortunate. Last night the regression monster came into view, as Lopez went just 2 IP while allowing 6 ER and striking out none. Simply put, I'm not trusting Lopez in any format at this point. His 49.2% FB% is one of many red flags causing me to look elsewhere.
CJ Cron hit his 9th HR of the season, this one off Ian Kennedy. Cron has made the most of his every day at bats, as he's sporting a 122 wRC+ on the year (prior to yesterday). He's a very cheap source of power and I see him continuing at this level of success going forward. He's cut down on strikeouts via an improved contact rate, and while his flyball numbers aren't all that desirable, he could be an easy bet for over 25 HR when it's all said and done.
Francisco Liriano labored through 4.1 innings allowing 5 ER, most of the damage coming off a first inning grand slam. Liriano walked 3 on the day and allowed 7 hits, increasing his ERA to 4.03. At this point in his career, Liriano isn't much more than an innings eater. I'd expect a mid-4.00 ERA (or worse) with an average K rate at best, making him best left on the waiver wire.
