Christian Yelich, OF (MIL)
Yelich was hitless for his third time in the last four games. He had a pair of strikeouts on Monday, dropping his slash line to .234/.318/.369. A .369 slugging percentage! Three years ago it was .671! Contact isn't the problem. Strikeouts are manageable. Even his quality of contact is impressive, but Yelich continues to hit the ball on the ground in a similar manner to which he did when he played for the Marlins. A 55.4% groundball rate is not a number you want to see for a power hitter. At the very least he is contributing stolen bases and should continue to see opportunities at the top of the Brewers lineup, but three years of mediocre power is enough to cast doubt on his ability to return to being a 20-homer slugger.
Andrew Benintendi, OF (KC)
Benintendi tagged Noah Syndergaard for his third home run of the season while later stealing his first base of the year. Benintendi made his mark as a contact-first hitter with above-average power and speed. He finished 20/20 in his rookie season and, if that was as good as it gets, it's still pretty good. His plate discipline eventually waned as he developed more of a power-first approach, pulling the ball more and whiffing more. It led to a few less-than-stellar seasons. However, Benintendi appears to be regaining the form he exhibited earlier in his career. He is back to hitting the ball on the ground and up the middle. It has led to subpar power but a .298 batting average. His .345 BABIP is in line with this refined approach, and he is getting on base at a .364 clip. He is not a star. He does not have elite power. He does not have elite speed, but he is a very good No. 2 hitter for the Royals, and that's the best they (and fantasy owners) could want.
Andrew Vaughn, DH (CHW)
Once a part-time player sharing time with the likes of Gavin Sheets and Leury Garcia, I think White Sox fans would throw a mutiny if Vaughn starts losing playing time again. With his fourth game with at least three hits and second with four hits in his last six starts, Vaughn has improved his batting average to .330. Among his four hits on Monday was his seventh home run and 11th double. He also scored twice and drove in two runs. His power has been slow to develop, but his plate discipline is superb. Meanwhile, while his barrel rate is uninspiring, he is hitting the ball hard, to the tune of a 91-mph average exit velocity. The power is there to develop and his hard-hit rate is evident of that. However, he is a more-than-serviceable No. 2 hitter right now.
Jose Berrios, SP (TOR)
Following three strong starts, Berrios was demolished on Monday, allowing six runs on nine hits and a walk in four innings to Chicago. He only struck out one batter while surrendering three home runs. His ERA ballooned to 5.11. Berrios has allowed 15 home runs in 75.2 innings. Partnered with a 15.5% HR/FB rate is a career-high flyball rate. He is giving up a lot of home runs while allowing a sky-high hard-hit rate. The White Sox tagged him for nine balls hit with an exit velocity over 100 miles per hour. His strikeouts are also way down, leaving fantasy owners with little reason to rely on the usually reliable right-hander. While his draft value dictates an every-week starter, he is really only a streaming option right now, one that should be benched against potent offenses.
David Peterson, SP (NYM)
Peterson rebounded from his first loss of the season to earn his fourth win. He shut Miami down for 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out a season-high seven batters. Peterson generated 19 swings and misses among his 100 pitches. He has improved his fastball velocity to a peak of 95-mph, but he is gaining more confidence in a slider that is absolutely stymying opposing hitters. In fact, his slider and fastball generated a 39% combined CSW rate in Monday's appearance. The Mets' rotation is still incomplete and there's no guarantee it will ever be whole, which creates an extended opportunity for the left-hander. So far he is thriving in that chance.
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