Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, ATL
Acuna was diagnosed with a torn ACL on Sunday and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. He left the game against the Pirates on Sunday after injuring his knee while baserunning in the first inning, and had clearly suffered a serious injury. This is an extremely frustrating development for Acuna owners who had been waiting all season for Acuna to get going at the plate, and will now have to find a replacement. Steals are likely available on the waiver wire, but finding someone who can produce in other categories as well can be a lot more challenging.
Taj Bradley, SP, TB
Bradley was excellent for 5 IP against the Royals on Sunday, striking out 6 while allowing 0 ER's on 1 hit and 3 BB's. Bradley now owns a 3.13 ERA, 3.06 xFIP and 29:6 K:BB across 23 IP through his first 4 starts in 2024. He produced an ugly 5.59 ERA last season, but that came with a 3.83 xFIP and 11.09 K/9, so his success now is not at all a fluke. Bradley's biggest flaw thus far in his young career is that when he does allow contact, he allows too many fly balls (career 41.9% FB%) and too much hard contact (46.9% HardHit%) which has led to a homerun problem (1.91 HR/9). Despite that, he strikes out enough batters that he should continue to provide solid ratios going forward.
Pablo Lopez, SP, MIN
Lopez was roughed up again against the Rangers on Sunday, allowing 6 ER's on 7 hits (including 2 HR's) in 4.2 IP, while posting a 6:1 K:BB. It's amazing that Lopez's ERA has risen to 5.25 for the season, despite a 3.05 xFIP and an elite 69:10 K:BB through 60 IP. He has been very unfortunate with a 63.6% LOB% and 15.9% HR/FB, both of which rank in the bottom 10% of the league. Both his peripherals and his track record suggest that Lopez's results will be much better going forward, and he could be an excellent trade target if his owner is turned off by the 5 at the beginning of his ERA.
Ryan McMahon, 3B, COL
McMahon went 1-4 with a 2-run HR against the Phillies on Sunday, giving him 10 HR's and 32 RBI on the season. He has now hit 4 HR's in his last 7 games, and has scored exactly 1 run in each of the last 10 games that he started. Historically, McMahon has been much better at Coors Field than he has been on the road, but surprisingly that has not been the case this year. He is currently slashing a monstrous .312/.382/.523 on the road this season, numbers that are actually better than his home numbers. While this may correct itself to some extent over the course of the season, the fact that he is producing on the road bodes well for McMahon continuing to have a career season. He is on pace to reach 25 HR's for the first time in his career, while his current .294 BA would dwarf his previous career best of .254. The fact that he boasts career high in HardHit% (53.6%) and EV (93.5) also supports his breakout campaign.
Spencer Torkelson, 1B, DET
Torkelson had a big day against the Blue Jays on Sunday, going 3-5 with a HR, a double, and 3 runs scored. After going 37 games without a HR to open the season, Torkelson has now hit 4 dingers in his last 13 games. He has been hitting tons of fly balls (53.5% FB%), and after posting an 87.7 EV in March/April, he has boosted that number to 91.1 in May (not including Sunday's contest) which is in line with last year's mark. We can't expect Torkelson to hit for average, as his fly ball heavy approach has limited him to a career .262 BABIP, but he seems to have rediscovered his power stroke. He was dropped in many leagues due to his rough start, so it's worth checking to see if he's available on the waiver wire.
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