Jose Altuve went 2-for-5 with a walk-off grand slam on Tuesday against the Rangers. With the Astros trailing by one in the bottom of the 10th, Houston loaded the bases with nobody out for Altuve, who promptly sent everyone home. The dinger was Altuve's 13th of the season, 12 of which have come since May 6th and seven of which have come in his last 14 games. After appearing lost for most of last year and struggling to find his power stroke early on this year, Altuve is in the midst of one of the most prolific power surges of his career. While people don't tend to think of him as a slugger, he popped 31 homers in 2019 and clubbed 24 two other times. While his six doubles this year are definitely on the low side, he's having a great all-around season at the plate with a .290 average, an .844 OPS, 13 homers, 34 RBIs, and 46 runs scored in 55 games as the catalyst of Houston's potent lineup. At 31-years-old, the diminuitive second baseman does not appear to be slowing down.
Gary Sanchez went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo homer against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Sanchez got New York on the board with his second-inning solo shot off Hyun-Jin Ryu, evening the game at 1-1. He later doubled and, in typical fashion, struck out twice. The Yankees backstop has fanned in just under 34 percent of his official at-bats this year, which is a big reason why his average is .225. He's already whiffed 17 times in 41 June at-bats, giving him five more strikeouts than hits this month (and 18 more whiffs than hits on the season). Despite all the swinging and missing, Sanchez has caught fire in the first half of June after scuffling through the first two months of the season. He's hit safely in eight of 10 games this month with seven extra-base hits, including three homers in his last five games. Sanchez is hitting .333 over his last 15 games, pushing his average comfortably over the Mendoza Line for now. Fantasy owners who displayed patience with Sanchez have been rewarded lately and should continue deploying him in their lineups.
Bo Bichette went 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBIs, and a walk against the Yankees on Tuesday. Bichette delivered a pair of go-ahead hits via his third-inning solo shot and two-run single in the fourth, but it ultimately wasn't enough as Toronto fell to New York, 6-5. The long ball was Bichette's 14th of the season, giving him an MLB-high 57 runs on the year. The homer was also Bichette's third in his last four games, as he's caught fire here in June. In addition to hitting safely in 12 of 13 games this month, Bichette already has 14 runs and 10 RBIs alongside a .364 batting average in June. While he's been a bit inconsistent this year, the 23-year-old's overall numbers are excellent and have him on track for his first All-Star selection next month.
Rafael Devers went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, two runs, and four RBIs against the Braves on Tuesday. Devers came up big for Boston in its 10-8 victory over Atlanta, smashing a three-run homer in the first inning and singling home another run in the third. Devers also doubled, giving him an AL-high 20 two-baggers on the season along with 16 homers, 45 runs, 54 RBIs, and a .914 OPS. While the round-tripper was only Devers' second of June, he's been swinging the bat well lately, hitting .315 with 11 runs and 11 RBIs over his last 13 games. With multiple hits in four of his last five games, Devers has lifted his average to .283, which could continue to climb if he approaches the .311 mark he produced in 2019.
Dallas Keuchel improved to 6-1 on the season after firing seven shutout innings against the Rays on Tuesday, allowing just four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Keuchel carved up Tampa Bay's lineup in his third consecutive quality start, winning his fifth straight decision in the process. The former Cy Young winner is off to a great start in June with just three earned runs allowed in 19 innings this month while posting a 16:4 K/BB ratio. While he hasn't been as dominant as he was last season, when he compiled a 1.99 ERA thanks to an MLB-best 0.3 HR/9 rate, the 33-year-old is essentially performing at his career levels this year, making him a quality option for most fantasy rotations. He'll look to keep rolling when he squares off against his former team in Houston this weekend.
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