Keston Hiura (2B-MIL) - This was a bit unexpected, but Hiura is getting the call from Triple-A. in a corresponding move, struggling 2B Travis Shaw will either be placed on the IL (likely with a phantom injury) or optioned to Triple-A. Hiura is off to a great start, batting .333/.408/.698 with 121 homers and four stolen bases. He's obviously an immediate add in all formats. The batting average isn't a huge surprise for a guy who hit .320 in High-A and .333 in Low-A, but he did hit a modest .272/.339/.416 last year in Double-A, but the bat has never been in question. Hiura was the ninth overall pick out of UC Irvine two years ago, and he's rocketed to the big leagues. Historically aggressive at the plate, Hiura has improved his BB% to 10.2% this year, though with that have come more strikeouts (27.2% K%), and that could lead to some early struggles...or not. Hiura will likely hit towards the bottom of the lineup initially, but eventually he should be hitting in front of Christian Yelich. Not a bad place for a hitter to be.
Brandon Woodruff (SP-MIL) - There was plenty of good and bad with Woodruff in Tuesday's start in Philadelphia. The good was his getting a win with six scoreless one-hit innings. The bad were the five walks. Woodruff had walked four combined in his previous three starts, and his 3.2 BB/9 on the year is still pretty solid, so we'll give him a pass in this one. Woodruff also fanned five on Tuesday and remains a strong source of K's with 59 in 48.1 innings. Woodruff has surprisingly retained his velocity this year after spending most of 2018 in the bullpen, as his fastball has averaged an impressive 95.6 mph. It's a bit alarming to see the drop in his groundball rate from 53.1% last year to 39% this season, but overall, it's been a highly impressive first eight starts for Woodruff.
Brendan Rodgers (2B-COL) - With Garrett Hampson being optioned to Triple-A Monday, it may be only a matter of time before we see Rodgers patrolling the Colorado infield. Rodgers hit two homer home runs on Monday to lift his lofty slash line to .351/.419/.641 with nine home runs in 148 PA. Rodgers was a bit of a disappointment between Double-A and Triple-A last year, hitting a combined .268/.330/.460. That's not terrible, but not what is expected of a former #3 overall pick (2015). This year has clearly been a different story, as he's posted excellent ratios (9.5% BB%, 15.5% K%) to support the counting stats and slash line. Rodgers swiped 12 bases a year ago, though that's not likely to be a big part of his game in the big leagues. He's worth a stash now if you have an open roster spot.
Chris Paddack (SP-SD) - I guess he's human after all. Paddack ran into the buzzsaw of a Dodgers lineup, allowing six runs (three earned) on five hits over 4.2 innings. Four of the runs came via two-run homers to Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson, who have now combined for 28 longballs, so Paddack has plenty of company there. Paddack now has a 1.99 ERA in 45.1 innings with a 49:11 K:BB. With a 94 mph average fastball and pinpoint control and command, Paddack looks to already be a top-10 overall fantasy starter, though there would seem to have to be some groing pains ahead, right? At some point, it seems likely we will hear some talk about dialing Paddack back, as he has already thrown half as many innings as he did last year, and would seem to likely be limited to 130 or so innings, unless the Padres decide to throw caution to the wind. Either way, he remains an elite starter going forward, though expect the Padres to skip his turn a few times as the season progresses.
Ozzie Albies (2B-ATL) - It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that this is why Albies took such a team-friendly contract, but after going 0-for-4 Tuesday, Albies is in a 6-for-38 skid (10:1 K:BB) to take his line down to .263/.309/.441. He does have seven home runs, but Albies has been dropped to the six spot in the lineup, and with the low OBP, he's managed a disappointing four stolen bases this season. Albies has improved his BB:K from 0.31 to 0.37, but in order to take back the leadoff spot from Ronald Acuna, he's going to need better than a 5.7% BB%. If he can get that to around 8% as he did in the upper minors, that should be enough to lift his OBP to acceptable levels, as he should be a .280+ hitter in his prime, making the OBP more in the .340 range at his peak.
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