Adalberto Mondesi (SS-KC) - We will probably know more once this blurb is published, but Mondesi will have an MRI after injuring his left shoulder diving for a foul ball Tuesday. Mondesi reportedly believed he dislocated the shoulder, so thought we don't want to panic just yet, expect an IL stint to begin on Wednesday. Mondesi was 2-for-3 with his 32nd stolen base prior to departing, but that still left him with a disappointing .266/.294/.433, but the steals and the seven home runs have certainly helped fantasy owners. Mondesi hasn't made any real progress with his poor plate discipline this year, entering Tuesday with a 4.5% BB% and 28.3% K% for a 0.16 BB/K versus last year's 0.14 mark. At 23, Mondesi may very well have a superstar career ahead of him, but could he also be Billy Hamilton with some power? We'll see. Should Mondesi go on the IL, Nicky Lopez would probably move to short, Whit Merrifield back to second, thus opening up an outfield spot for Billy Hamilton.
Glenn Sparkman (SP-KC) - I saw this one coming - said no one. Sparkman came out of nowhere to toss a complete-game shutout Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing five hits (all singles) with one walk and eight punch outs to lower his ERA from 5.18 to 4.53. This comes after Sparkman allowed 17 runs over 14.2 innings in his previous three starts. The right-hander averages a decent 93.7 mph with the fastball, but he entered Tuesday with a paltry 4.8 K/9 to go with a 2.0 HR/9, both awful ratios, so if you somehow rolled the dice in Draft Kings, I salute you. This doesn't put Sparkman on the 12-team mixed league radar at all (to me at least), though perhaps there is some AL-only value to be had, though he was never a big strikeout guy in the minors, which is a red flag.
A.J. Reed (1B-CHW) - I admit I lost track of this guy, but when I looked at the ChiSox box score Tuesday and saw an "A. Reed DH" having gone 2-for-3, I thought "nah, can't be that guy", but it was. Reed of course was a former "can't miss" prospect in Houston who seemingly has missed. Reed was claimed off waivers on July 12 and started 1-for-10 before a pair of singles Tuesday. Reed's last significant big league action came in 2016 when he hit .164 with a 34% K% in 122 at-bats with the Astros, but he's had some impressive minor league seasons and he's still "only" 26, so maybe there's some hope? His best year came in 2015 with a combined .340/.432/.612 with 34 home runs at High-A/Double-A, but though he showed significant power in subsequent minor league seasons, he's just a career .260 hitter with a 25.2% K% at the Triple-A level over 376 games. Skepticism is certainly warranted, but the White Sox appear to be set to give him an extended look, so you never know.
Hunter Dozier (1B-KC) - After slumping for a week-plus, Dozier has heated back up. He went 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBI Tuesday, bumping his slash to a healthy .287/.368/.545. In his last four games, Dozier is 7-for-16 with three XBH. On the flip side, his last home run came back on June 25, so he's been stuck on 13 home runs for a while now. Seemingly a late bloomer at age 27, Dozier has vastly improved his plate discipline, posting a 0.49 BB/K entering Tuesday's action versus a 0.22 mark last year when he put up a .673 OPS and appeared headed for Quad-A status. Dozier lost most of 2017 due to injuries and his 2018 was mediocre, so it was really tough to see this coming. That said, when he was healthy in 2016, Dozier hit .296/.366/.533 with 23 home runs in 544 PA in the minors, so he has shown some past upside.
Michael Pineda (SP-MIN) - Pineda allowed three runs (just one earned) over six solid innings against the Mets on Tuesday, though he got no run support and was saddled with the L. Pineda's ERA dropped to 4.38, and it marked the fifth time in six starts that Pineda has allowed one earned run, taking his ERA down from 5.02 in that span. In 98.2 innings on the year, Pineda's 87:16 K:BB is excellent, even if in this day and age, a sub-9.0 K/9 for a starting pitcher doesn't seem all that impressive. He's already made more starts (18) this year than last, and should have a shot at his second career season with 30 or more starts. Pineda's velocity is down for the second season in a row, but overall, the Twins have to be happy with the production they've received this year.
This is just a small sample of our daily analysis, join our member area for over 80 daily player updates sent to your inbox every morning and track your team online. Click here for details: https://www.insiderbaseball.com/baseballsample.htm Click here to register: http://www.fantistics.com/salesbaseball.php3
