Taijuan Walker (SP-NYM)
Walker left about 3 scoreless innings Monday night, but left due to left side tightness. Walker has been a steal for the Mets through 7 starts racking up 3 wins with a 2.05 ERA (2.92 FIP), a 8.6 K/9 and allowing a league low .2 HR/9. Walker has seen a slight fastball velocity increase from last year as his 4-seamer sits at 94.3 mph, with batters hitting just .151 against it. The only pitch that hitters have hit well his sinker with a .294 average against - everything else hitters are hitting under .200. Walks have been about the only thing he has struggled with as a 4.8 BB/9 has limited his ability to pitch deep - but he may be cleaning that up as he has gone 7 innings 3 of his past 4 starts and has issued 6 walks in those games - compared to issuing 11 in his first 3 starts in significantly less innings. Walker may be considered the Mets "Ace" at this point, and it would be a huge loss if he misses extended time.
Jonathan India (2B-CIN)
India went 0-4 Monday night. India was among the leagues hottest hitters the first week of the season hitting .476 with 10 RBIs over his first 6 games of the season. He has slowly come back to earth and his current line hits at a .223/.327/.383 mark and he has added just 8 RBIs since April 7th. His average dropped down to .208 earlier last week , a season low but he had a big series against the Rockies at Coors Field picking up 5 hits including a pair of home runs and 5 RBIs - hopefully he can continue his hot hitting outside the thin air. Wow he does have good raw skills India was drafted only in 2018 and never played above AA, so the jury is still out a bit on what type of player he will become. Through his first 30 MLB games he has posted a 9% walk and 22% K rate while putting a lot of balls on the ground (48%) with limited hard contact (23%). If he can get on base with more consistently he will add value to a good Reds lineup.
Darin Ruf (1B-SF)
Ruf went 1-2 with a pair of walks Monday night hitting cleanup. Ruf has slashed .228/.392/.526 and while the average is low, he has drawn a ton of walks (15) and crushed 5 home runs while driving in 13 runs. As has been the case throughout his career Ruf has primarily been a left masher with extreme splits (.292 vs lefties, .208 with righties) and that had held true this year as he has a .308 average vs lefties and is hitting just .120 vs righties so it is interesting he got the start vs Sonny Gray Monday. That being said if you are really looking to get the most out of your bench and can spare a spot for a true platoon player, Ruf is a highly advisable pickup - just don't forget to sit him vs righties if you don't want your batting average drained.
Trea Turner (SS-WSH)
Turner went 1 for 3 with his 10th home run of the season. Turner is one the best players in the league and he continues to get better every year. He has the perfect blend of speed and power and has a shot at a 30/30 season if he continues the pace he is on. While his walk rate of 4% and his strikeout rate of 20% have both regressed from years past, nothing in his underlying numbers suggest he's had less control of the zone as a hitter as he still had a good 8% swinging strike rate and 81% contact rate. He is playing at an MVP level currently and if he can hit .300 with big steal and home runs numbers he will garner MVP votes in the offseason.
MLB Debut
Johneshwy Fargas (OF-NYM)
Fargas made his MLB debut and went 1 for 3 with an RBI double. This is a nice story for Fargas, who was recalled after the slew of injuries to Mets outfields. He has battled his way through the minor leagues since being an 11th round pick in 2013 and the hard work paid off with the start in centerfield. It is likely he won't be on your fantasy radar considering he is a .255 career hitter in the minor leagues, but if you are desperate for stolen bases there is some upside here as he swiped 50 bases as recently as 2019 and does have 243 career minor league steals as well as 18 triples.
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