Corbin Carroll, OF (ARI)
Carroll stuffed the stat sheet on Tuesday, reaching base four times including a triple, two walks and his 13th stolen base of the season. Carroll looked just fine after leaving Sunday's game with side discomfort. Both of his base hits were slugged at greater than 100 miles per hour. In fact, his 9th-inning single off Tanner Rainey was ripped at 109.4 miles per hour. The struggling sophomore has played better lately, although his home run power has been non-existent. In fact, he hasn't hit a home run since May 7. After jumping onto the scene with a 90-mph average exit velocity and 41% hard-hit rate in 2023, Carroll's quality of contact looks completely different this year. His average exit velocity is just over 87 miles per hour and his hard-hit rate is only 34 percent. Even during his recent productive run, those numbers look pretty bad. His .103 ISO is more than 115 points lower than last year. One major change from last year is Carroll's production against breaking pitches. He hit .295 with a 88.6-mph average exit velocity in 2023 against breaking balls. In 2024, he's hitting .169 with a 83.9-mph EV. Carroll's long-term upside is still massive and it's way, way, way too early to write him off, but those in redraft leagues may want to accept the fact he won't deliver on his preseason expectations.
Tobias Myers, SP (MIL)
Myers delivered his third-straight dominant start, holding the Angels scoreless for 6.1 innings while tying a season high with six strikeouts. Myers is 3-0 with one run allowed in 20.1 innings over his previous three appearances. What's changed over his past three starts is an increased usage of his 4-seam fastball. It isn't an overpowering pitch, but it's been highly successful this season and leads to more success for his slider and changeup, which has a 10+ mile-per-hour delta from his heater. It's a versatile arsenal and Myers is refining his mix every start. Myers has had more than eight years in the minor leagues to develop this deep arsenal and so he is a highly-experienced rookie at 25 years old. He has earned additional starts and should remain in the Milwaukee rotation even as other Brewers starters get healthy.
Ben Rice, 1B (NYY)
Rice made his major league debut on Tuesday, capturing his first career hit in his second at-bat. One of the better prospects in the game, Rice was promoted to replace Anthony Rizzo on the roster. Rizzo is expected to miss a good chunk of time with a fractured forearm so Rice could generate meaningful playing time, primarily at first base. He is a bat-first prospect that has played catcher and first base in the minors, but the Yankees are likely to only play him at first base. He hit 12 home runs in 180 AA at-bats and then three home runs in 42 AAA at-bats prior to his promotion. He makes pretty good contact for a player that profiles to hit a lot of homers. The lefty slugger has an opportunity to take advantage of Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field. He can be an immediate contributor and should be picked up in most fantasy leagues.
Ceddanne Rafaela, OF (BOS)
Rafaela continued his red-hot hitting with another three-hit performance on Tuesday. The young multi-skilled athlete has multiple hits in six of his past seven games. He has a home run and stolen base as well during that stretch. Rafaela has primarily played centerfield but he started at shortstop on Tuesday as another hot young Red Sox hitter, David Hamilton missed Tuesday's game with side discomfort. Boston hasn't yet chosen to move Rafaela up from the bottom of the lineup, but he's certainly making the case. The free swinger benefits from Fenway Park's dimensions, and if he continues to get on base at such an impressive clip, expect the stolen bases to pile up.
Jonathan Cannon, SP (CWS)
Cannon picked up his first career win with a dominant performance on Tuesday. The big right-hander finished one out shy of a complete game shutout, holding the Astros scoreless for 8.2 innings while allowing seven hits and a walk and striking out four. He has allowed one run in 18.2 innings since getting recalled from AAA-Charlotte on June 7. It's an impressive run considering he had a 5.50 ERA in eight starts at Charlotte. Cannon has far from overpowering stuff, but his sweeper was successful on Tuesday. It would make sense to get a little aggressive in picking up Cannon, but don't go overboard. This is a guy with a mid 5's ERA at the upper levels of the minor leagues. He has limited strikeout upside, although he has demonstrated solid enough control to avoid walks. Ride the hot hand is the motto, but Cannon is unlikely to solve anyone's long-term needs.
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