Niko Goodrum enjoyed a monster day at the dish on Monday, going 4-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored vs. the White Sox. After managing just five hits through his first 31 at-bats, Goodrum has suddenly caught fire with eight hits over his last four games, five of which have gone for extra bases. He's also knocked in seven runs during those four games -- an impressive feat for a leadoff man. The 28-year-old's plate discipline has been an issue, however, as he's talled only four walks against 22 strikeouts in 57 plate appearances. Goodrum has been a solid fantasy option the last two years by recording double-digit homers and steals both seasons. Until he starts drawing more walks and cutting down on his strikeouts, however, fantasy owners should be careful about deploying him going forward.
Eddie Rosario went 1-for-4 with a grand slam Monday against the Brewers, powering the Twins to a 4-2 win. While the home run was Rosario's third of August and fourth in his last 12 games, he hasn't been getting much wood on the ball lately with a .194 average in August and a .211 mark overall. He's been getting the most out of his hits, though, as he currently has more RBIs (13) than base knocks (12). Rosario's shown solid plate discipline thus far with a 7:7 BB/K ratio, which is definitely a step in the right direction given that he'd struck out 4.4 times for every walk prior to 2020. Look for his average to improve based on his career .278 mark, although there may not be
Manuel Margot emerged from the depths of his early season slump by going 4-for-4 with two doubles, two enough time for it to reach its previous levels given the abbreviated nature of this season.runs, one RBI and one walk. The big game against Margot's former organization lifed his average nearly 100 points, from .091 to .189. He also stole his first base of the year. While hitting isn't always the 25-year-old's strong suit, he's capable of providing fantasy value with double-digit homers and steals, which he's done in two of the past three years. Accordingly, look for Margot to start bouncing back and making an impact soon.
J.D. Martinez broke out of his season-long slump in a big way on Monday, going 3-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs and a walk vs. the Rays. The dinger was Martinez's first of the season in 15 games played, which has to be one of the worst power droughts of his career since he became an potent force at the plate back in 2014. While he's showed some power with seven doubles, he's lacked consistency, with almost as many hitless games (7) as games with hits (8). Martinez appears to be struggling without Mookie Betts and the in-game access to video that have aided him during his time with the Red Sox. While his slump has likely been exacerbated by the absence of Mookie Betts along with lack of in-game video to analyze his swings, Martinez is too talented of a hitter to stay cold all season, so it was only a matter of time before he started warming up.
Lance McCullers, Jr. flirted with a no-hitter on Monday, ultimately settling for the win and seven shuout innings vs. the Giants. He allowed just one hit en route to one of the most dominant performances of his career, which included five strikeouts and no walks while throwing 59 of his 86 pitches for strikes. The start was easily his best of the year, as he entered Monday with a 9.22 ERA over his first three outings. With so many pitchers going down for COVID-19 related absences, pitchers like McCullers could become even more valuable thanks to their availability to play multiple decisions on the porch.
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